Snake in the Chinese zodiac: years, character and affinities

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The Snake in brief

The Snake is the sixth animal of the cycle. It corresponds to the hour from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., when the sun is climbing, and to the beginning of summer. In Chinese culture it is not the sly animal of the biblical tradition: it is a creature of intelligence and mystery, a relative of the dragon, respected as much as it is feared.

Its Chinese name is 蛇, pronounced shé. It corresponds to the earthly branch 巳 (sì), which has yin polarity and which, in the theory of the five phases, carries the Fire element. Be careful not to confuse this element, which belongs to the animal, with the element of your year of birth, which varies: see below. In the traditional division of the day, the branch 巳 designates the hour from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. It is linked to the season of “summer” and to the south-south-east direction on the traditional compass.

The years of the Snake (1936 to 2032)

Here are the years under the sign of the Snake, with the element of each and the exact dates (Chinese New Year, according to the tables of the Hong Kong Observatory). A person born in January or early February, before the date indicated, generally belongs to the previous sign.

Year	Sign and element	Polarity	Period (from Chinese New Year to the eve of the next one)
1941	Metal Snake	yin	from 27 January 1941 to 14 February 1942
1953	Water Snake	yin	from 14 February 1953 to 2 February 1954
1965	Wood Snake	yin	from 2 February 1965 to 20 January 1966
1977	Fire Snake	yin	from 18 February 1977 to 6 February 1978
1989	Earth Snake	yin	from 6 February 1989 to 26 January 1990
2001	Metal Snake	yin	from 24 January 2001 to 11 February 2002
2013	Water Snake	yin	from 10 February 2013 to 30 January 2014
2025	Wood Snake	yin	from 29 January 2025 to 16 February 2026

To understand this calculation, see the page on how to calculate your Chinese zodiac sign.

Symbolic portrait of the Snake

Tradition describes the Snake as thoughtful, intuitive and elegant. It is associated with wisdom, a taste for analysis, discretion, a refined sense of aesthetics and the ability to observe for a long time before acting. The Snake prefers to understand rather than chatter; when it makes up its mind, it does so with precision.

The symbolic reverse side: distrust, possessiveness, secrecy that turns into distance, and sometimes silent jealousy. Popular portraits also say that it holds a grudge for a long time. Here again, these are images from tradition: they do not point to real people and are not universal.

A useful note: the reputation of snakes varies widely around the world. In China, the snake is sometimes called xiǎo lóng, “little dragon”, a popular nickname that speaks to its prestige and its kinship with the dragon.

The Snake in Chinese culture

Fuxi and Nüwa. In mythology, the two founding figures Fuxi and Nüwa, brother and sister or a couple depending on the version, are shown on Han-period reliefs with a human torso and a snake’s tail, often intertwined. Nüwa is the goddess said to have shaped human beings and mended the sky. Here the snake is linked to the origin of the world and to fertility.

The legend of the White Snake. The tale of Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit who became a woman, and of her husband Xu Xian, unfolds by the West Lake in Hangzhou. A monk named Fahai separates them; the Leifeng Pagoda closes the story in several versions. It has been retold in novels, operas and films: it is a popular tale that has grown richer over the centuries, with a snake that is at once dangerous and deeply human.

The five poisons. At the Duanwu Festival, in the fifth lunar month, people symbolically protect themselves from the “five poisons” (the snake, the scorpion, the centipede, the toad and the lizard or gecko, depending on the region) with amulets, images and decorations. The snake is thus also a figure of danger, to be kept at a distance.

Proverbs. The expression 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú), “to draw feet on a snake”, describes someone who does too much and spoils their work. It comes from an anecdote in the Zhanguo ce (Strategies of the Warring States).

The five Snakes by element

In the sixty-year cycle, each animal successively receives each of the five elements. The portraits below are traditional symbolic nuances: they do not designate real personalities and are not universal.

Variant	Years (1924 to 2043)	Symbolic nuance
Wood Snake	1965, 2025	Curious, cultured, more open and sociable than other Snakes.
Fire Snake	1977, 2037	Charismatic, intense and more expressive; possessiveness is more visible.
Earth Snake	1929, 1989	Composed, loyal, attached to stability; builds up knowledge with patience.
Metal Snake	1941, 2001	Precise, demanding, determined; can seem cold to those close to them.
Water Snake	1953, 2013	Very intuitive and reserved; sensitive to atmosphere, secretive about emotions.

Take the example of a Wood Snake year: the element of the year is Wood, while the animal’s own element is Fire. Some schools look at how the two respond to each other (production, control, harmony). These are frameworks for reading, not verdicts.

Traditional affinities of the Snake

Tradition compares the animals of two people by looking at their place on the circle of the twelve branches. For the Snake, here are the classic relationships.

Traditional relationship	Animals concerned	Image
Affinity trio (sanhe)	Snake, Ox and Rooster	Three animals four positions apart, often presented as sharing the same momentum
Union (liuhe, “six harmonies”)	Snake and Monkey	A pair of animals associated by tradition, seen as complementary
Opposition (liuchong)	Snake and Pig	Two animals six positions apart, facing each other on the circle: contrast, friction
Harm (liuhai)	Snake and Tiger	A link said to be “troublesome”: possible misunderstandings, according to tradition

These rules come from the theory of the branches and do not measure the value of a relationship: two people with “opposed” animals can get along very well, and two “united” animals can quarrel. Some sources add other relationships (“punishments”, “destructions”), which shows that these grids vary from school to school. Keep them as a set of mirrors, never as a verdict on a couple, a friendship or a hiring decision.

Going further: questions for reflection

If you were born under this sign, or simply want to understand the image it carries, here are some questions to ask yourself, without expecting a right answer.

• What do I understand better when I take the time to observe before acting?
• Is there a grudge I am holding that I could talk about with the person concerned?
• Where does my need for control protect me, and where does it stop me from loving?
• What do I find beautiful, and how can I make room for it in my week?

Like all Chinese astrology, the portrait of the Snake is a symbolic tradition: without scientific proof, it predicts neither your character nor your future. For an overview, read the introduction to Chinese astrology.

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The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Chinese astrology.