Fire Snake
Dīng Sì, yin
- Stem
- 丁 fire, yin
- Branch
- 巳 snake
- 納音
- 沙中土 Earth in the Sand
- Years
- 1917, 1977, 2037, 2097
Each listed year runs from its boundary to the next one, and it depends on the convention. Early dates in the calendar year can belong to the year before.
About this year
丁巳 doubles fire. The stem 丁 is yin fire and the branch 巳, the Snake, is fire too, so the year has one element and no generating or overcoming step between its halves. 1977 and 2037 belong here.
Given all that heat, it may surprise readers that the 納音 is Earth in the Sand. The name is a label for this slot, shared with 丙辰, and has no duty to echo the stem. Its image is of an in-between time, with the season of growth over and full ripeness still ahead.
Where this text comes from
The 納音 name follows the Wikisource text of 三命通會, volume 1, the only witness we found for the full set of names. The polarity of the stems and branches and the generating and overcoming cycles follow 五行大義 volume 2.
- 三命通會 卷一 (Wikisource 三命通會/卷一, SIMPLIFIED script as stored on Wikisource)
Retrieved 2026-11-09
- 五行大義 卷二 (Wikisource 五行大義/2, traditional script)
Retrieved 2026-11-09
The English here is our own plain wording, not a translation of a single source.