Chinese zodiac
Rooster — Chinese zodiac sign
The rooster is tenth in the cycle, in 酉时 (17:00 to 19:00), the hour the birds settle. Rooster years are read as exact, hard-working, sharp-tongued and reliably early.
Where it sits in the twelve
- Position in the cycle: 10 / 12
- Branch, and its two hours: 酉 (You) · 17:00–19:00
- Fixed element: Metal
- What 2026 asks of this sign: an unmarked year
In the river race the rooster crossed with the goat and the monkey and came in tenth. 酉 went to dusk, when fowl return to the roost — in the classical pairing the rooster is the sun's bird, the one that calls it up. Its branch is 酉 (you), its fixed element metal.
Years of the Rooster
| Years | Animal | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 丁酉 | Fire |
| 2005 | 乙酉 | Wood |
| 1993 | 癸酉 | Water |
| 1981 | 辛酉 | Metal |
| 1969 | 己酉 | Earth |
| 1957 | 丁酉 | Fire |
The animal returns every twelve years; the stem in front of it changes, so the element moves with it. The next one is 2038.
Character
Exact and punctual. A rooster-year person is read as someone who keeps the schedule, spots the error in the seventh line, and says so.
Hard-working in a visible, orderly way — and expecting the same of everyone else, which is where the friction starts.
Outspoken, and careful about presentation. Saying the true thing out loud is treated as a kindness, even when the volume is wrong.
Strengths
- Reliable to the day and the hour
- Catches errors other people walk past
- Organises well, and keeps it organised
- Direct — you always know where you stand
Weak points
- Blunt enough to cost itself allies
- A perfectionist about other people's work
- Talks more than it listens
- Anxious underneath the brisk manner
Six harmony, three harmony, and the ones it stands off with
Six harmony (六合) is the closest pairing; three harmony (三合) is the working alliance. The rest are the classical frictions: clash (冲), punishment (刑), harm (害), break (破).
Six harmony (六合): the dragon (辰酉). Three harmony (三合): the snake and the ox (巳酉丑, the metal frame) — the most exact of the four frames. Standing off: the rabbit clashes (卯酉冲), the dog harms (酉戌害), the rooster punishes itself (酉酉自刑), the rat breaks (子酉破).
What 2026 asks of this sign
an unmarked year
2026 is 丙午 (fire horse), and the tables connect 酉 to 午 in no way: an unmarked year. For the rooster that reads as a year to consolidate. The metal frame is quiet in a fire year, so the reward for this year's work arrives later rather than now — and the risk is mistaking that for failure and abandoning something that was working. Keep the schedule and the standard; expect the result in the following year.
Questions
Which years are rooster years?
Twelve years apart: 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969, and 2029 next.
Why is the rooster called a difficult sign?
Popular phrasing for directness. The tables give the rooster 酉 and metal: exactness, punctuality, and a habit of saying the true thing at the wrong volume.
Are rooster and dragon compatible?
Yes — 辰酉 is six harmony: the dragon's scale with the rooster's precision.