Cathay Ink › Chinese zodiac › Year of the Tiger › 1986
Year of the Tiger 1986
The Fire Tiger, 丙寅: from Chinese New Year on 9 February 1986 to 28 January 1987.
Bold, warm and unafraid of risk. The Tiger is the king of the mountain in Chinese lore, a guardian figure painted on doors and sewn onto children's shoes to keep harm away. Fire years favour energy and visibility: bold moves, warm company, the spotlight.
The Fire Tiger
Element
Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth. In the sixty-year cycle each animal meets each element once, so the Fire Tiger came last in 1926 and returns in 2046. The year's 纳音 (the "sound" of its stem and branch in the old almanacs) is 炉中火.
Company
The Tiger shares a trine with the Horse and the Dog; its secret friend is the Pig. Those signs are said to find a Tiger year easiest. Children born in Tiger years were given tiger-head hats and shoes so the animal's courage would protect them.
Years of the Tiger
Each starts at Chinese New Year.
- 1926Fire Tiger, from 13 February 1926
- 1938Earth Tiger, from 31 January 1938
- 1950Metal Tiger, from 17 February 1950
- 1962Water Tiger, from 5 February 1962
- 1974Wood Tiger, from 23 January 1974
- 1986Fire Tiger, from 9 February 1986
- 1998Earth Tiger, from 28 January 1998
- 2010Metal Tiger, from 14 February 2010
- 2022Water Tiger, from 1 February 2022
- 2034Wood Tiger, from 19 February 2034
Questions
When does the Year of the Tiger 1986 start and end?
It starts at Chinese New Year, 9 February 1986, and ends on 28 January 1987, the day before the next new year.
What element is the Tiger in 1986?
Fire (火), from the heavenly stem 丙. Fire years are associated with warmth and drive: summer, lanterns, the hearth.
Is a baby born in January 1986 a Tiger?
No. A baby born before 9 February 1986 belongs to the previous animal, the Ox. The zodiac year follows the lunar calendar, not 1 January.
Which other years were Fire Tiger years?
1926. The same stem and branch return every sixty years.
Your Tiger in ink
The Tiger painted in ink wash above your name and lunar birthday.
Make the poster
Enter your birthday; we set the animal, the element, the lunar date and your name, and add a Chinese name as a seal if you have one.
Start with my birthdayMore about the animal: Year of the Tiger. All twelve: the zodiac.