Metal Rooster (辛酉): personality and meaning in the Chinese zodiac
The Metal Rooster, 辛酉, carries the Rooster's own element twice, the jewel over autumn metal. The tradition reads it as the most exacting and determined of the five, principled and sharply observant.
Heavenly stem and earthly branch: 辛酉
Years: 1921, 1981, 2041
Character
辛酉 sets 辛, yin metal, the jewel and the fine blade, over 酉, the Rooster's own yin metal. Doubled metal is the tradition's image of a polished blade in autumn light: precise, bright and uncompromising.
People born in a Metal Rooster year are read as disciplined, honest and ambitious, with very high standards and the persistence to meet them. They see clearly and say what they see. The tradition's shadow for the Metal Rooster is a sharpness that can wound, a perfectionism that never rests, and a reluctance to admit that a softer way might work better.
In love and at work
In love the Metal Rooster is read as loyal and devoted, though it may need to temper its expectations with tenderness. At work it excels in law, finance, engineering, editing and any field that rewards precision. The tradition suggests the Metal Rooster allow some things to be imperfect.
A question to take with you
What would you enjoy more if it did not need to be perfect?
Updated October 28, 2026