Which Years Are Rabbit Years?
People born in 1999, 2011 and 2023 are Rabbits. Earlier Rabbit years are 1951, 1963, 1975 and 1987. The Rabbit comes around every 12 years.
A Rabbit 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 卯 (Mao), you are a Rabbit. Born before the Start of Spring, your pillar still ends in the previous year's Yin, so you are a Tiger.
| Year | Stem-branch | Na Yin | Born between |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Gui Mao | Gold Foil | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 2011 | Xin Mao | Pine and Cypress Wood | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 1999 | Ji Mao | Earth on the City Wall | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 1987 | Ding Mao | Fire in the Furnace | Feb 4 – Feb 3 next year |
| 1975 | Yi Mao | Great Stream Water | Feb 4 – Feb 4 next year |
| 1963 | Gui Mao | Gold Foil | Feb 4 – Feb 4 next year |
| 1951 | Xin Mao | Pine and Cypress Wood | 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.
Who Are the Rabbit's Best Matches?
The Rabbit's trine partners are the Pig and Goat, and its six harmony partner is the Dog. Folk tradition says these animals get on well with yours.
- TrineThree earthly branches form a group. For the Rabbit, the other two are the Pig and the Goat.
- Six HarmonyTwo branches form a pair. The Rabbit pairs with the Dog.
A full trine needs all three. The Rabbit sits at the centre of this one, so it still bonds with a Pig or a Goat on its own. Without the Rabbit, a Pig and a Goat do not bond.
Which Animals Clash with the Rabbit?
The Rooster is the Rabbit's worst match. Friction with the Rat, Dragon and Horse is lighter. Clash, punishment, harm and break all make a poor match, but some weigh more than others.
- ClashSet the twelve animals in a circle, and the two directly opposite collide.
- PunishmentEach holds the other back, so friction comes easily.
- HarmEach quietly gets in the other's way.
- BreakA minor loss.
| Animal | Branch | Relation | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rooster | Yǒu | Clash | Heavier |
| Rat | Zi | Punishment | Lighter |
| Dragon | Chen | Harm | Lighter |
| Horse | Wu | Break | Lighter |
Punishment, harm and break are all lighter, with no order among them.
Does the Rabbit Offend Tai Sui This Year? Why Horse Years Break It
A Rabbit offends Tai Sui in Rabbit, Rooster, Rat, Dragon and Horse years, and is in harmony with it in Goat, Dog and Pig years. Offending Tai Sui means the year's animal is yours, or clashes, punishes, harms or breaks yours. Whether you offend it this year depends on which animal's year it is.
A Horse year's branch is Wu, and Mao and Wu form a break. So a Horse year breaks Tai Sui for a Rabbit. A break is one of the lighter kinds, far milder than a clash.
A Rabbit year is your own year (Ben Ming Nian). A year in harmony 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.
Rabbit Personality: Gentle, Perceptive, Sometimes Hesitant
Rabbits tend to be gentle and perceptive, and can be slow to decide. The Rabbit's branch, Mao, is Wood, and a soft kind of wood, like a vine.
A vine bends instead of breaking, and gets by on flexibility rather than force. So you tend to read the room and look for a gentler path before a conflict starts.
The other side is caring too much what others think. Under pressure, your first move may be a step back. You are thoughtful with people you know, but slow to let strangers close.
Metal, Wood, Water, Fire and Earth Rabbits
The five kinds of Rabbit are sorted by the heavenly stem of the birth year. Every Rabbit year's pillar ends in Mao. What differs is the first character, the stem. For example, 1987 is Ding Mao. Ding is Fire, so 1987 is a Fire Rabbit.
| Type | Year pillar | Birth years |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Rabbit | Xin Mao | 1951, 2011 |
| Wood Rabbit | Yi Mao | 1975 |
| Water Rabbit | Gui Mao | 1963, 2023 |
| Fire Rabbit | Ding Mao | 1987 |
| Earth Rabbit | Ji Mao | 1999 |
Some sites sort Rabbits by Na Yin instead. Na Yin is a second set of element names, one for each stem and branch pair. For 2023, the Na Yin is Gold Foil, so those sites call it a Metal Rabbit. By its stem, it is a Water Rabbit.
Beyond Your Animal: Reading Your Own BaZi
Your animal is only the branch of your year pillar, one character that cannot show the whole picture. Everyone born that year shares it, but the month, day and hour pillars differ.
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.
How each year affects you is your annual fortune (Liu Nian). Whether it helps or strains you depends on whether that year brings the elements your chart needs.
