--- title: "What Chinese Zodiac Is 2016? Year of the Fire Monkey" description: "2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey in the Chinese zodiac, from February 8, 2016 to January 27, 2017. Personality, Lunar New Year dates and numerology." canonical: https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2016 last-updated: 2026-10-23 reviewed: false author: Unified Reading editorial --- # What Chinese Zodiac Is 2016? Year of the Fire Monkey In Chinese astrology, 2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey, a Yang year. It began at Lunar New Year on February 8, 2016 and ended on January 27, 2017, so people born in 2016 before Feb 8 belong to the Wood Goat year. ## Key facts | Fact | Value | | --- | --- | | Animal · element · polarity | Monkey · Fire · Yang | | Starts (Lunar New Year) | February 8, 2016 | | Ends | January 27, 2017 | | Born in 2016 before Feb 8 | Wood Goat (the 2015 year) | | Monkey's fixed element | Metal (Fire controls Metal) | | Other Fire Monkey years (1924-2044) | 1956 | | Stem-branch name | Bing-Shen | | Lunar New Year weekday · Sun sign | Monday · Aquarius | | Numerology year number | 9 | ## 2016 Lunar New Year: start and end dates Lunar New Year opened the Fire Monkey year on February 8, 2016, and the year ran to January 27, 2017. So a birth date of Feb 8, 2016 or later counts as Fire Monkey, and so do early 2017 birthdays through Jan 27; births in 2016 before Feb 8 still belong to the Wood Goat. That moving boundary comes from the lunisolar calendar, in which the new year starts with the second new moon after the winter solstice in most years, so its Gregorian date shifts by up to a month from one year to the next. Look sixty years either side and the pairing repeats: 1956 are Fire Monkey years too. That Monday new year arrived with the Sun in Aquarius in the Western zodiac. ## What the Fire Monkey is like Sparks fly when Fire meets the Monkey. Because Fire controls Metal, readings describe an inventive, adventurous character with bold humour and considerable nerve. Those born now tend to experiment constantly. Safety margins in their plans, honest friends who are not charmed by them and patience with detail help their ambition stay matched by integrity. Their wit can lift a gloomy meeting in seconds, and they rarely run short of new ideas. Belonging to the south and to the height of summer, Fire brings brightness, drive and visibility to any sign it colours. Classical texts connect it with enthusiasm, leadership and the urge to be seen and to make an impression. A Fire stem tends to make an animal more expressive, more daring and more openly emotional than its usual reputation suggests. People born in Fire years are often described as inspiring company and natural motivators. The caution most readings attach is a short fuse and a difficulty with slow seasons, when steady effort matters more than spark and the reward is a long way off. ## 2016 in the animal cycle and in numerology In numerology the year reduces to 9, the number of completion, generosity and letting go, and a 9 year is traditionally read as one of endings that clear space. The digits of 2016 add up to 9. The Monkey holds the ninth place among the twelve animals and its fixed element is Metal. Set beside the year's Fire stem, fire controls Metal, which readings use to describe how settled or stretched the combination feels. The year before was the Wood Goat and the year after is the Fire Rooster. Chinese almanacs name 2016 Bing-Shen, pairing the Fire stem Bing with the branch Shen. Both are Yang, as stem and branch always share a polarity, so of the hundred and twenty possible pairings only sixty ever occur, and each one names a single year in every cycle. ## Frequently asked questions ### What Chinese zodiac is 2016? 2016 is the Year of the Fire Monkey. It started on February 8, 2016 and ended on January 27, 2017. ### What if I was born in January or February 2016? Check the date against Feb 8. Born before February 8, 2016, you are a Wood Goat; born on or after it, you are a Fire Monkey. ### What element is 2016 in the Chinese zodiac? Fire, a Yang year. The Monkey's own fixed element is Metal; the year element changes every two years, while the fixed element stays with the animal. ### What is the traditional Chinese name for 2016? Bing-Shen. 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 Fire Monkey year? 2076, sixty years later, when the five elements and twelve animals line up again; the table also has 1956. ## Related pages - [Fire Monkey](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/fire-monkey) - [Monkey](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/monkey) - [Chinese zodiac years](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/years) - [2015 (Wood Goat)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2015) - [2017 (Fire Rooster)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2017) - [2004 (Wood Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2004) - [2028 (Earth Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2028) - [1956 (Fire Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1956) - [1992 (Water Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/1992) - [2040 (Metal Monkey)](https://unifiedreading.com/chinese-zodiac/2040) - [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.