Dragon

The Dragon dossier

Traits. Bold, lucky and larger than life — the only mythical animal of the twelve, and it acts like it. The Dragon is the zodiac's powerhouse: confident, energetic, uncompromising.

Fixed element — Earth. stability, patience and practicality — an Earth year grounds the animal: steadier, more methodical, focused on what lasts. Every Dragon carries Earth underneath, whatever the year adds on top.

The year’s own element rotates by its final digit — 0 or 1 Metal, 2 or 3 Water, 4 or 5 Wood, 6 or 7 Fire, 8 or 9 Earth — so across the 60-year cycle the Dragon returns in five element forms, each one read against the fixed element beneath it.

The Dragon through the cycle

Every Dragon year in the table the record holds, with the year’s element and the Lunar New Year that year began on. A birthday in January or February before that date belongs to the previous animal.

The five Dragons

Wood Dragon — 1964, 2024. growth, generosity and expansion — a Wood year broadens the animal: more idealistic, more cooperative, always growing toward something.

Fire Dragon — 1976. passion, visibility and speed — a Fire year heats the animal up: bolder, faster, more dramatic, impossible to ignore.

Earth Dragon — 1988. stability, patience and practicality — an Earth year grounds the animal: steadier, more methodical, focused on what lasts.

Metal Dragon — 2000. precision, resolve and edge — a Metal year sharpens the animal: more determined, more exacting, harder to bend. A Metal Dragon (born in a Dragon year ending in 0, like 2000), for example, is the Dragon's boldness with a steel core — ambitious, precise and uncompromising.

Water Dragon — 2012. intuition, flow and diplomacy — a Water year deepens the animal: more perceptive, more adaptable, quieter about its power.

Alliances and clashes

The Dragon sits in the Action trine (the doers) with the Rat and the Monkey. Animals in the same affinity triangle are the classic harmonious pairings of the Chinese system.

Its secret friend is the Rooster — one of the six secret-friend pairs, the quiet alliances: loyal, low-drama, mutually protective. Directly opposite in the cycle sits the Dog — the classic clash pairing: real friction, and the fascination that can come with it.

Dragon questions

What years are Dragon years?
Dragon years in the table the record holds (1960–2032): 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024. The Chinese year begins at Lunar New Year — late January to mid-February — so a birthday before that year's new year date belongs to the previous animal.

What is the Dragon's element?
The Dragon's fixed element is Earth — every Dragon carries it underneath. stability, patience and practicality — an Earth year grounds the animal: steadier, more methodical, focused on what lasts. The year adds a rotating element on top: in the recorded cycle the Dragon appears as Wood Dragon (1964, 2024); Fire Dragon (1976); Earth Dragon (1988); Metal Dragon (2000); Water Dragon (2012).

Who does the Dragon harmonize with?
The Dragon sits in the Action trine (the doers) with the Rat and the Monkey — one of the classic harmonious pairings of the Chinese system. Its secret friend is the Rooster, the quiet alliance; and the animal opposite in the cycle, the Dog, is its clash.

How does Match By Zodiac read my Chinese sign?
Match By Zodiac works your Chinese animal and element out from your birth date — with the real Lunar New Year boundary, so January and February birthdays land on the right animal — and reads them alongside your Sun, Moon and Rising signs in pair reads. The Western and Chinese systems are kept separate, never averaged.

Find your Chinese sign

The free Finder reads your animal and element from one birth date — with the real Lunar New Year boundary — and your Sun, Moon and Rising signs in the same pass.