1997 / Chinese zodiac
1997 Chinese Zodiac: Fire Ox
1997 is the Year of the Fire Ox. It begins on February 7, 1997 and ends on January 27, 1998. If you were born before February 7, 1997, your sign is the Fire Rat.
01 / Check the boundary
What is my Chinese zodiac if I was born in 1997?
Two zodiac signs fall within the Gregorian year 1997. Choose the row containing your birthday. These dates include both the first and last day; the animal changes at Chinese New Year, not on January 1.
| Gregorian birthday | Animal & year element |
|---|---|
| – | Fire Rat 鼠 |
| – | Fire Ox 牛 |
The full 1997 lunar year continues into 1998, through January 27, 1998. A birthday on February 6, 1997 belongs to the Rat; a birthday one day later, on February 7, 1997, belongs to the Ox.
YOUR STORY STARTS HERE
When were you born?
YOUR RESULT
02 / The story of the year
What kind of Ox is 1997?
1997 is a Fire Ox year. Its stem-branch name is 丁丑 (dīng-chǒu): the heavenly stem 丁 carries yin fire, and the earthly branch 丑 corresponds to the Ox.
- Zodiac animal
- Ox · 牛
- Year element
- Fire
- Stem & branch
- 丁丑 · dīng-chǒu
- Lunar year length
- 355 days
Ox personality in tradition
The Ox is associated with patient work and perseverance, reflecting its longstanding role in farming.
The phrase “steady & dependable” describes a traditional association with this animal, rather than a rule about everyone born in 1997. The year element is one part of the calendar; it does not establish a person's complete five-elements or Bāzì chart.
我属牛。
Wǒ shǔ niú. “I was born in the Year of the Ox.”
Ox compatibility in folklore
Ox, Snake and Rooster form a traditional harmony group of three. Goat sits opposite Ox, six places away in the twelve-animal cycle. These describe symbolic positions, not evidence of who will make a good partner.
Explore traditional pairings →03 / A closer look at the dates
1997 lunar calendar at a glance
This Ox year contains 12 lunar months and 355 days. There is no leap lunar month in this year. A leap month keeps the same animal and year element. The table follows the full lunar year, so its final months extend into 1998.
| Lunar month | Begins | Ends | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | 30 | ||
| Month 2 | 29 | ||
| Month 3 | 30 | ||
| Month 4 | 29 | ||
| Month 5 | 30 | ||
| Month 6 | 29 | ||
| Month 7 | 30 | ||
| Month 8 | 30 | ||
| Month 9 | 29 | ||
| Month 10 | 30 | ||
| Month 11 | 30 | ||
| Month 12 | 29 |
Sources & calendar convention
Dates are calculated from our local lunar-month dataset. The links below provide the Observatory’s calendar for this Gregorian year and an explanation of the stem-branch cycle. Cultural interpretations are introductory folklore, not predictions.