Chinese Zodiac Horse
In the Chinese zodiac, the Horse (马) ranks the seventh position of the 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac animals, following the Snake and ahead of the Goat. The 12 zodiac animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig in order.
In traditional Chinese culture, the Horse is considered as the symbol of energy and freedom. People born in the year of the Horse are usually energetic, spirited, and independent.
The latest year of the Horse was 2014 and the upcoming year of the Horse will be 2026, to be more specific, a Fire Horse year. Chinese Lunar New Year starts from February 17, 2026, and lasts until February 5, 2027.
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Chinese Zodiac Horse Years – Am I a Horse?
The Chinese zodiac signs occur in a repeating order every 12 years. For Horse people, your Chinese zodiac year comes when you are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84...
The recent Chinese zodiac years of Horse include 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2034, and 2050.
Want to find out whether your Chinese zodiac animal is Horse? Generally speaking, if you were born in one of the years above, you are probably a Horse. However, if you were born in early February in 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, and 2027, your Chinese zodiac animal sign may be Horse or Goat.
In Chinese traditions, Chinese zodiac signs are set by a Chinese solar term called Lichun instead of the Chinese New Year. Lichun (立春) is the first solar term of the 24 Solar Terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, signifying the beginning of spring. It usually falls on February 3, 4, or 5 of the Gregorian calendar. For example, if a person was born on February 4, 2002, his/her zodiac animal sign is Horse, even though the Chinese New Year 2002 fell on February 12, 2002.
If you were born on February 3, 4, or 5, you need to firstly switch the Gregorian calendar to the Chinese lunar calendar. Then find out the date of Lichun on Chinese lunisolar calendar. Or, you can simply check out the table below to determine your correct Chinese zodiac sign with no nerve-wracking calculation.
Recent Chinese Zodiac Horse Years
Horse Year | Start Date | End Date | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
1930 | February 4, 1930 | February 4, 1931 | Metal Horse |
1942 | February 4, 1942 | February 4, 1943 | Water Horse |
1954 | February 4, 1954 | February 3, 1955 | Wood Horse |
1966 | February 4, 1966 | February 3, 1967 | Fire Horse |
1978 | February 4, 1978 | February 3, 1979 | Earth Horse |
1990 | February 4, 1990 | February 3, 1991 | Metal Horse |
2002 | February 4, 2002 | February 3, 2003 | Water Horse |
2014 | February 4, 2014 | February 3, 2015 | Wood Horse |
2026 | February 4, 2026 | February 3, 2027 | Fire Horse |
2038 | February 4, 2038 | February 3, 2039 | Earth Horse |
Chinese Zodiac Horse in Chinese Culture
1. Longma (Dragon Horse)
According to Chinese mythology and legend, Longma (龙马, Dragon Horse) is a winged horse with a dragon’s head and scales. It’s believed that seeing a Longma was an auspicious omen and embodiment of legendary sage-rulers of prehistoric China, particularly the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors.
It was said that a Longma emerged from the Yellow River and revealed the Hetu to Fu Xi (伏羲, a mythical Chinese sovereign and deity, one of the Three Sovereigns). Hetu (河图, Yellow River Map) and Luoshu (洛书, Lo Shu Square) are two diagrams of ancient Chinese mathematical and divinatory traditions.
Therefore, Longma is considered as the spirit of the Yellow River, symbolizing vigorous spirits and the ethos of the Chinese nation.
2. Bai Longma (White Dragon Horse)
Bai Longma (白龙马, White Dragon Horse) is a protagonist in the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West (西游记), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.
In the novel, Bai Longma is the third son of the Dragon King of the West Sea named Ao Lie. He committed a capital offense by incinerating a gift from the Jade Emperor. Though spared from a death sentence with Guanyin’s meditation, he was banished to wait for Buddhist monk Xuanzang at the Shepan Mountain and assist Xuanzang in bringing back Buddhist scriptures from India.
However, Ao Lie ate Xuanzang’s mount by accident. Then he transformed into the White Dragon Horse and served as Xuanzang’s mount for the rest of the journey.
3. Tianma (Heavenly Horse)
According to Chinese folklore, Tianma (天马, Heavenly Horse) is a mythical horse with wings descending from dragons. It was also referred to as a constellation recognized in the Western Zhou empire.
Historically, Tianma was linked to Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty. He imported superior horses from Central Asia to fight against the invading Xiongnu nomads. The Chinese court called these horses Tianma.
4. Mamian - Guardian of the Hell
Mamian (马面, Horse-Face) is a guardian of the underworld in Chinese mythology, with his partner Niutou (牛头, Ox-Head). As indicated by his name, Horse-Face has the body of man and the head of a horse. As guardians of Diyu (地狱, Hell in Chinese), Ox-Head and Horse-Face usher in the newly dead to Hell, bring them before the courts of underworld.
5. Symbol of Competence and Talents
Qianlima (千里马, Thousand-Li Horse ) is a fabled horse in Chinese classics, which is said to be able to travel one thousand li a day. Li is a traditional Chinese unit of distance. One li equals 500 meters, so one thousand li are more than 310 miles. Ancient Chinese people use Qianli Ma as a metaphor for a person of great talent.
As legend has it that Emperor Mu, the fifth king of the Zhou dynasty from the 10th century BC, had a chariot ride with eight divine horses. The Eight Horses of Emperor Mu are actually a metaphor for his group of ministers. With outstanding talents and extraordinary abilities, they jointly assisted Emperor Mu in managing the kingdom.
6. Great Assistant in Life
The horse was considered as the most important animal of six main kinds of domestic animals in ancient China, along with cattle, pig, goat, dog, and chicken. Horses played an important role in transportation and trade. Take the well-known Ancient Tea Horse Road for example. Horse caravans carried tea, salt, and various goods to Tibet, Nepal, India, etc.
The sturdy horses were also crucially important to the military force in ancient China. They were used for mounted reconnaissance and charges, as well as raiding and supply work.
Lucky and Unlucky Things for People Born in the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Horse
Things to Bring Horse Good Luck
Things to Bring Horse Bad Luck
Chinese Zodiac Horse Traits: Energetic, Efficient, Generous, Easy-going, ...
The Horse has a very high status in traditional Chinese culture. It is the 7th zodiac sign of the Chinese zodiac, symbolizing independence, strength, speed, beauty, and freedom. It’s believed that people born in the year of the Horse take on the characteristics of the Horse zodiac animal.
People under the Horse zodiac sign are active, energetic, cheerful, enthusiastic, and lively. They are also generous, kind, charming, easy to get along with and loyal to friends. Therefore, Horse people are good at making friends and appreciated by everyone around them. In addition. They are also frank and outspoken, and sparing no effort to help friends and the weak.
People born in a Horse year are also intelligent, quick-minded, efficient, and capable of taking several tasks at the same time. So they are easy to succeed when they are young. They are determined, cunning, insightful, and responsible, making them born natural leaders.
On the flip side, Horse people are overly confident, self-conceit, and stubborn. They often act on their own intuition and hard to follow a schedule prepared by someone else. Horses rarely listen to anyone’s advice or regard for what other people think. It’s advisable to be more humble and realize the importance of different perspectives.
Horse people are also very emotional, irritable, short-tempered, and impatient. When something comes up, they show a positive attitude at the beginning. However, they are easily distracted, and easy to give up doing things halfway once they encounter small obstacles.
Strengths of Horse
Weakness of Horse
Male Horse Characteristics
Men born in the Chinese zodiac year of Horse are independent, confident, generous, courageous, easy-going, and highly capable of managing. They are good at making friends and loyal to them. Besides, they are also willing to do whatever they can to help other people.
But male Horses also have short tempers. They become angry easily. But they also forget quickly, even if who they hurt are still angry with them. Their negative personality traits also include being hot-headed, grumpy, and lack of calm. They are occasionally self-righteous and deaf to advise.
Female Horse Characteristics
In Chinese zodiac signs, Horse women are lively, active, and always full of energy. They are also straightforward, easy-going, and with a good sense of humor. It’s very easy for them to make friends and pass joy to other people. As for career, Horse women are efficient and capable of doing multiple tasks.
The shortcomings for female Horses are that they are subjective, stubborn, and unwilling to adopt the opinions of others. What’s more, they are overly concerned about gain and loss at times. They are afraid of failure though always showing a tough face.
Chinese Zodiac Horse Five Elements for Five Personalities
| Elements | Personalities | Recent Years |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Horse | Kind, outspoken, helpful, full of imagination, lack of patience | 1954, 2014 |
| Fire Horse | Smart, confident, passionate, active, easy-going, emotional | 1966, 2026 |
| Earth Horse | Gentle, thoughtful, enterprising, workaholic, short-tempered | 1978, 2038 |
| Metal Horse | Optimistic, warm-hearted, righteous, responsible, irritable | 1930, 1990 |
| Water Horse | Decisive, full of imagination, charming, sentimental, impatient | 1942, 2002 |
Zodiac Horse Love Compatibility – Your Most Compatible Zodiacs
According to traditional Chinese astrology, Chinese zodiac animals’ compatibility is derived from the relations of twelve Dizhi (地支, Earthly Branches). Since the relations of 12 Earthly Branches include inter-promotion and interaction, some zodiac animals are compatible while others are not.
Read on to find out what Chinese zodiac animal signs are most compatible with zodiac Horse in love, friendship, and business.
Best Matches: Tiger, Dog, Goat
The Horse zodiac sign is linked with the Earthly Branch wu (午, wǔ). In Chinese astrology, the Tiger, the Horse, and the Dog are one of the four trines of the San He (三合, Three Harmonies) groups. People born in the year of the Horse usually have a great relationship with those born in the year of the Tiger and Dog.
The Horse and the Goat are one pair of the Liu He (六合, Six Harmonies) groups. As such, Horse people and Goat people are harmonious together and help each other secretly.
Generally, Three Harmonies is better than Six Harmonies. Therefore, Horse people best match the Tiger and the Dog, while the Goat is the second-best compatibility for Horse people.
Least Matches: Rat, Ox, Horse
The Horse and the Rat are in one group of the Earthly Branches Liu Chong (六冲, Six Conflicting) groups. Horse people and Rat people have opposite views of the world and have trouble tolerating each other’s failures. Besides, both of them love their freedom and do not want to follow the direction pointed by the other.
The Horse and the Ox are in the same group of the Liu Hai (六害, Six Harming) groups, making them incompatible with each other. Harming means being harmful to each other generally. As friends, the Horse and the Ox fare better. As lovers, they may drive each other crazy at times because they have difficulty understanding each other.
In addition, the Horse and the Horse are also in the same group of the Zi Xing (自刑, Self Punishment) groups. Though they understand each other very well, they will very likely have a hot-and-cold relationship in love. And it’s hard for them to enjoy a stable family.
Horse's Compatibility with 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals
| Rat | Ox | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon | Snake |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worst | Worst | Best | Good | Average | Average |
| Horse | Goat | Monkey | Rooster | Dog | Pig |
| Worst | Best | Average | Average | Best | Good |
Guide for Horses’ Career
According to Chinese zodiac signs, Horse people have ever-changing emotions, making them unsuitable for monotonous and repetitive work. It’s very painful for the Horse natives to do the same kind of work over and over again all day long.
To fully utilize their talents, Horse people are more suitable for effective and challenging work which requires quick reflexes, such as journalist, simultaneous interpreter, bond trader, salesman, pilot, etc. Horse people are also very adaptable and intelligent, and they often estimate things that others can't tell before, so they are also very suitable to be politicians and commentators.
Naturally active and confident, people born in the Year of the Horse can also engage in some very active jobs or jobs without restraint, like adventurers, architects, performers, entertainers, etc.
Zodiac Horses’ Horoscope in 2022 the Year of Rabbit
Overview: After entering the year of the Rabbit in 2023, the horse people will enter the year of offending the Tai Sui stars, which will have a great impact on the fate of the horse people. In terms of good luck, they are under the care of "Tian Xi" and "Tian De", 2 auspicious stars, and in terms of bad luck, they have the influence of "Juan She" and "Tai Hao", 2 ominous stars, so they need to be more careful in doing things.
Health
In the year of the Rabbit (Guimao Year) in 2023, the physical condition of horse people is not that good. Because of the influence of the malefic star "Jiao Sha", the physical condition of the horse people will be poor, and may even be plagued by diseases, and regular physical examinations are required. It is recommended to do some workouts after work to strengthen the immunity. If you are ill, you need to seek medical treatment in time. In addition, they will also be affected by the "Juanshe" of the malevolent star, and the horses will suffer physical damage because they are busy with work. If you encounter difficulties at work, you need to do everything possible to overcome the difficulties, you need to create a daily routine for work and rest, eat and sleep on time. All in all, in this year, due to the influence of the Taisui God, the physical health of the Horse people is likely not to be so optimistic. Although it will not endanger their lives, there will be minor illnesses that need to be dealt with in time. Horses who drive should drive cautiously this year and obey the traffic rules.
Career
After entering the year of the Rabbit in 2023, the overall career luck of the Horse will be very turbulent. Due to the influence of the Taisui God, there will be great resistance in career, and they are easily affected by villains at work. In this year, there could be many villains. If you are not careful, you will step into the trap of them and be forced to leave your job. Especially for newcomers who have just entered the workplace this year, they need to be more careful, do not give opportunities to those who are interested, and do not communicate too deeply with people on a daily basis.
For the horse people in the entrepreneur field, the fortune will be very twists and turns this year, and there will be possible situations where they might be framed by villains. In daily work, you need to pay more attention to details, and you need to be careful in dealing with company affairs, and put yourself into the work. Especially for newly founded companies, their ability to resist risks during the year is slightly poor. Their horse owners need to do things step by step, and if they are careless, all their efforts will be wasted in vain. In addition, with the assistance of "Hua Gai" Star in this year, the horse people will have a great harvest in art, who can be very passionate about arts. For horse people who are engaged in art work, as long as they seize the opportunity, they can achieve good results.Love & Relationship
In 2023, the horse people will gain a lot in relationship. Because of the help of the "Tian De" God, the love relationship will be very smooth, and the single Horse people have a lot of luck in this aspect. Although the chances are limited, the quality of the relationship is favorable, and there is a great opportunity to achieve a good and stable relationship. You can possibly start a relationship, taking his/her character and values into account to see whether they fit in yours. If you really meet a suitable one of the opposite sex, you can well maintain the acquaintances for further development. For the horse people in love, it is necessary to determine whether the other party can accompany them for a lifetime, and they can tell their friends about their love relationship, which will be blessed by everyone. For horses whose relationship is progressing smoothly, they can take their beloved home to meet their elders and hold an engagement ceremony to make the relationship strengthened. For the married Horse people, they develop a stable relationship with their spouse, and they can plan everything in the future in an orderly manner. It is necessary to cherish the hard-won luck. If conditions permit, you can take more short-distance excursions or self-driving tours with him/her, which can enhance the relationship between both parties. For horses who have children, they should be more patient with their children, and set a good example for them.
Wealth
In 2023, there will be great uncertainty towards the horse people’s wealth. Due to the influence of career turmoil, the mainstream income is extremely unstable, and it is easy to be framed by villains at work, which leads to the idea of changing jobs. Therefore, the Horse people need to pay more attention to their words and deeds in the work this year, and do not easily disclose their personal privacy to others. It is extremely taboo to attach importance to feelings in the workplace, and mistakes at work can easily become the good excuses to blame and attack you. Therefore, the Horse people need to act cautiously in this year, be kind to others, and try their best to ensure the income of positive wealth. This year's minor stream income is not optimistic. Those who like to do some investment still have to be very cautious, and do things step by step, don’t expect quick money by shortcuts. In the unfavorable situation, the risk of bankruptcy is high. And in certain serious cases, some may even fall into prison.
Zodiac Horse Famous People
Chinese Zodiac Horse Vocabulary & Idioms
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 生肖 | shēng xiāo | Chinese Zodiac |
| 农历生日 | nóng lì shēng rì | Lunar Birthday |
| 你属什么 | nǐ shǔ shén me | What is your Chinese zodiac animal? |
| 我属马 | wǒ shǔ mǎ | I am a Horse in Chinese zodiac sign. |
| 马到成功 | mǎ dào chéng gōng | Achieve an immediate success |
| 龙马精神 | lóng mǎ jīng shén | Full of vigor |
| 一马当先 | yī mǎ dāng xiān | Take the lead |
| 指鹿为马 | zhǐ lù wéi mǎ | Deliberately distort the facts |