Chinese zodiac
The Rabbit in the Chinese zodiac
The Rabbit is the 4th animal of the Chinese zodiac, a yin sign whose fixed element is Wood. Tradition associates it with being gentle, careful and diplomatic — elegance and quiet good fortune. Rabbit years include 1987 (Fire), 1999 (Earth), 2011 (Metal), 2023 (Water).
| Order | 4 of 12 |
|---|---|
| Earthly branch | Mao 卯 |
| Chinese character | 兔 |
| Fixed element | Wood |
| Polarity | Yin |
| Best matches (San He trine) | Goat and Pig |
| Secret friend (Liu He) | Dog |
| Clash (Chong) | Rooster |
| Harm (Liu Hai) | Dragon |
| Solar month | about 6 March – 4 April |
| Double-hour | 05:00 – 07:00 |
Each year's element comes from its heavenly stem, so a Rabbit year is Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water in turn and the same combination returns every sixty years. The start dates above are computed from the Sun's position: Li Chun is the moment it reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude.
A year does not begin on 1 January. The popular zodiac changes at Chinese New Year (between 21 January and 20 February); BaZi changes it at Li Chun, the start of spring, around 4 February. Anyone born in January or early February belongs to the previous year's animal.
In compatibility, the Rabbit forms a San He trine with the Goat and Pig, a Liu He pair ("secret friend") with the Dog, clashes (Chong) with the Rooster, the animal six places away, and harms (Liu Hai) the Dragon.
The Rabbit is also the Mao branch of the day, ruling the double-hour 05:00 – 07:00, and of the solar month that runs from about 6 March to 4 April. In a BaZi chart it can appear in any of the four pillars — year, month, day or hour — not only the year.
| Year | Element | Begins (Li Chun, Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|
| 1939 | Yin Earth | 5 Feb, 01:11 |
| 1951 | Yin Metal | 4 Feb, 23:13 |
| 1963 | Yin Water | 4 Feb, 21:08 |
| 1975 | Yin Wood | 4 Feb, 18:59 |
| 1987 | Yin Fire | 4 Feb, 16:52 |
| 1999 | Yin Earth | 4 Feb, 14:57 |
| 2011 | Yin Metal | 4 Feb, 12:33 |
| 2023 | Yin Water | 4 Feb, 10:43 |
Questions
What years are the Year of the Rabbit?
1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023. Remember the year starts at Chinese New Year (or Li Chun, around 4 February, in BaZi), not on 1 January.
Who is the Rabbit most compatible with?
The Goat and Pig (its San He trine) and the Dog (its Liu He secret friend). Its traditional clash is with the Rooster, and it harms the Dragon.
What element is the Rabbit?
The Rabbit's fixed element is Wood. Each Rabbit year also has its own element from the heavenly stem — for example 2023 is a Water Rabbit.
What time is the hour of the Rabbit?
05:00 – 07:00, the Mao hour. It gives the branch of the hour pillar in BaZi; many practitioners first correct clock time to local solar time.
In Plutto
Plutto reads all four of your animals — year, month, day and hour — in your BaZi chart. Background: Chinese astrology (BaZi).
Ask it something you actually want to know.