Which Years Are Pig Years?
People born in 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031 are Pigs. Earlier Pig years are 1947, 1959, 1971 and 1983. The Pig comes around every 12 years.
A Pig year begins at the Start of Spring (Lichun), around February 4. It is usually a different day from Chinese New Year.
BaZi writes your birth year, month, day and hour as two characters each. The two for the year are your year pillar.
Enter your birth date and hour in the free BaZi calculator. If the second character of your year pillar is 亥 (Hai), you are a Pig. Born before the Start of Spring, your pillar still ends in the previous year's Xu, so you are a Dog.
| Year | Stem-branch | Na Yin | Born between |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | Xin Hai | Ornamental Hairpin Gold | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 2019 | Ji Hai | Flatland Wood | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 2007 | Ding Hai | Earth on the Roof | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 1995 | Yi Hai | Fire on the Mountaintop | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 1983 | Gui Hai | Great Sea Water | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 1971 | Xin Hai | Ornamental Hairpin Gold | Feb 4 – Feb 4 next year |
| 1959 | Ji Hai | Flatland Wood | Feb 4 – Feb 4 next year |
| 1947 | Ding Hai | Earth on the Roof | Feb 4 – Feb 4 next year |
Calculate your BaZi chart
Enter your birth details to discover your Day Master, elemental balance, and how these concepts apply to your Four Pillars.
Metal Pig or Fire Pig? Year Stem vs Na Yin
Metal, Fire and the other kinds of Pig are sorted by the heavenly stem of the birth year. The branch Hai itself is always Yin Water.
Every one of these year pillars ends in Hai. What differs is the first character, the stem. For example, 1971 is Xin Hai. Xin is Metal, so 1971 is a Metal Pig.
Na Yin is a second set of element names, one for each stem and branch pair. Some sites sort Pigs by it.
| Type | Year pillar | Na Yin | Birth years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metal Pig | Xin Hai | Ornamental Hairpin Gold | 1971, 2031 |
| Wood Pig | Yi Hai | Fire on the Mountaintop | 1995 |
| Water Pig | Gui Hai | Great Sea Water | 1983 |
| Fire Pig | Ding Hai | Earth on the Roof | 1947, 2007 |
| Earth Pig | Ji Hai | Flatland Wood | 1959, 2019 |
Some people call 2007 a Metal Pig year. That year is Ding Hai. By its stem it is a Fire Pig, and its Na Yin is Earth on the Roof. Neither way makes it Metal.
The Pig's Allies: Six Harmony and Trine
The Pig's six harmony ally is the Tiger, and its trine partners, the Rabbit and Goat, count as allies too. In folk tradition, your allies are the animals that form a trine or a six harmony with yours.
This is not the Heavenly Noble (Tian Yi Gui Ren), one of BaZi's Special Stars. That one is read from your whole chart.
- Six HarmonyTwo branches form a pair. The Pig pairs with the Tiger.
- TrineThree earthly branches form a group. For the Pig, the other two are the Rabbit and the Goat.
The Pig and Rabbit can bond as a pair on their own, so the Rabbit is closer than the Goat. A Pig and a Goat only bond with a Rabbit between them.
Which Animals Clash with the Pig?
The Snake is the Pig's worst match. Friction with the Monkey is lighter. Clash, punishment and harm all make a poor match, but some weigh more than others.
- ClashSet the twelve animals in a circle, and the two directly opposite collide. This is the heavier kind.
- HarmIt spoils your six harmony. The Monkey clashes with the Tiger, the Pig's six harmony partner, so the Monkey harms the Pig.
- PunishmentFriction, each holding the other back. Two Pigs together punish themselves. This is the lighter kind.
| Animal | Branch | Relation | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Snake | Si | Clash | Heavier |
| Monkey | Shen | Harm | Lighter |
Some books say the Tiger and Pig break each other. Sanming Tonghui does not count this pair, so no animal breaks the Pig.
Which Years Does the Pig Offend Tai Sui?
A Pig offends Tai Sui in Pig, Snake and Monkey years. Tai Sui is the branch of each year, such as Hai in a Pig year. Folk custom compares the year's animal with yours to see whether you offend Tai Sui.
A Pig year is your own year (Ben Ming Nian). Tradition weighs your own year and the Snake year's clash the most. The Monkey year's harm is lighter. Tiger, Rabbit and Goat years bring harmony, which is seen as a help.
Offending Tai Sui compares two animals only. It is not a full forecast for your year. For each animal's Tai Sui outlook and tips for the year, see the CNY BaZi Fortune Guide.
Pig Personality: Generous, Sincere, Soft-hearted
Pigs tend to be generous, sincere and easy to get along with, and they soften easily. This reading comes from the stems hidden in Hai. Each branch hides one to three stems, called hidden stems (Cang Gan). Hai hides Ren Water and Jia Wood, and the water weighs the most.
This water is broad like the sea, so you tend to be tolerant and not keep score. Water feeds wood, and the wood brings a lively urge to grow. You value loyalty and will give a lot for the people you care about.
The other side is finding it hard to say no, and sometimes trusting too readily. Where people are open with each other, these traits tend to show as warmth and reliability. Under heavy pressure, they can turn into putting things off.
Same Pig Year, Different People: Day Master and Five Elements
Everyone born in the same year is a Pig, so the differences come from the Day Master and the Five Elements. Your animal is only the branch of your year pillar, one character in your BaZi. The month, day and hour pillars differ from person to person.
The character that stands for you is the Day Master, the stem of the day you were born. Your temperament and way of working are read from it, together with the strength of the Five Elements.
Whether a year helps or strains you also depends on how its stem and branch relate to your whole chart.
