Year of the Water Horse
1942 Chinese zodiac sign: Water Horse
If you were born from February 15, 1942 to February 4, 1943, your Chinese zodiac sign is the Water Horse. A birthday in 1942 before February 15 still belongs to the Metal Snake of 1941.
Water Horse
- Element: Water
- Yang
- First day
- Sunday, February 15, 1942
- Last day
- Thursday, February 4, 1943
- Place in the animal cycle
- 7 of 12
January and February: if you were born from January 1 to February 14, 1942, your sign is still the Metal Snake of 1941; if you were born from January 1 to February 4, 1943, you still belong to the Year of the Water Horse.
Check your birth date in the calculator1942 in the Chinese calendar
Chinese year 1942 begins on Sunday, February 15, 1942, and ends on Thursday, February 4, 1943, the day before the Year of the Water Goat begins. It has 355 days, or 12 lunar months: each month starts on a new moon, so it is 29 or 30 days long. The next leap year, with a thirteenth month, comes in 1944.
The year opens with the new moon on Sunday, February 15, 1942 at 6:03 a.m. ET, which is 6:03 p.m. China Standard Time, so the date is the same in New York and in Beijing.
The Lantern Festival, which closes the New Year celebrations, comes on the fifteenth day of the first month, so on Sunday, March 1, 1942. The year's first full moon falls on Monday, March 2, 1942 at 8:20 p.m. ET. The total lunar eclipse takes place at this same full moon.
It is year 19 of the sixty-year cycle that began in 1924 with the Wood Rat. In Chinese this year is called 壬午 (rénwǔ): the heavenly stem 壬 gives the element and the earthly branch 午 the animal.
Lìchūn 1942: when the year begins in Ba Zi astrology
In Ba Zi astrology, the Four Pillars of Destiny, the year 1942 begins not at the lunar New Year but at the moment of lìchūn (立春, “start of spring”), when the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude: on Wednesday, February 4, 1942 at 5:48 a.m. Eastern Time. That is 11 days before Chinese New Year, so anyone born between that moment and February 14 still has the Metal Snake sign in the lunar calendar but already the Water Horse sign in Ba Zi.
This page and the calculator give your sign by the lunar calendar.
Horse personality traits
The Horse is the sign of freedom and energy. It is sociable, honest and enthusiastic, and it loves movement, travel and new experiences.
The element of 1942: Water
Intuition, flexibility and a gift for persuasion. Water softens a sign and teaches it to go with the flow.
The Water element covers two years in a row, 1942 (yang) and 1943 (yin), and comes back every ten years: before that in 1932–1933, next in 1952–1953.
The Water Horse: animal and element together
Water makes the Horse flexible and communicative. The Water Horse has a sense of humor, makes friends easily and is at its best on the road and amid changes that throw others off balance. Its weakness is inconstancy: it changes plans often, and focusing on one thing doesn't come easily.
Horse compatibility
Trine
The Tiger and the Dog share its idealism and temperament. With the Tiger the Horse shares courage and drive, while the Dog gives it loyalty and support.
Secret friend
The Goat calms the Horse's restlessness and gives it warmth, and the Horse brings energy and courage into the Goat's life. Tradition sees them as a very harmonious pair.
Opposite sign
The Rat stands opposite the Horse. The Rat plans and saves, the Horse lives in the moment and prizes freedom, so they easily clash over money and the pace of life.
Born in 1942: your age and your own sign's year
In 2026, people born in 1942 turn 84 years old. The Year of the Fire Horse is running now, so for people born in the Year of the Water Horse it is their seventh běnmìngnián, the year of their own sign. Tradition sees it as a time of tests and change, and a touch of red in what you wear is meant to keep bad luck away.
Other Horse years
The Horse comes back every 12 years, each time with a different element. The exact combination of 1942, the Water Horse, returns every 60 years: in 1882, 1942 and 2002.
| Year | Sign | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Metal Horse | 01/30/1930 – 02/16/1931 |
| 1942 | Water Horse | 02/15/1942 – 02/04/1943 |
| 1954 | Wood Horse | 02/03/1954 – 01/23/1955 |
| 1966 | Fire Horse | 01/21/1966 – 02/08/1967 |
| 1978 | Earth Horse | 02/07/1978 – 01/27/1979 |
| 1990 | Metal Horse | 01/27/1990 – 02/14/1991 |
| 2002 | Water Horse | 02/12/2002 – 01/31/2003 |
| 2014 | Wood Horse | 01/31/2014 – 02/18/2015 |
| 2026 | Fire Horse now | 02/17/2026 – 02/05/2027 |
The year before and the year after
The Chinese zodiac is a cultural tradition more than two thousand years old, not a science. We calculate the dates and signs precisely, but read the personality descriptions as food for thought, not as a prophecy.
Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac sign is 1942?
In the Chinese calendar 1942 is the Year of the Water Horse: a yang sign with the Water element. That Chinese year runs from February 15, 1942 to February 4, 1943, so anyone born in that window has the Water Horse sign.
What is my Chinese zodiac sign if I was born in January or February 1942?
The date of Chinese New Year decides it, and in 1942 that date is February 15. If you were born from January 1 to February 14, 1942, your sign is still the Metal Snake of 1941; from February 15 on, your sign is the Water Horse.
When does 1942 begin in Ba Zi astrology?
At the moment of lìchūn, when the Sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude: on Wednesday, February 4, 1942 at 5:48 a.m. Eastern Time. That is 11 days before Chinese New Year, so anyone born between that moment and February 14 still has the Metal Snake sign in the lunar calendar but already the Water Horse sign in Ba Zi.
When is Chinese New Year 1942?
Chinese New Year 1942 falls on Sunday, February 15, 1942, the day of the new moon by the date in Beijing. The new moon comes at 6:03 p.m. China Standard Time; in New York it falls on Sunday, February 15, 1942 at 6:03 a.m. ET. The next New Year, which opens the Year of the Water Goat, falls on Friday, February 5, 1943.
Is 1942 a yin or yang year?
1942 is a yang year, because Chinese tradition gives yang to even years and yin to odd ones. Yang is outward energy: active, direct and quick to get things started. The Horse is always yang, and from one Horse year to the next only the element changes: after the Year of the Water Horse comes the Year of the Wood Horse in 1954.
Your AI forecast for the Year of the Fire Horse
The calculator tells you your sign. In the Sanctuary, AI sets it against the sign of the current year and writes a forecast for you: love, work and money, health, and your lucky months. You get 5 free tokens to start, and a forecast costs 1 token.
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