--- title: "What Chinese Zodiac Is 1979? Year of the Earth Goat" description: "1979 is the Year of the Earth Goat in the Chinese zodiac, from January 28, 1979 to February 15, 1980. Personality, Lunar New Year dates and numerology." canonical: https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1979 last-updated: 2026-10-23 reviewed: false author: Unified Reading editorial --- # What Chinese Zodiac Is 1979? Year of the Earth Goat In Chinese astrology, 1979 is the Year of the Earth Goat, a Yin year. It began at Lunar New Year on January 28, 1979 and ended on February 15, 1980, so people born in 1979 before Jan 28 belong to the Earth Horse year. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Animal · element · polarity | Goat · Earth · Yin | | Starts (Lunar New Year) | January 28, 1979 | | Ends | February 15, 1980 | | Born in 1979 before Jan 28 | Earth Horse (the 1978 year) | | Goat's fixed element | Earth (Earth year element matches the fixed element) | | Other Earth Goat years (1924-2044) | 2039 | | Stem-branch name | Ji-Wei | | Lunar New Year weekday · Sun sign | Sunday · Aquarius | | Numerology year number | 8 | ## When the 1979 Earth Goat year starts and ends The 1979 Earth Goat year began at Lunar New Year on January 28, 1979 and lasted until February 15, 1980, the day before the next new year. Anyone born between January 1 and Jan 28 1979 therefore belongs to the Earth Horse year that started in 1978, while someone born in early 1980, up to Feb 15, is still a Earth Goat. 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 Goat combination also falls in 2039, sixty years apart, because five elements and twelve animals realign only once in each sixty-year cycle. Lunar New Year 1979 fell on a Sunday, while the Western Sun was in Aquarius. ## Earth Goat personality Reliable, caring and quietly hardworking, the Earth Goat combines gentleness with common sense. The Goat's fixed element is Earth, so this year doubles it, and tradition describes unusual stability for this sign. People born now are often devoted to family and home. Worry and clinging to routine are the usual cautions, eased by small changes. Their kitchens are often the heart of family life. 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. ## 1979 in numerology and the twelve-year cycle In numerology the digits reduce to 8, associated with ambition, authority and material results, so an 8 year is described in terms of effort and reward. The digits of 1979 add up to 26, which reduces to 8. In the twelve-year cycle the Goat is the eighth animal, earthly branch Wei, with Earth as its fixed element and Yin polarity. The year element is Earth, and in the five-element cycles earth year element matches the fixed element. The year before was the Earth Horse and the year after is the Metal Monkey. In the traditional sexagenary count the year is called Ji-Wei: Ji is the Earth heavenly stem and Wei is the Goat's earthly branch. Stems and branches alternate between yang and yin together, which is why yin stems only ever meet yin animals. ## Frequently asked questions ### What Chinese zodiac is 1979? 1979 is the Year of the Earth Goat. It started on January 28, 1979 and ended on February 15, 1980. ### What if I was born in January or February 1979? Check the date against Jan 28. Born before January 28, 1979, you are a Earth Horse; born on or after it, you are a Earth Goat. ### What element is 1979 in the Chinese zodiac? Earth, a Yin year. The Goat's own fixed element is Earth; the year element changes every two years, while the fixed element stays with the animal. ### What is the traditional Chinese name for 1979? Ji-Wei. 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 Goat year? 2039, sixty years later, when the five elements and twelve animals line up again; the table also has 2039. ## Related pages - [Earth Goat](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/earth-goat) - [Goat](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/goat) - [Chinese zodiac years](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/years) - [1978 (Earth Horse)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1978) - [1980 (Metal Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1980) - [1967 (Fire Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1967) - [1991 (Metal Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1991) - [2039 (Earth Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2039) - [1955 (Wood Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1955) - [2003 (Water Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2003) - [Chinese zodiac calculator](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac-calculator) - [Chinese zodiac](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac) ## About Unified Reading Unified Reading combines Pythagorean numerology, the Western Sun sign (Moon and rising with a birth time), the Chinese zodiac and life-stage context in one reading. The preview is free at https://unifiedreading.com/#details; the full reading is $4.99, paid once through Stripe, with no subscription. A fictional sample is at https://unifiedreading.com/sample. With a birth time and place it adds whole sign houses and the chart ruler; it does not calculate planetary aspects or transits, and it is a framework for reflection, not a prediction.