豬 Year of the Pig
Last across the river, and the most comfortable animal in the cycle.
Pig years
- 1947 fire
- 1959 earth
- 1971 metal
- 1983 water
- 1995 wood
- 2007 fire
- 2019 earth
- 2031 metal
Each year begins at Chinese New Year, not 1 January — so a birthday in January or early February usually belongs to the previous animal. Check your exact date.
Pig personality
Twelfth and final, the Pig arrived late because it ate and then slept — a story told without much scorn, since the sign closes the cycle and stands for the abundance that makes rest possible. The character for home, jia, is a roof drawn over a pig. Yin water gives the temperament its give: Pigs absorb, accommodate, forgive and rarely hold a grudge past the week. They are sensual in the plain sense, fond of good food, good company and a comfortable room, and they spend on other people as readily as on themselves. What looks like naivety is usually a decision — a Pig would rather be occasionally deceived than permanently suspicious. Push one far enough, though, and the yielding stops entirely.
The Pig in love
Few signs are easier to be loved by. A Pig gives generously, tolerates a great deal and makes a home feel like one, which is why the pairing with Tiger — the Liu He bond of Yin and Hai — works so well: Tiger's drive meets a partner with no interest in competing. Rabbit and Goat, the wood trine, share the taste for comfort and gentleness. Snake is the clash, and it stings because Snake reads the openness as something to manage. The real risk is a Pig staying too long out of kindness.
The Pig at work
Pigs are steadier employees than their easygoing reputation suggests: they finish what they start, and they do not sabotage colleagues on the way up. Hospitality, catering, medicine, charity work, human resources, property and the arts all suit them, as does anything where trust is the product. Money arrives and leaves freely — earning is rarely the problem, keeping it is. They dislike confrontation enough to underprice their own work, so a Pig usually needs someone else to handle the negotiation.
Strengths
- generous
- sincere
- resilient
- even-tempered
Challenges
- naive
- indulgent
- conflict-averse
The Pig in the classical relations
Pig compatibility
Pig & Tiger95%
Secret friends whose branches combine, and the bond holds quietly
Pig & Rabbit88%
Trine partners who make generosity the household's operating principle
Pig & Goat88%
San He trine partners whose kindness compounds instead of cancelling out
Pig & Pig70%
Two Pigs build a generous home and dodge the hard conversation
Pig & Rat64%
Hai and Zi, both water branches, comfortable but structurally unattached
Pig & Ox64%
Frugality and abundance under one roof, with no branch tie to arbitrate
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Pig most compatible with?
Tiger is the Liu He secret friend, the Yin and Hai union, and the pairing most often named first for Pig. Rabbit and Goat form the San He wood trine and offer an easier, less demanding harmony. Snake is the Chong clash, sitting directly opposite, and the match that asks the most. Monkey stands in a Hai harm with Pig — not loud conflict, but a slow erosion of trust that is easy to miss until late.
What years are Pig years?
Pig years run 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 and 2031. The stem sets the element — 1983 is a Water Pig, 1995 a Wood Pig, 2019 an Earth Pig. Because the cycle turns at the lunar new year, a birthday in the first weeks of the Gregorian year may still fall under Dog rather than Pig; check the exact date.
Is the Pig a lucky sign?
Yes, by reputation — the Pig is tied to abundance, plenty and material comfort, and pig imagery has long stood for household prosperity. Two, five and eight are the numbers usually given, with yellow, grey and brown the colours. The caution is the same as for every sign: your own animal's year, ben ming nian, is traditionally treated as a year for care rather than expansion, and 2031 is the next Pig year.