Computed, not typed
The Dragon at a Glance
Your Earthly Branch is Chén (辰), carrying the fixed element Earth and Yang (assertive) polarity — both fixed for life, unlike the rotating element below. In the 12-animal cycle the Dragon sits 5th of 12, trine-linked to Rat and Monkey, and in direct clash with the Dog straight across the wheel. Traditionally, the Dragon hour runs 7 AM – 9 AM. None of that is typed in by hand — it comes straight from the Dragon's 5th-of-12 position in the cycle, computed the same way for all 12 signs.
- Earthly Branch
- Chén (辰)
- Fixed Element
- Earth
- Polarity
- Yang (assertive)
- Archetype
- The Visionary Force
- Ruling Hours
- 7 AM – 9 AM
- Cycle Position
- 5th of 12
- Trine Allies
- Rat & Monkey
- Direct Clash
- Dog
- Next Dragon Year
- 2036 (Fire)
| Element | Year | Opens | Closes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earth Dragon | 1988 | February 17, 1988 | February 5, 1989 |
| Metal Dragon | 2000 | February 5, 2000 | January 23, 2001 |
| Water Dragon | 2012 | January 23, 2012 | February 9, 2013 |
| Wood Dragon | 2024 | February 10, 2024 | January 28, 2025 |
| Fire Dragon | 2036 | January 28, 2036 | February 14, 2037 |
Your nearest Earth Dragon year is 1988, opening February 17, 1988 and closing February 5, 1989.
Earth · Yang
The Dragon: The Visionary Force
Everything below is true of every Dragon, in any year. What makes it yours is the chart above — your Chén (辰) branch, your Yang (assertive) polarity, and the 5th-of-12 seat in the cycle a full BaZi reading builds on. Your fixed element, Earth, colors how that 5th-of-12 personality actually shows up day to day.
You were built for scale, and ordinary ambitions bore you almost to the point of pain. You don't set goals one careful inch at a time. You picture the whole outcome, then work backward to drag it into being through sheer force of will and the pull you have on people who want to be near something that matters. When you walk in with a vision, others feel it before you've finished the sentence.
You're the only mythical creature among the twelve, and that's worth sitting with. You don't fit the ordinary boxes and you've never wanted to. Bureaucracy, convention, the slow grind of getting everyone to agree, these are genuine torment for you. You can see exactly where this should end up, and you cannot understand why the road there has to be paved with so many small, plodding steps.
But here's where it turns on you. The same self-belief that lets you attempt huge things makes you nearly deaf to the moment you're wrong. You're often right about what you can do. Often is not always, and the gap between your certainty and the actual result can scorch the people who trusted the vision. When that happens you tend to take feedback as a personal attack rather than information.
That reflex is the whole hinge. Whether your fire builds something lasting or burns down everything around it comes down to one skill you find genuinely difficult: hearing that you got it wrong without feeling like someone just told you that you are wrong.
That's the Dragon in general. Born under a Earth branch at the 5th seat of the cycle, with Yang (assertive) polarity running underneath it, is what a full chart uses to make it specific to you.
Where it goes from here
Reading a Dragon Chart
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Confirm your exact year
The Dragon covers a birth year, but the Chinese zodiac year opens at Chinese New Year, not January 1 — check your exact boundary before you assume. 1988, 2000 are Dragon years on this site.
-
See your rotating element
Dragon is fixed for life, but its paired element rotates. Your next Dragon year is 2036, a Fire Dragon, opening January 28, 2036.
-
Read the rest of the chart
Your Year Animal is the public layer. A full BaZi reading also weighs your Day Master and the balance of the five elements, plus how your chart sits against the Dragon's own 5th-of-12 cycle position and its 7 AM – 9 AM hour branch.
Dragon birth years on this site
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Before you go
Dragon — Questions People Ask
What years are the Chinese zodiac Dragon?
Dragon years repeat every twelve years, each one paired with a different element. On this site, 1988, 2000 are Dragon years — your next one lands in 2036, opening January 28, 2036. That's a Fire Dragon year, 5th in line since the last full rotation.
What element is the Dragon?
The Dragon's fixed branch element is Earth, but the Heavenly Stem paired with it rotates through all five elements across the 60-year cycle — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water each take a turn. The nearest Earth Dragon year is 1988; the full rotation is in the table above.
What hours does the Dragon rule?
In traditional BaZi, each of the 12 animals also rules a two-hour block of the day. The Dragon's hours are 7 AM – 9 AM — the same branch, Chén (辰), that gives the Dragon its year also governs an Hour Pillar for anyone born in that window.
Which signs is the Dragon most compatible with?
Rat and Monkey and Rooster sit closest to the Dragon — Rat and Monkey share its 5th-of-12 trine position, one of the three harmonious groupings the 12-animal cycle forms every 4 positions. Dragon tends to hit more friction with Dog, Ox, Dragon — and its direct clash, straight across the cycle, is the Dog.
Is the Dragon the same every year?
The animal itself never changes — anyone born in a Dragon year is a Dragon for life. What changes is the element: Dragon sits 5th of 12 in the cycle, and each time it comes back around (every 12 years) it's paired with the next element in the 60-year rotation, which is why 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 and 2032 are all Dragon years with five different elemental characters.
Where does the Dragon sit in the 12-year cycle?
5th of 12. The cycle runs Rat through Pig in a fixed order, and the Dragon's position sets both its trine allies — Rat and Monkey — and its direct clash, the Dog, which always sits exactly 6 positions around the wheel.
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