1971 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Metal Pig

When did the 1971 Year of the Pig start and end?

The Chinese zodiac does not change on January 1. It follows the lunisolar calendar, so each animal year starts at Lunar New Year, the second new moon after the winter solstice, which always lands between January 21 and February 20. For 1971 that date was January 27, 1971.

Because Lunar New Year (Jan 27) came before Ipchun (Feb 4) in 1971, babies born from Jan 27 to Feb 3 are Pigs by the popular zodiac but still have a 庚戌 (Metal Dog) year pillar in a Korean Saju or Chinese Bazi chart.

Metal Pig meaning: element, yin-yang and nayin

Every year in the 60-year cycle pairs one of ten heavenly stems with one of twelve earthly branches. 1971 is stem 辛 (Sin / Xīn, Yin Metal) on branch 亥 (Hae, the Pig), number 48 of 60 in the cycle. The stem gives the year its element, which is why people say “Metal Pig” rather than just “Pig”.

Reading the element. Metal is the element of autumn and of cutting away what is unnecessary. Metal years are linked with willpower, self-discipline, loyalty and a strong sense of right and wrong. The traditional caution is rigidity: Metal can seem cool, blunt or unwilling to compromise. For a Metal year the keywords are determination, principle and clarity. The Pig itself carries Water as its fixed element, so this year blends metal energy with water qualities.

The nayin image. The 60 pairs also have 30 poetic “nayin” names, shared by two neighbouring years. 1970 and 1971 are Hairpin Metal (釵釧金), pictured as a hairpin or bracelet of metal: elegance, attention to detail and value that is personal rather than loud.

The same 辛亥 pair is also a Saju day pillar; see the Sin-Hae day-pillar article for how the combination is read when it appears on the day of birth.

1971 in Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese zodiac

Koreans often name the year with a colour taken from the stem element: Wood years are blue-green (청), Fire red (적), Earth yellow or golden (황), Metal white (백) and Water black (흑). That is why 1971 is called the year of the 흰 돼지띠 (white pig). Japan has counted eto by the Gregorian year since 1873, so in Japan everyone born in 1971 counts as i (亥, Pig) regardless of the lunar date. In Japan the twelfth animal is the wild boar (inoshishi), not the domestic pig.

1971 Metal Pig personality traits (traditional)

Keywords: generous, warm-hearted, sincere, easygoing + determination, principle and clarity

Pig years are traditionally read as kind, honest and generous. Pigs are said to enjoy life’s pleasures, work hard for the people they love and forgive easily.

The Pig closes the cycle and symbolises wealth and abundance; in Korea dreaming of a pig is a classic sign of luck. In Japan the twelfth sign is the wild boar (inoshishi) rather than the domestic pig.

Where the Metal element shows. Tradition says the stem colours the animal: a Metal Pig is disciplined, loyal, decisive. Compared with the Earth Pig of 1959 and the Water Pig of 1983, the 1971 version is read as the most determined and principled Pig.

In love: Affectionate and devoted, putting effort into a comfortable home; Pigs want a sincere partner and dislike game-playing. At work: Suited to hospitality, food, healthcare, charity, education, the arts and roles built on trust.

Zodiac personality descriptions are folklore. Real personality is shaped by upbringing, culture and choices, and people born in the same year differ enormously.

1971 Pig compatibility: best and worst matches

Classical compatibility looks at how the two birth-year branches relate on the zodiac wheel. Signs four places apart form a Three Harmony trine, specific pairs form a Six Harmony, and signs directly opposite each other clash. For a Pig born in 1971, the nearest-age examples are:

Korean folk matchmaking (gunghap, 궁합) also watches for wonjin (원진) pairs, said to breed resentment; for the Pig that partner is the Dragon. See the full 12×12 compatibility chart or the Year of the Pig guide. A real compatibility reading in Saju compares all eight characters of both charts, not just the year animal.

Lucky numbers and colours for the 1971 Pig

Two different ideas get mixed together online. The “lucky numbers and colours” lists are a modern popular folklore that varies from one website to another. The five-element colours are older: they come from the correspondence of Wood–green, Fire–red, Earth–yellow, Metal–white and Water–black, which is also behind Korean names such as 흰 돼지띠. Treat both as fun cultural trivia.

2027 Year of the Fire Goat: outlook for people born in 1971

2027 is Jeongmi (丁未), the Yin Fire Goat — called the “red sheep” year (붉은 양띠) in Korea. In the Chinese calendar it begins on Feb 6, 2027 and ends on Jan 25, 2028; Korea celebrates Seollal on Feb 7, 2027 because the new moon falls just after midnight Korea time. For Saju, the year pillar changes at Ipchun on Feb 4, 2027 at about 10:46 KST. Tradition reads 2027 as a supportive year for the Metal Pig:

Your sign shares the Wood trine (Pig–Rabbit–Goat) with 2027, a traditionally co-operative pairing that favours growth, learning and new networks. In Korean folk practice, though, Pig, Rabbit and Goat are in their final samjae (삼재) year, nal-samjae, so the advice is to finish things cleanly rather than overreach.

Fire melts Metal, so the year’s energy "controls" your element. Tradition reads it as a year of pressure and responsibility that can bring promotion or new titles if you stay disciplined and pace yourself.

Practical, non-mystical ways to use the 2027 reading

• Use the supportive mood to start the collaboration or course you have been postponing.
• At 56, review savings, insurance and career goals with real numbers.
• Use the Saju calculator to see whether 2027 strengthens or drains your day master rather than relying on the year animal alone.

For a personalised version that uses your birth month, day and hour, see the 2027 Korean horoscope and the 2027 Year of the Goat guide.

How old is someone born in 1971? (2026 and 2027)

The 60-year cycle gives East Asian birthdays their biggest milestone: when the same stem-and-branch pair (辛亥) returns, a person has completed one full cycle. In Korea this is hwangap (환갑) and in Japan kanreki; for people born in 1971 it falls in 2031. Chilsun (70th) follows in 2041 and palsun (80th) in 2051.

All Pig years and the years around 1971

The Pig returns every 12 years, but the element changes each time, so the same Metal Pig element comes back only every 60 years.

Neighbouring birth years

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