Year of the Dragon
The Dragon is read as the most celebrated animal of the zodiac: ambitious, charismatic and full of big plans.
| Fixed element | Earth |
|---|---|
| Yin or yang | Yang |
| Best matches | Rat, Monkey |
| Clashes with | Dog |
| Current or next year | Fire Dragon (2036) |
Dragon personality
People born in a Dragon year are said to be confident, energetic and gifted with presence. They tend to aim high, think big and attract attention without trying. The same pride can make them impatient with others or unwilling to admit a mistake. At their best they make ambitious ideas real and bring others along.
The Dragon in love
In love, the Dragon is read as passionate and generous, drawn to partners who admire it but also challenge it. It may need to make room for a partner's plans as well as its own.
The Dragon at work
At work, the Dragon tends to shine in leadership, entrepreneurship, politics, law, entertainment or any role with scope and visibility. Small, repetitive tasks can bore it quickly.
Room to grow
The growth edge for a Dragon is humility. Asking for feedback and sharing credit keeps its charisma from turning into isolation.
Dragon compatibility
In the tradition, the Dragon gets on best with the Rat and the Monkey, the other two animals of its group of three, and clashes with the Dog, the animal opposite it on the wheel. These are traditional pairings, not rules: any two people can make it work.
The Dragon making decisions
A Dragon decides from the top down: what is the big result, and who will help get it there? It's rarely short of confidence, and people tend to follow, which can make a poor idea look good for longer than it should. The tradition's advice is to keep one person nearby who isn't impressed. A Dragon that listens to that person tends to be very hard to stop.
The Dragon as a friend
As a friend, the Dragon is generous, loud and at the middle of things. It will throw the party, introduce you to the right people and insist you can do it, and it often means it. It doesn't enjoy being second, and it may not notice when it has done all the talking. It's fiercely loyal to those it has taken in.
The Dragon with every other animal
The Rat and the Monkey are the Dragon's allies, and each is clever enough to keep up with it. The Rooster is its secret friend, and it shares the Dragon's love of a good show. The Dog sits across the wheel and tends to question its motives. The Rabbit is the pairing the tradition warns about.
| With the | Dragon reads as |
|---|---|
| Rat | Ally |
| Ox | No special tie |
| Tiger | No special tie |
| Rabbit | Harm |
| Snake | No special tie |
| Horse | No special tie |
| Goat | No special tie |
| Monkey | Ally |
| Rooster | Secret friend |
| Dog | Clash |
| Pig | No special tie |
The five kinds of Dragon
Each kind of Dragon returns every 60 years. Find your birth year:
- Wood Dragon: 1964, 2024. A Wood Dragon is read as the most creative and diplomatic of the five, ambitious and more willing to share the credit.
- Fire Dragon: 1976, 2036. A Fire Dragon is read as the most intense, a natural leader who is warm and hard to argue with.
- Earth Dragon: 1928, 1988. An Earth Dragon is the animal in its home element, read as steadier and more practical, with plans that tend to be built to last.
- Metal Dragon: 1940, 2000. A Metal Dragon is read as strong-willed and direct, with very high standards and little patience for doubt.
- Water Dragon: 1952, 2012. A Water Dragon is read as calmer and more perceptive, able to wait for its moment and to bring people along.
Are you really a Dragon?
Since 1930, Dragon years have started as early as January 23 and as late as February 17. Born before your Dragon year's start in the table below? Then you are a Rabbit, the animal before it.
This Chinese year, Dragons are turning 2, 14, 26, 38, 50, 62.
The Dragon's hour and month
The Dragon's hour runs from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and its month is the third month of the lunar year. Anyone born in that hour has the Dragon as a second animal, read as how they behave in private.
What people get wrong about the Dragon
The Dragon is often read as arrogant, or as the sign that gets everything easily. The tradition reads high expectations as a burden too: many Dragons carry a private fear of being ordinary, and they work much harder than the shine suggests. It's the only mythical animal on the wheel, and being looked up to from birth isn't always comfortable.
Questions about the Dragon
Why is the Dragon so popular?
It's the only mythical animal and long stood for imperial power, so many families were glad of a Dragon year.
What is the Dragon like in love?
Generous, proud and hard to overlook. It wants a partner it can admire, and it tends to need one who will tell it the truth in private.
What jobs suit a Dragon?
Roles with a big goal and visibility: founding, leading, performing, public life or any field where confidence moves people. It tends to struggle in positions with no room to stand out.
Years of the Dragon
| Year | Element | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | Metal | February 8, 1940 to January 26, 1941 |
| 1952 | Water | January 27, 1952 to February 13, 1953 |
| 1964 | Wood | February 13, 1964 to February 1, 1965 |
| 1976 | Fire | January 31, 1976 to February 17, 1977 |
| 1988 | Earth | February 17, 1988 to February 5, 1989 |
| 2000 | Metal | February 5, 2000 to January 23, 2001 |
| 2012 | Water | January 23, 2012 to February 9, 2013 |
| 2024 | Wood | February 10, 2024 to January 28, 2025 |
| 2036 | Fire | January 28, 2036 to February 14, 2037 |
Find your animal from your date of birth