Born in 1957: the Rooster

1957 is a yin year, a Fire Rooster. In the traditional calendar it carries the two-part name 丁酉 (dīngyǒu), year 34 of the 60-year cycle. The Fire element adds a dynamic, warm and a little restless streak to the Rooster's base character (observant, hardworking, direct), and this is the quieter, more reflective half of the cycle.

The 1957 lunar year ran from January 31, 1957 up to the day before Chinese New Year 1958 (February 18, 1958). If you were born on or after January 31, 1957 you are a Rooster; if you were born earlier in 1957, you belong to the previous year's sign, the Monkey. Someone born in 1957 turns 69 in 2026 (or 68 until their birthday for the year).

Calendar note: 1957's Chinese New Year fell on a Thursday, and that lunar year ran 383 days — a long, 13-month year with an inserted leap month.

What the Fire element adds

Fire is the element of summer, energy and passion. A Fire year turns the volume up — more drive, more warmth, more willingness to take a risk — but also a shorter fuse and less patience for slow, routine work.

The full 60-year cycle pairs each of the 12 animals with each of the 5 elements, so a Fire Rooster year comes around only once every 60 years — the last one before 1957 was 1897, and the next is 2017. People born in it are said to combine observant and hardworking with the element's dynamic nature. Every Rooster year is yin (the quieter, inward type). See the Fire element and the full Fire Rooster profile.

1957 at a glance

Animal	🐓 Rooster (鸡)
Element	Fire
Yin or yang	yin
Traditional year name	丁酉 (dīngyǒu)
Place in the 60-year cycle	34 of 60
Zodiac year runs	January 31, 1957 to February 17, 1958
Age in 2026	68–69
Traditional best match	Dragon
Traditional hardest match	Rabbit
Lucky numbers	5, 7, 8
Lucky colors	gold, brown, yellow

Rooster compatibility

In the traditional chart, a 1957 Rooster gets on best with the Dragon (the "secret friend" pairing), and also with Ox and Snake. The hardest pairing is the Rabbit, six years apart in the cycle. See the full Rooster compatibility table.

Where a birthday around 1957 lands

The zodiac year does not follow the calendar year, so 1957 is spread across two calendar years. This table shows exactly which animal a birthday gets.

Birthday	Zodiac animal
January 1 to January 30, 1957	Monkey (the 1956 year)
January 31, 1957 to December 31, 1957	Rooster
January 1, 1958 to February 17, 1958	Rooster (still the 1957 year)
February 18, 1958 onward	Dog (the 1958 year)

Zodiac years ahead for a 1957 Rooster

The next own-sign year for someone born in 1957 is 2029, around age 72, then 2041, around age 84. Tradition calls this your běnmìngnián. Despite being "your" year, it is thought to clash with Tài Suì (the God of Age) and to carry a higher chance of setbacks, so many people wear red through it for protection.

The element pair: 1957 and 1956

Fire years come in pairs. 1957 is the yin year and 1956 is the yang year, the Monkey. So a 1957 Rooster and a 1956 Monkey share an element and sit one year apart in the cycle. The traditional chart rates the Rooster and Monkey pairing as moderate: it has no special bond or conflict, so how well it goes depends on the two people more than on the calendar. See the Rooster and Monkey pairing.

Other Rooster years

1933 1945 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 2041

Full Rooster personality profile →   Rooster compatibility with every sign →

Know your exact birth date? Use the calculator for your full combination →

What a Fire year changes for the Rooster

Talking. In conversation, a Fire Rooster leans further into action, saying yes before thinking it all the way through, which is the main way 1957's version differs from the same animal born under another element.

Work. Fire intensifies and adds urgency to the Rooster's usual working style, so a 1957 Rooster tends to run things hotter and faster than most. The kind of work the sign suits stays the same; the element changes how the job gets done.

Love. Fire is the element of summer, energy and passion, so in a relationship a Fire Rooster shows affection loudly and quickly.

For the sign as a whole (how the Rooster communicates, works and loves in every element) see the Rooster profile. This page covers what is different about 1957.

Known Roosters

Well-known Roosters — sharing the animal though not this exact 1957 birth year or Fire element — include Beyoncé, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Gwen Stefani. None of the people listed here were born in the 1957 lunar year, but they're commonly cited as examples of the Rooster's observant streak.