Chinese astrology · portrait
The Pig, generous and easygoing.
The Pig is the twelfth of the twelve signs of Chinese astrology. You are born a Pig in the years 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, provided you were born after the lunar new year switch (between late January and mid-February). Tradition pairs it with the Rabbit and the Goat, and sets it in tension with the Snake. Five elements shade it, from the Wood Pig to the Water Pig, and that combination only comes back around every sixty years.
The Pig at a glance
- Sign
- Pig
- Rank
- twelfth of 12
- Character
- Generous and Easygoing
- Allies
- Rabbit, Goat
- Opposite
- Snake
- Recent years
- 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
The Pig: what kind of temperament?
The Pig is generosity that celebrates life. You love simple pleasures, good food, time shared together, and you offer people a rare, easy acceptance that puts everyone at ease. Your big heart keeps no tally, you give because making others happy is what makes you happy. Your gentlest lesson is to protect that lovely openness without losing it, to set boundaries so your kindness never becomes ground where people take advantage of you. What moves you is the wish to savor every moment and share it with the ones you hold dear.
The five faces of the Pig
Each animal comes back around every twelve years, but its meeting with one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) only replays every sixty years. That is why two Pigs born twelve years apart are not quite alike: the year’s element colors the animal.
Pig of Wood
The Wood Pig puts its generosity in the service of the group: you give to help things grow, you gather people around shared pleasures with an idealistic heart. Keep your fine trust, and take care not to scatter yourself across too many impulses at once.
Pig of Fire
The Fire Pig warms its joy of life with a real fervor: you savor, you celebrate, you sweep others up in your contagious warmth. The care to take is to set limits so your enthusiasm doesn’t overwhelm you.
Pig of Earth
The Earth Pig grounds its generosity in the concrete: you offer a stable, warm presence, you savor simple, lasting pleasures. Your lesson is to protect your lovely openness by setting clear limits now and then.
Pig of Metal
The Metal Pig firms up its sincerity: behind your gentleness watches a quiet will, you keep your commitments and you defend your people with tenacity. Keep that structure, without letting rigor snuff out your generosity.
Pig of Water
The Water Pig deepens its tenderness with a gentle intuition: you sense others’ needs, you give with finesse, you put everyone at ease. That sensitivity is your wealth, just take care that no one takes advantage of it.
Who the Pig gets along with
Chinese tradition reads affinities by triads. The Pig forms a triad of natural understanding (San He) with the Rabbit and the Goat: bonds that come easily and grow stronger over time.
Its opposite on the wheel is the Snake: different rhythms, sometimes a sharp attraction. Nothing forbidden, just an invitation to flexibility and to respect the other’s way of being. An “opposite” sign is not a bad sign, it is a contrasting mirror.
For a reading of two people, cross your two signs and your two elements: compatibility on the Western zodiac side follows the same mirror logic.
Are you a Pig? The birth years
You are born a Pig in the years 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031. But the sign switches at the lunar new year, not on January 1: born in January or early February, you may belong to the previous year’s animal. It’s the most common mistake the quick converters make.
Frequently asked questions
Which years correspond to the sign of the Pig?
You are born a Pig in the years 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, provided you were born after the lunar new year, which falls between late January and mid-February. If you were born in January or early February, check your year’s switch date: before it, you belong to the previous sign.
Which signs is the Pig most compatible with?
Tradition gathers the Pig, the Rabbit and the Goat into the same affinity triad (San He): a natural understanding. Its opposite on the wheel is the Snake, which forbids no bond: it is an invitation to flexibility, never a verdict.
How do I find the element of my Pig?
Your element comes from the last digit of your birth year, among Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. The Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water Pig are not quite alike: that is the nuance you will read below.