Chinese zodiac vs Western zodiac · Taurus
Taurus meets the Chinese zodiac
The steadiest Western sign, the wildest Chinese year, and the moment summer starts in China, right in the middle of Taurus season.
Johann Bayer, Uranometria, 1603
At a glance
Apr 20 to May 21, 2026: Fire Horse. Apr 20 to May 21, 2027: Fire Goat. Inside Taurus the month animal turns from Dragon to Snake at Lixia.
- Sun in Taurus, from 2026
- Apr 20 to May 21, 2026fixed earth sign
- Taurus month animals
- Dragon, then SnakeLixia (Start of Summer) turns it, May 5, 2026
- Lunar New Year in Taurus
- Never
fixed earth
Taurus meets the Chinese zodiac
Try this today
- If you are a Taurus Ox, notice where double steadiness becomes double stubbornness this week.
- Look up the animal of your birth year, then the animal of the year you started your current job. Taurus loves a pattern.
- Pick one slow, physical ritual (bread, a walk, a plant) and give it the same day each week.
Taurus is the sign of staying put. In Western astrology the Taurus Sun is read as patient, sensual and stubborn in a way people eventually learn to love. It is a fixed earth sign, the one that plants something and waits for it to grow.
The Chinese zodiac does not have a bull, but it has an Ox, and people mix them up constantly. They are different animals in different systems. Your Western Taurus comes from where the Sun was in the sky in late April or May. Your Chinese animal comes from the year, counted in a twelve-year cycle that resets at Lunar New Year.
So a Taurus born in an Ox year gets a fun double helping of steadiness, and a Taurus born in a Monkey year gets an earth sign with a trickster riding along. Neither system cancels the other. They describe different layers: the Western sign is the season of your birth, the Chinese animal the year you share with your whole school class.
Like every sign from Aries to Sagittarius, Taurus sits well clear of the Lunar New Year boundary, so your animal is just your birth year's animal. No fine print.
The sky behind it
Sun enters Taurus: Apr 20, 2026, 01:39 UTC; next, Apr 20, 2027, 07:18 UTC (JPL DE442).
Bing Wu, 2026
A Taurus Fire Horse
In 2026 the Chinese year is Bing Wu, the Fire Horse, and every Taurus born this spring is a Fire Horse. On paper it is an odd couple: the most settled Western sign paired with the most restless Chinese year.
In practice that tension is the interesting part. The Horse brings appetite for movement, travel and a little rebellion. Taurus brings the instinct to make something last. A Taurus Fire Horse might be the person who goes off on the big adventure and comes back with a business plan and very good snacks.
The folklore around Fire Horse years is real history (we cover the 1966 story elsewhere), but there is nothing ominous here. Treat it as a pairing of opposites that can steady each other.
Born Apr 20 to May 21, 2026: a Taurus Fire Horse.
The solar months
Taurus's two month animals: the Dragon and the Snake
Taurus holds the Dragon month and the Snake month in the Chinese solar calendar. The sign opens at Guyu, Grain Rain, the term for the rains that bring up the crops. Halfway through, at 15 degrees Taurus, comes Lixia, Start of Summer.
That is the surprise: in the traditional Chinese reckoning, summer begins in the middle of Taurus season, not at the June solstice. The Chinese seasons start at the cross-quarter points, so the solstice is the height of summer, not the start of it. An early-May Taurus is a Dragon-month baby in a BaZi chart; a mid-May Taurus is a Snake-month baby.
The sky behind it
Lixia, May 5, 2026 in China (UTC+8).
All twelve
Taurus Rat to Taurus Pig
Taurus Rat (Water branch). Thrifty and clever. The Taurus Rat can stretch a budget like nobody else and always knows where the good deals are.
Taurus Ox (Earth branch). Steady on steady. Patient, loyal and immovable once decided; the most reliable friend on this whole page.
Taurus Tiger (Wood branch). Calm surface, wild streak. The Taurus Tiger seems relaxed until something it loves is threatened.
Taurus Rabbit (Wood branch). Comfort connoisseur. Soft furnishings, good food, peaceful rooms; the Taurus Rabbit builds a beautiful hideaway.
Taurus Dragon (Earth branch). Ambition with a long fuse. This Taurus dreams big and then actually lays every brick.
Taurus Snake (Fire branch). Quietly magnetic. Taste, patience and a talent for waiting until the timing is perfect.
Taurus Horse (Fire branch). Homebody with wanderlust. Wants roots and the open road, and usually finds a way to have both.
Taurus Goat (Earth branch). Gentle and artistic. A Taurus Goat makes everything around it a little more beautiful and asks for very little in return.
Taurus Monkey (Metal branch). Earthy and witty. Practical enough to build the thing, playful enough to make it fun.
Taurus Rooster (Metal branch). Hardworking and exact. Shows up early, does it properly and notices when you do not.
Taurus Dog (Earth branch). Loyal to the bone. Once you are inside the Taurus Dog's circle, you are there for life.
Taurus Pig (Water branch). Generous host. Long dinners, open doors and a genuine joy in seeing other people comfortable.
Find your combo
Taurus Dragon, or another?
120 Taurus windows, 1924 to 2043.
Pick a Chinese animal
Taurus Dragon
Ambition with a long fuse. This Taurus dreams big and then actually lays every brick.
The Dragon in folk tradition: confident, ambitious, larger than life. Fixed element: Earth.
Born a Taurus Dragon, 1924 to 2043 (10 windows):
- 1928Earth Dragon · Apr 20 to May 21
- 1940Metal Dragon · Apr 20 to May 21
- 1952Water Dragon · Apr 20 to May 21
- 1964Wood Dragon · Apr 20 to May 21
- 1976Fire Dragon · Apr 19 to May 20
- 1988Earth Dragon · Apr 19 to May 20
- 2000Metal Dragon · Apr 19 to May 20
- 2012Water Dragon · Apr 19 to May 20
- 2024Wood Dragon · Apr 19 to May 20
- 2036Fire Dragon · Apr 19 to May 20
Next Taurus Dragon birthdays: Apr 19, 2036 to May 20, 2036.
More to read
Shorter reads. Each opens in place.
The hard side
Taurus's shadow
Taurus already knows how to dig in. Paired with the Ox, Dog or Dragon, three animals with Earth as their fixed element, the tradition stacks even more ground under your feet. Lovely for loyalty, less lovely when the plan changes. Practise changing your mind on something small, on purpose.
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Plan ahead
Taurus in Ding Wei
In 2027 the year turns to Ding Wei, the Fire Goat. A Taurus Goat is one of the gentlest pairings on the wheel: two signs the tradition reads as fond of comfort, beauty and peace. Expect a nest that looks great.
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Born Apr 20 to May 21, 2027: a Taurus Fire Goat.
Either side
Aries, Taurus, Gemini
Aries Mar 20 to Apr 20, 2026, with the Rabbit and Dragon months. Gemini May 21 to Jun 21, 2026, with the Snake and Horse.
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Taurus, year by year
| Year | Dates |
|---|---|
| 2020 Metal Rat | Apr 19 to May 20, 2020 |
| 2021 Metal Ox | Apr 19 to May 20, 2021 |
| 2022 Water Tiger | Apr 20 to May 21, 2022 |
| 2023 Water Rabbit | Apr 20 to May 21, 2023 |
| 2024 Wood Dragon | Apr 19 to May 20, 2024 |
| 2025 Wood Snake | Apr 19 to May 20, 2025 |
| 2026 Fire Horse | Apr 20 to May 21, 2026 |
| 2027 Fire Goat | Apr 20 to May 21, 2027 |
| 2028 Earth Monkey | Apr 19 to May 20, 2028 |
| 2029 Earth Rooster | Apr 19 to May 20, 2029 |
| 2030 Metal Dog | Apr 20 to May 20, 2030 |
| 2031 Metal Pig | Apr 20 to May 21, 2031 |
| Sun at | Term | This cycle | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0° Taurus | Guyu (Grain Rain) | Apr 20, 2026, 01:39 UTC | Apr 20, 2027, 07:18 UTC |
| 15° Taurus | Lixia (Start of Summer), starts the Snake month | May 5, 2026, 11:49 UTC | May 5, 2027, 17:25 UTC |
All times are UTC. In the Americas the local date can be a day earlier; in Asia and Australia a day later.
Quick answers
What Chinese zodiac sign is Taurus?
Taurus has no fixed Chinese animal, because the Chinese sign comes from your birth year. The solar link is the BaZi month: early Taurus falls in the Dragon month and late Taurus (from Lixia, 15 degrees Taurus) in the Snake month.
Is Taurus the same as the Chinese Ox?
No. Both are bovine, which causes the mix-up, but Taurus is a Western Sun sign tied to late April and May, while the Ox is a Chinese year animal. You can be a Taurus in any of the twelve animal years.
What is a Taurus Fire Horse like?
Tradition pairs the settled earth sign with the most restless Chinese year, so the theme is roots versus roaming. Read it as someone who wants both security and adventure. It is symbolism, not a forecast.
Does Chinese summer really start in May?
Yes. The solar term Lixia, Start of Summer, falls when the Sun reaches 15 degrees Taurus, usually in early May. Chinese seasons begin at these midpoints, which is why the June solstice is called the height of summer.
