Chinese zodiac · Year of the Dog
The Water Dog: 1982, 2042, 2102
壬戌 · Ren xū · Yang Water stem on the Earth branch
A Water Dog year pairs the Heavenly Stem 壬 (Ren, yang Water) with the Earthly Branch 戌 (xū, the Dog). The pair recurs every sixty years, so in the range AsterNym covers the Water Dog years are 1982, 2042, 2102. The animal is the same each time; the stem is what makes a Water Dog different from a Wood Dog or a Fire Dog. The popular zodiac begins each of these years at Lunar New Year and BaZi begins it at Li Chun, so both boundaries are given below for every year.
What a Water Dog is like
Popular Chinese zodiac tradition. For reflection, not prediction.
The Water Dog is the most sensitive and the most forgiving, watchful but softer with the people it guards.
The Water Dog of 1982 is the most sensitive and the most forgiving, watchful but softer with its own, and the tradition would say a good year to be born a Dog.
In BaZi terms the Earth branch controls the Water stem: Earth restrains Water in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Dog's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
The rest of the Dog’s character, in love, at work and the growing edge, is on the Year of the Dog page.
Water Dog years and when each begins
The popular zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year; BaZi begins it at Li Chun, the start of spring. Both dates are given so a birth between them can be placed in either system.
| Year | Lunar New Year (popular zodiac) | Ends | Li Chun (BaZi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | 25 January 1982 | 12 February 1983 | 4 February 1982 |
| 2042 | 22 January 2042 | 9 February 2043 | 4 February 2042 |
| 2102 | outside the table | … | 4 February 2102 |
The next Water Dog year is 2042. Check any birthday against the boundary with the finder.
Famous Water Dogs
Public birth records, assigned by the Lunar New Year boundary.
Common questions
- When does the Year of the Water Dog start?
- The 1982 Water Dog year began at Lunar New Year on 25 January 1982 and ran to 12 February 1983. The 2042 Water Dog year began at Lunar New Year on 22 January 2042 and ran to 9 February 2043. 2102 is outside AsterNym's Lunar New Year table. BaZi turns the year at Li Chun instead (1982: 4 February 1982; 2042: 4 February 2042; 2102: 4 February 2102), so a birth between the two dates carries different year animals in the two systems.
- What is a Water Dog personality?
- The Water Dog is the most sensitive and the most forgiving, watchful but softer with the people it guards. In BaZi terms the Earth branch controls the Water stem: Earth restrains Water in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Dog's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
- When is the next Water Dog year?
- 2042. The pair of stem 壬 and branch 戌 recurs every sixty years.