Chinese zodiac · Year of the Horse
The Metal Horse: 1930, 1990, 2050
庚午 · Geng wǔ · Yang Metal stem on the Fire branch
A Metal Horse year pairs the Heavenly Stem 庚 (Geng, yang Metal) with the Earthly Branch 午 (wǔ, the Horse). The pair recurs every sixty years, so in the range AsterNym covers the Metal Horse years are 1930, 1990, 2050. The animal is the same each time; the stem is what makes a Metal 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 Metal Horse is like
Popular Chinese zodiac tradition. For reflection, not prediction.
The Metal Horse is headstrong and independent, happiest working alone and moving at its own speed.
The Metal Horse of 1990 is headstrong and independent, and the tradition's happiest-alone Horse fits a generation that reinvented work on its own terms.
In BaZi terms the Fire branch controls the Metal stem: Fire restrains Metal in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Horse's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
The rest of the Horse’s character, in love, at work and the growing edge, is on the Year of the Horse page.
Metal 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930 | 30 January 1930 | 16 February 1931 | 4 February 1930 |
| 1990 | 27 January 1990 | 14 February 1991 | 4 February 1990 |
| 2050 | 23 January 2050 | … | 3 February 2050 |
The next Metal Horse year is 2050. Check any birthday against the boundary with the finder.
Famous Metal Horses
Public birth records, assigned by the Lunar New Year boundary.
Born in 1930
Common questions
- When does the Year of the Metal Horse start?
- The 1930 Metal Horse year began at Lunar New Year on 30 January 1930 and ran to 16 February 1931. The 1990 Metal Horse year began at Lunar New Year on 27 January 1990 and ran to 14 February 1991. The 2050 Metal Horse year began at Lunar New Year on 23 January 2050. BaZi turns the year at Li Chun instead (1930: 4 February 1930; 1990: 4 February 1990; 2050: 3 February 2050), so a birth between the two dates carries different year animals in the two systems.
- What is a Metal Horse personality?
- The Metal Horse is headstrong and independent, happiest working alone and moving at its own speed. In BaZi terms the Fire branch controls the Metal stem: Fire restrains Metal in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Horse's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
- When is the next Metal Horse year?
- 2050. The pair of stem 庚 and branch 午 recurs every sixty years.