1961 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Yin Metal Ox
- Stem and branch
- 辛丑 · Xīn Chǒu
- Chinese zodiac animal
- Ox
- Year element and polarity
- Yin Metal
- Lunar New Year interval (inclusive)
- Feb 15, 1961 – Feb 4, 1962
- Lìchūn, Beijing time
- Feb 4, 1961 · 09:22 Beijing time
- Same stem and branch, 60 years apart
- 2021
Which Chinese zodiac animal is 1961?
The 1961 Chinese zodiac year is Metal Ox, Xīn Chǒu, with a yin Metal stem above the Ox branch. The lunar year starts on Feb 15, 1961, leaving January and part of February under the previous animal. Metal Ox is an exact cycle label, but descriptions of discipline or endurance are interpretive images, not facts about all people born in the interval. This page first gives the calendar boundaries and then explores how the two symbols might be used for reflection without becoming a fixed personality assignment.
A birthday from Jan 1, 1961 through Feb 14, 1961 is Rat in the popular zodiac. Ox occupies the interval from Feb 15, 1961 through Feb 4, 1962; Tiger begins on Feb 5, 1962. Both ends fall in February, so early-year birthdays on either side deserve careful checking. A list of Ox civil years is only a starting point. The interval provides the information needed to place someone accurately, including a person born in early 1962 whose popular animal remains Ox despite a different civil year number on the record.
Exact dates for the 1961 lunar year
| Lunar New Year interval (inclusive) | Feb 15, 1961 – Feb 4, 1962 |
|---|---|
| Lìchūn, Beijing time | Feb 4, 1961 · 09:22 Beijing time |
| Same stem and branch, 60 years apart | 2021 |
| Ox years, 1924–2043 | 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033 |
The year's Lìchūn occurs on Feb 4, 1961 at 09:22 Beijing time, before the February 15 Lunar New Year. During the gap, the BaZi year pillar has changed but the popular animal can still be Rat. The two answers can coexist when their boundaries are stated. A full birth-time calculation is needed for a close solar-term case, while the lunar interval answers the simpler animal question. The table also lists recurring Ox years and sixty-year companions so readers can see the difference between an animal repeating and the complete stem-branch name repeating.
Calendar source: Hong Kong ObservatoryThe Metal Ox
Metal Ox can be pictured through a carefully maintained implement: a defined edge supported by repeated work. Metal adds a question about standards, while Ox contributes the image of sustained effort. A useful reflection is whether a standard still helps the task or has become a reason to keep working beyond what is needed. The image should not be used to praise endless endurance or to judge someone who changes direction. People from this year can have very different relationships to routine, precision, and the demands placed on them.
Xīn is yin Metal, often illustrated by something refined or carefully shaped. With Ox, it can suggest attention to the quality of what repeated effort produces. That offers a question about proportion: which details deserve another pass, and which are already fit for their purpose? A year name cannot answer that question for a real project or relationship. It also cannot establish the strongest element in a birth chart. The day stem, other pillars, and seasonal setting are separate information that should not be inferred from the year element alone.
Born in 1961: compatibility and the 2027 outlook
Members of the Metal Ox lunar-year group are turning about 66 in 2027. This is approximate because the interval includes birthdays from two civil years. The Ox 2027 page discusses the Fire Goat year's traditional contrast with Ox without presenting it as a verdict. Compatibility considers all twelve animals, and the overview gives the wider cultural context. Follow whichever link answers the next question you have. Neither the age nor a branch relationship establishes what will happen, and the calendar facts remain independent of those interpretive descriptions.
Born in January or February 1961?
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1961 Chinese zodiac FAQ
Is January 1961 the Year of the Ox?
January 1961 is Rat. Metal Ox does not begin until Feb 15, 1961, so the first weeks of February also need the lunar boundary checked. A BaZi year-pillar answer uses the earlier Lìchūn instant instead and can differ during the interval between the two changes.
What element is the 1961 Ox?
Xīn Chǒu, 辛丑, is Yin Metal Ox for the lunar year beginning Feb 15, 1961. Metal is the year stem's element. It does not mean a person must be exacting or that Metal dominates their full chart; those are different questions requiring more information.
When does the 1961 zodiac year end?
The Metal Ox lunar year finishes on Feb 4, 1962. Tiger starts on Feb 5, 1962, so an early-February 1962 birthday may still fall in Ox. Keep the inclusive end date and the following start date together when checking a boundary case from a civil birth record.
Popular zodiac years change at Lunar New Year. A BaZi year pillar changes at Lìchūn, around February 4, so a birthday from late January to late February can belong to a different chart year.
For cultural reflection and entertainment only. Year symbolism is not a prediction or medical, legal, financial, or relationship advice.