7 of 12 · branch Wu (午) · element Fire · last Horse year 2026
午时, the Horse’s window, is the peak of the day, and 午 sits at the south point of the compass — the direction of fire and of the midsummer sun. The Horse therefore stands for maximum yang: movement, travel and open ground. It is the animal least suited to being tied down.
The branch repeats every twelve years, but the stem in front of it moves by two each time, so the element cycles through all five. That is why two Horse years can feel quite different.
The table above treats a whole Gregorian year as one animal, which is true for most of it. January and early February are the exception: the zodiac turns at the Start of Spring (around 4 February, exact to the minute) in divination, and at the lunar new year in festival usage. Between those two dates the animal is still the previous one.
Pick the exact date in the zodiac lookup, or open this year’s New Year date to see where the line falls.