Chinese astrology
What Chinese Zodiac Is 1939? Year of the Earth Rabbit
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In Chinese astrology, 1939 is the Year of the Earth Rabbit, a Yin year. It began at Lunar New Year on February 19, 1939 and ended on February 7, 1940, so people born in 1939 before Feb 19 belong to the Earth Tiger year.
Key facts
| Animal · element · polarity | Rabbit · Earth · Yin |
|---|---|
| Starts (Lunar New Year) | February 19, 1939 |
| Ends | February 7, 1940 |
| Born in 1939 before Feb 19 | Earth Tiger (the 1938 year) |
| Rabbit's fixed element | Wood (Wood controls Earth) |
| Other Earth Rabbit years (1924-2044) | 1999 |
| Stem-branch name | Ji-Mao |
| Lunar New Year weekday · Sun sign | Sunday · Aquarius |
| Numerology year number | 22 |
When the 1939 Earth Rabbit year starts and ends
The 1939 Earth Rabbit year began at Lunar New Year on February 19, 1939 and lasted until February 7, 1940, the day before the next new year. Anyone born between January 1 and Feb 19 1939 therefore belongs to the Earth Tiger year that started in 1938, while someone born in early 1940, up to Feb 7, is still a Earth Rabbit. The Chinese calendar is lunisolar, which is why the start date moves between January 21 and February 20 instead of staying on January 1. The same Earth Rabbit combination also falls in 1999, sixty years apart, because five elements and twelve animals realign only once in each sixty-year cycle. Lunar New Year 1939 fell on a Sunday, while the Western Sun was in Aquarius.
Earth Rabbit personality
An Earth Rabbit year is linked with sensible, thoughtful and materially careful people. The Rabbit's Wood rests in Earth like roots holding soil, so traditional readings describe gentleness made practical. People born then often build comfortable, secure lives and make tactful friends. The usual caution is staying in an unsatisfying situation simply because change feels unsettling. Their kindness is rarely loud but almost always dependable.
Earth sits at the centre of the five-element wheel, and an Earth year is traditionally said to give any animal steadiness, patience and a practical turn of mind. Descriptions associate it with reliability, honesty and a talent for holding things together, whether that means a family, a budget or a team in a difficult season. Earth-year people are often portrayed as grounded, fair and good at turning ideas into workable plans. The element is linked with nourishment and care, so it carries a quiet generosity. Its shadow, in most readings, is heaviness: worry, stubbornness and a reluctance to move until every risk has been weighed twice.
1939 in numerology and the twelve-year cycle
In numerology the year's digits add up to 22, the master builder's number, kept whole and associated with large, practical plans. The digits of 1939 add up to 22. In the twelve-year cycle the Rabbit is the fourth animal, earthly branch Mao, with Wood as its fixed element and Yin polarity. The year element is Earth, and in the five-element cycles wood controls Earth. The year before was the Earth Tiger and the year after is the Metal Dragon.
In the traditional sexagenary count the year is called Ji-Mao: Ji is the Earth heavenly stem and Mao is the Rabbit's earthly branch. Stems and branches alternate between yang and yin together, which is why yin stems only ever meet yin animals.
Read together
One tradition on its own gives a single angle. A Unified Reading puts your Life Path and name numbers, your Sun sign (plus Moon and rising when you know your birth time), your Chinese zodiac animal and your life stage side by side, and points out where they agree and where they pull apart. See how that looks in the fictional sample reading, or start with the free preview and pay $4.99 once only if you want the full reading.
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Frequently asked questions
What Chinese zodiac is 1939?
1939 is the Year of the Earth Rabbit. It started on February 19, 1939 and ended on February 7, 1940.
What if I was born in January or February 1939?
Check the date against Feb 19. Born before February 19, 1939, you are a Earth Tiger; born on or after it, you are a Earth Rabbit.
What element is 1939 in the Chinese zodiac?
Earth, a Yin year. The Rabbit's own fixed element is Wood; the year element changes every two years, while the fixed element stays with the animal.
What is the traditional Chinese name for 1939?
Ji-Mao. The first part is the heavenly stem, which carries the year's element and polarity; the second is the earthly branch, which carries the animal. Almanacs, calendars and Four Pillars charts identify years this way rather than by animal alone.
When is the next Earth Rabbit year?
1999, sixty years later, when the five elements and twelve animals line up again; the table also has 1999.
Last updated October 23, 2026. Awaiting editorial review. Numerology and astrology are interpretive traditions for reflection, not predictions.