1956: Year of the Fire Monkey (丙申 bǐngshēn)

People born in 1956 belong to the year of the Fire Monkey - the 丙申 year of the traditional sixty-year cycle. This exact combination returns only once every 60 years.

> Born in January or early February 1956? In the classical reckoning the zodiac year begins at Li Chun (立春 lichun), February 5, 1956 - not on January 1. If you were born before that date, you belong to the previous year: the Wood Goat of 1955. (Folk usage often counts from Chinese New Year instead, February 12, 1956 that year - both conventions are real; the BaZi tradition uses Li Chun. Our calculator handles this for you.)

The Monkey in the Fire year

The tradition reads the Monkey as the inventive one: solves the puzzle, then improves it. Folk tellings give the Monkey wit and play in equal measure; boredom is the only thing it truly fears. The classical sketch adds adaptability: drop the Monkey anywhere and it lands mid-idea.

The Fire Monkey is read as the liveliest of the five: wit at full speed, the show and the solution at once.

Who the tradition pairs you with

The Monkey's natural allies are its trine partners, Rat, Dragon, and its quiet ally (六合 liuhe) is the Snake. The tradition treats the Tiger as the Monkey's opposite - the clash pair (相沖 xiangchong). The full picture: Chinese zodiac compatibility.

Other Monkey years

1932 (Water Monkey), 1944 (Wood Monkey), 1968 (Earth Monkey), 1980 (Metal Monkey), 1992 (Water Monkey), 2004 (Wood Monkey), 2016 (Fire Monkey), 2028 (Earth Monkey). Same animal, different element - the tradition reads each differently.

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Your year animal is one-twelfth of one pillar - the birth year is a quarter of the picture, and the full chart reads the day you were born, down to the hour. What is BaZi explains the rest, or find your full sign.