Chinese zodiac · all 12 animals
2017 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Rooster
丁酉年 Fire Rooster, yin (阴)
Exact dates, who counts as a Rooster, the element and matches, and how many babies China had in 2017.
The answer
2017 is the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac: a Fire Rooster year, 丁酉 (dīng yǒu) in the 60-year cycle. It runs from 28 January 2017 to 15 February 2018, so people born from 1 January to 27 January 2017 belong to the previous animal, the Monkey. China recorded 17.23 million births in 2017.
2017 at a glance
- Animal
- Rooster 鸡 (jī), tenth of the 12
- Element
- Fire 火, yin (阴), from the stem 丁 (dīng)
- 60-year cycle
- 丁酉 dīng yǒu · the same Fire Rooster year was 1957 and comes again in 2077
- Starts
- Saturday, 28 January 2017 (Chinese New Year)
- Ends
- Thursday, 15 February 2018 · the Year of the Dog begins the next day
- Lichun
- 3 February 2017 · the solar-term start of spring, used as the year boundary by some almanacs
- Births in 2017
- 17.23 million in mainland China (NBS), −3.5% on 2016
- Age in 2026
- Turns 9 · next 本命年 (own zodiac year): 2029
- Best matches
- Ox and Snake (三合 trine), Dragon (六合 pair) · clashes with the Rabbit
Born in 2017? Check the date first
The zodiac follows the lunar year, not the Western calendar year. In 2017 the cut-off was 28 January 2017.
| Born | Zodiac animal | Element | Cycle year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan – 27 Jan 2017 2017 | Monkey 猴 | Fire | 丙申 |
| 28 Jan 2017 – 31 Dec 2017 | Rooster 鸡 | Fire | 丁酉 |
| 1 Jan 2018 – 15 Feb 2018 | Rooster 鸡 (still) | Fire | 丁酉 |
Some almanacs and Chinese astrologers use Lichun (3 February 2017 in 2017) as the boundary instead, which can move a few days of January or February births to the other animal. The Lunar New Year rule is the everyday one. Not sure? Use the Chinese zodiac calculator.
How many Roosters: China’s births in 2017
The National Bureau of Statistics counted 17.23 million births in mainland China in 2017, −3.5% compared with 2016 (17.86 million); 2018 had 15.23 million. Among the 77 years from 1949 to 2025, 2017 ranks 55th for births.
These are calendar-year counts, so a few weeks of 2017’s babies belong to the Monkey and the first weeks of 2018 to the Rooster. Figures before the 1982 census come mainly from household registration, as the NBS notes.
What the Rooster means
Tradition calls Rooster people honest, hard-working and confident, and pairs them best with the Ox and Snake. The element adds a layer: a Fire Rooster is read differently from a Earth Rooster. In daily life in China the sign matters most for 本命年 and for New Year decorations, stamps and gifts in Rooster years. Read the full Year of the Rooster guide for the traits, matches and the stories behind the animal.
Other Years of the Rooster
The Rooster returns every 12 years; the element changes each time, so the Fire Rooster itself comes round only every 60.
| Year | Element and animal | Starts | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Fire Rooster 火鸡 · 丁酉 | 31 Jan 1957 | 17 Feb 1958 |
| 1969 | Earth Rooster 土鸡 · 己酉 | 17 Feb 1969 | 5 Feb 1970 |
| 1981 | Metal Rooster 金鸡 · 辛酉 | 5 Feb 1981 | 24 Jan 1982 |
| 1993 | Water Rooster 水鸡 · 癸酉 | 23 Jan 1993 | 9 Feb 1994 |
| 2005 | Wood Rooster 木鸡 · 乙酉 | 9 Feb 2005 | 28 Jan 2006 |
| 2017 | Fire Rooster 火鸡 · 丁酉 | 28 Jan 2017 | 15 Feb 2018 |
| 2029 | Earth Rooster 土鸡 · 己酉 | 13 Feb 2029 | 2 Feb 2030 |
| 2041 | Metal Rooster 金鸡 · 辛酉 | 1 Feb 2041 | 21 Jan 2042 |
| 2053 | Water Rooster 水鸡 · 癸酉 | 19 Feb 2053 | 7 Feb 2054 |
| 2065 | Wood Rooster 木鸡 · 乙酉 | 5 Feb 2065 | 25 Jan 2066 |
| 2077 | Fire Rooster 火鸡 · 丁酉 | 24 Jan 2077 | 11 Feb 2078 |
Matches for people born in 2017
Traditional compatibility pairs the 12 animals on a wheel: the three animals four places apart form a 三合 (sānhé) trine, each animal has one 六合 (liùhé) partner, and the animal opposite is its 六冲 (liùchōng) clash. These are folk rules used in match-making and in choosing wedding dates, not predictions.
Festival dates in 2017
Western dates for the main Chinese festivals in 2017. The full year, with lunar months and solar terms, is on the Chinese calendar 2017 page.
- Chinese New Year
- 28 January 2017 春节
- Lantern Festival
- 11 February 2017 元宵节
- Qingming Festival
- 4 April 2017 清明节
- Dragon Boat Festival
- 30 May 2017 端午节
- Mid-Autumn Festival
- 4 October 2017 中秋节
- Chinese New Year’s Eve
- 27 January 2017 除夕
Questions readers ask
What Chinese zodiac animal is 2017?
2017 is the Year of the Rooster (鸡, jī). In the full 60-year cycle it is 丁酉, a Fire Rooster year, yin (阴). It began on 28 January 2017 and ended on 15 February 2018; 2018 is the Year of the Dog.
I was born in January or February 2017. What is my Chinese zodiac sign?
It depends on the exact date. The Year of the Rooster started on 28 January 2017. Born on or after that date, you are a Rooster; born between 1 January and 27 January 2017, you are a Monkey. Some Chinese almanacs and astrologers start the year at Lichun (立春, start of spring) instead, which fell on 3 February 2017 in 2017; the Lunar New Year rule is the one most people in China use.
What element is 2017 in the Chinese zodiac?
Fire (火, huǒ). The element comes from the heavenly stem 丁 (dīng), which also makes 2017 a yin (阴) year. The same animal returns every 12 years, but the same element and animal together, the Fire Rooster, return only every 60 years: the previous one was 1957 and the next is 2077.
How old is someone born in 2017 in 2026?
Someone born in 2017 turns 9 in 2026 (8 until their birthday). In traditional Chinese reckoning (虚岁, xūsuì) a person is one at birth and gains a year at Lunar New Year, so the same person counts as 10 for most of 2026.
When is the next Year of the Rooster?
2029, starting on 13 February 2029. For someone born in 2017 that is a 本命年 (běnmìngnián), their own zodiac year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful in; many people wear something red for it.
How many babies were born in China in 2017?
About 17.23 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics series, −3.5% compared with 2016. That ranks 2017 55th of the 77 years from 1949 to 2025.
Tools
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory, Gregorian-Lunar calendar conversion tables, 1901–2100 (Lunar New Year dates) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- National Bureau of Statistics of China, National Data (年度数据 → 人口 → 出生人口) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2024 national economic and social development (births 9.54 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS, statistical communiqué on 2025 national economic and social development (births 7.92 million) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- NBS public Q&A: where to find births for years before 1982 (data.stats.gov.cn; pre-1982 data from household registration) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Chinese zodiac (animals, stems and the 60-year cycle) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
- China Daily, What is benmingnian? (2 January 2024, in Chinese) · accessed 31 Oct 2026
Update log. 31 October 2026 — published. Lunar New Year and Lichun dates computed in Beijing time and checked against the Hong Kong Observatory tables; births from the National Bureau of Statistics annual series. Suggest a correction
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