Ox Chinese Zodiac Sign
The Ox is the second sign of the Chinese zodiac, fixed to the Earth element and classed as Yin. It corresponds to the double-hour of 1 am to 3 am, and recent Ox years include 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 and 2033.
| Earthly Branch | Chou (丑) |
|---|---|
| Recent and upcoming years | 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033 |
Folk tradition often runs the Ox's story alongside the Rat's: an old legend has the Ox swimming hardest and arriving first at the finish of the mythical race, only for the Rat to leap off its back at the last moment and take the top spot instead — leaving the Ox to settle for second. That steady, uncomplaining effort is exactly what almanac writing and oral storytelling attach to people born in an Ox year: patient, dependable, and slow to give up on a task once started.
Ox's Element: Earth, Yin
Separate from the animal cycle, the Ox carries a fixed element and polarity in traditional cosmology: Earth, classed as Yin. This fixed pairing is distinct from the yearly stem-based element used in the Four Pillars system, so an Ox year can carry a different elemental reading depending on that year's heavenly stem — 1985 and 1997 are both Ox years read with different stems.
Ox and the Wheel of Twelve
The Ox is traditionally placed with the Snake and the Rooster in what is called the Metal frame, one of four three-sign "harmony" groupings on the wheel. The Ox also has a dedicated Six Harmonies (liu he) partner, the Rat — fittingly, given their shared place in the race legend — and a clash partner directly opposite it, the Goat. These groupings are cultural reference points, not instructions for relationships.
Reading the Ox Sign Today
Like the other eleven signs, the Ox's traits work best as a shared cultural touchstone for conversation and festival lore, not as a verdict on any one person born in an Ox year.
What years are Ox years?
Recent Ox years are 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 and 2033. A zodiac year starts on Chinese New Year, not 1 January, so people born in January or early February may belong to the previous sign, the Rat.
What element is the Ox in the Chinese zodiac?
In the traditional five-elements framework, the Ox is fixed to the Earth element and classed as Yin; the sign is ranked number 2 in the traditional zodiac order and covers the hours of roughly 1–3 am in the old double-hour system.
Which signs traditionally get along well with the Ox?
Folk tradition groups the Ox with the Snake and Rooster into what almanacs call the 'Metal frame,' a Three Harmonies (san he) triad, and pairs it specifically with the Rat in a Six Harmonies (liu he) match; these are traditional groupings, not guarantees.
Which sign does the Ox traditionally clash with?
The Ox is traditionally said to clash with the Goat, its opposite on the zodiac wheel; folklore treats this as a point worth being mindful of rather than a fixed outcome.
Zodiac, year pillar (Gānzhī) and na yin element are computed from the lunar calendar with lunar-typescript · Last updated 2026-09-11