Rooster Chinese Zodiac Sign
The Rooster is the tenth sign of the Chinese zodiac, fixed to the Metal element and classed as Yin. It corresponds to the double-hour of 5 pm to 7 pm, and recent Rooster years include 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 and 2029.
| Earthly Branch | You (酉) |
|---|---|
| Recent and upcoming years | 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 |
A Han-dynasty essay attributed to Han Ying credits the rooster with five virtues based on its own body and habits: civility from its comb, a martial spirit from its spurs, courage from its willingness to fight, benevolence for calling others to share food, and reliability for crowing at dawn without fail. Folk tradition and almanac writing carry that same list of virtues into how Rooster years are described: organized, outspoken, and dependable once a commitment is made.
The Rooster's Fixed Element: Metal and Yin
The five-virtues essay describes character, not cosmology; for that, tradition assigns the Rooster a fixed element and polarity of its own: Metal and Yin. This never changes from one Rooster year to the next, whereas the year-specific stem element used in the Four Pillars system does — 1993 and 2005 are both Rooster years, yet their heavenly stems, and therefore their stem elements, differ.
The Rooster Among the Twelve Signs
Almanac tradition seats the Rooster in the Metal frame beside the Ox and the Snake, a three-way harmony set recorded across the wheel's four such groupings. Its Six Harmonies (liu he) partner is the Dragon, and its clash sign, directly across the wheel, is the Rabbit. These pairings are traditionally treated as cultural shorthand, never as a formula for judging any actual relationship.
The Rooster Sign Today
Han Ying's five virtues were written about the bird, not about any specific person, and that distinction still holds for how Rooster years get discussed today — a shared reference point rather than a personal verdict.
What years are Rooster years?
Recent Rooster years are 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 and 2029. 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 Monkey.
What element is the Rooster in the Chinese zodiac?
In the traditional five-elements framework, the Rooster is fixed to the Metal element and classed as Yin; the sign is ranked number 10 in the traditional zodiac order and covers the hours of roughly 5–7 pm in the old double-hour system.
Which signs traditionally get along well with the Rooster?
Folk tradition groups the Rooster with the Ox and Snake into what almanacs call the 'Metal frame,' a Three Harmonies (san he) triad, and pairs it specifically with the Dragon in a Six Harmonies (liu he) match; these are traditional groupings, not guarantees.
Which sign does the Rooster traditionally clash with?
The Rooster is traditionally said to clash with the Rabbit, 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