Chinese zodiac · Year of the Ox
The Water Ox: 1973, 2033, 2093
癸丑 · Gui chǒu · Yin Water stem on the Earth branch
A Water Ox year pairs the Heavenly Stem 癸 (Gui, yin Water) with the Earthly Branch 丑 (chǒu, the Ox). The pair recurs every sixty years, so in the range AsterNym covers the Water Ox years are 1973, 2033, 2093. The animal is the same each time; the stem is what makes a Water Ox different from a Wood Ox or a Fire Ox. 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 Ox is like
Popular Chinese zodiac tradition. For reflection, not prediction.
The Water Ox is the gentlest, patient with people as well as with tasks, and the most willing to change its mind.
Water Oxen, 1973 and 2033, are the gentle ones: the tradition's patient animal with its most adaptable stem, the Ox most willing to change its mind.
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 Ox's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
The rest of the Ox’s character, in love, at work and the growing edge, is on the Year of the Ox page.
Water Ox 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3 February 1973 | 22 January 1974 | 4 February 1973 |
| 2033 | 31 January 2033 | 18 February 2034 | 3 February 2033 |
| 2093 | outside the table | … | 3 February 2093 |
The next Water Ox year is 2033. Check any birthday against the boundary with the finder.
Famous Water Oxs
Public birth records, assigned by the Lunar New Year boundary.
Common questions
- When does the Year of the Water Ox start?
- The 1973 Water Ox year began at Lunar New Year on 3 February 1973 and ran to 22 January 1974. The 2033 Water Ox year began at Lunar New Year on 31 January 2033 and ran to 18 February 2034. 2093 is outside AsterNym's Lunar New Year table. BaZi turns the year at Li Chun instead (1973: 4 February 1973; 2033: 3 February 2033; 2093: 3 February 2093), so a birth between the two dates carries different year animals in the two systems.
- What is a Water Ox personality?
- The Water Ox is the gentlest, patient with people as well as with tasks, and the most willing to change its mind. 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 Ox's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
- When is the next Water Ox year?
- 2033. The pair of stem 癸 and branch 丑 recurs every sixty years.