Chinese zodiac · Year of the Horse
The Earth Horse: 1978, 2038, 2098
戊午 · Wu wǔ · Yang Earth stem on the Fire branch
A Earth Horse year pairs the Heavenly Stem 戊 (Wu, yang Earth) with the Earthly Branch 午 (wǔ, the Horse). The pair recurs every sixty years, so in the range AsterNym covers the Earth Horse years are 1978, 2038, 2098. The animal is the same each time; the stem is what makes a Earth Horse different from a Wood Horse or a Fire Horse. 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 Earth Horse is like
Popular Chinese zodiac tradition. For reflection, not prediction.
The Earth Horse is the most sensible, still mobile but more likely to plan the journey and finish it.
1978 Earth Horses are the sensible ones, still mobile but more likely to plan the journey, and the tradition reads the Earth stem as a bridle the Horse does not mind.
In BaZi terms the Fire branch feeds the Earth stem: Fire produces Earth in the generating cycle. Practitioners read the year as the Horse giving its strength upward, so the stem element is well resourced and the animal's own qualities are somewhat spent in the giving. Productive, and a little tiring for the Horse.
The rest of the Horse’s character, in love, at work and the growing edge, is on the Year of the Horse page.
Earth Horse 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | 7 February 1978 | 27 January 1979 | 4 February 1978 |
| 2038 | 4 February 2038 | 23 January 2039 | 4 February 2038 |
| 2098 | outside the table | … | 3 February 2098 |
The next Earth Horse year is 2038. Check any birthday against the boundary with the finder.
Famous Earth Horses
Public birth records, assigned by the Lunar New Year boundary.
Common questions
- When does the Year of the Earth Horse start?
- The 1978 Earth Horse year began at Lunar New Year on 7 February 1978 and ran to 27 January 1979. The 2038 Earth Horse year began at Lunar New Year on 4 February 2038 and ran to 23 January 2039. 2098 is outside AsterNym's Lunar New Year table. BaZi turns the year at Li Chun instead (1978: 4 February 1978; 2038: 4 February 2038; 2098: 3 February 2098), so a birth between the two dates carries different year animals in the two systems.
- What is a Earth Horse personality?
- The Earth Horse is the most sensible, still mobile but more likely to plan the journey and finish it. In BaZi terms the Fire branch feeds the Earth stem: Fire produces Earth in the generating cycle. Practitioners read the year as the Horse giving its strength upward, so the stem element is well resourced and the animal's own qualities are somewhat spent in the giving. Productive, and a little tiring for the Horse.
- When is the next Earth Horse year?
- 2038. The pair of stem 戊 and branch 午 recurs every sixty years.