Chinese Zodiac Elements

By the BotsBox editorial team. Updated November 5, 2026. Cultural tradition, not prediction.

The five elements in the Chinese zodiac

Besides the animal, every Chinese year has an element and a polarity. The five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) come from the traditional theory of the five phases. Each element covers two consecutive years, the first yang and the second yin, so the ten-year element cycle runs alongside the twelve-year animal cycle. Together they make a 60-year cycle.

How to find your element

Look at the last digit of your Chinese year. If you were born in January or early February, first check the date of the Chinese New Year, because you may belong to the previous year.

Yin and yang in the zodiac

Years alternate between yang and yin. Yang is read as active, outward and bright, and yin as receptive, inward and calm. An even position in the stem cycle is yang, so 2024 is a yang Wood year and 2025 a yin Wood year. The animals alternate too, beginning with the yang Rat, the yin Ox, the yang Tiger and so on. Neither polarity is better. They are two halves of one pattern.

The animal’s own element and the year’s element

Many sites say “the Rat is a Water sign” and also “1984 was a Wood Rat”. Both are right, in different ways. Each animal has a fixed element of its own (Rat and Pig Water, Tiger and Rabbit Wood, Snake and Horse Fire, Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog Earth, Monkey and Rooster Metal). The element of the year then adds a second layer on top. This page and our calculator show both.

How the elements relate

In the generating cycle each element supports the next: Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth (as ash), Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water and Water nourishes Wood. In the controlling cycle each element restrains another: Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal and Metal cuts Wood. Traditional readings use these cycles to describe how the element of one person and the element of a year may help or challenge each other.

The 60-year cycle

This table lists all 60 combinations of animal, element and polarity, with every year from 1900 to 2100 in which each one occurs. Use it to look up a year, or to find the next time your own combination comes around.

Frequently asked questions

What are the five elements of the Chinese zodiac?

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each year has one, and each element covers two years in a row, once as yang and once as yin.

How do I find my element?

Look at the last digit of your Chinese year: 0 and 1 Metal, 2 and 3 Water, 4 and 5 Wood, 6 and 7 Fire, 8 and 9 Earth. If you were born in January or February, check the Chinese New Year first, because you may belong to the previous year.

Why do some websites give a different element for the same animal?

Some sites mean the animal’s own fixed element (for example the Rat is a Water animal) and others mean the element of the year (a Wood Rat in 1984). This page and our calculator show both.

What is a 60-year cycle?

The 12 animals and the 10 combinations of five elements and two polarities repeat together every 60 years. A Fire Horse year, for example, comes around every 60 years. That is 1966, 2026 and 2086.

Which elements support or weaken each other?

In the generating cycle, Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water and Water nourishes Wood. In the controlling cycle, Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal and Metal cuts Wood.