---
title: "1917 Chinese Zodiac: Year of the Fire Snake (丁巳), 23 Jan 1917 to 10 Feb 1918 | Mandarin The Wild"
description: "1917 is the Year of the Fire Snake, 蛇 shé: from Chinese New Year on 23 January 1917 to 10 February 1918, so a birthday before 23 January 1917 is a Dragon. What Fire means, and how to say it in Chinese: 我属蛇."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1917"
published: "2026-10-15"
updated: "2026-10-26"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[Chinese zodiac](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac)

# 1917: Year of the Fire Snake

1917 is the Year of the Snake, 蛇 shé, a Fire year. It starts at Chinese New Year on 23 January 1917 and runs to 10 February 1918. Born from 1 January to 22 January 1917? You are a [Dragon, 1916](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/1916).

蛇

shé

Fire Snake

**Animal**
[蛇 shé Snake](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/snake)

**Element**
火 huǒ Fire, yin

**Cycle name**
丁巳年 dīng sì nián

**Starts**
23 January 1917

**Ends**
10 February 1918

**Matches**
Rooster, Ox and Monkey; clashes with Pig

**Age**
Born in 1917? You turn 109 in 2026.

[Save or share this card](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac?d=1917-06-15) from the zodiac finder.

## Say 1917 in Chinese

A year is read digit by digit, then 年 nián: no “nineteen eighty-three”.

- 一九一七年 yī jiǔ yī qī nián 1917
- 丁巳年 dīng sì nián the 丁巳 year, its name in the sixty-year cycle
- 我是一九一七年出生的 wǒ shì yī jiǔ yī qī nián chū shēng de I was born in 1917.
- 我属蛇 wǒ shǔ shé I'm a Snake.
- 火蛇 huǒ shé Fire Snake

## What Fire means

火Fire is warmth and light at the height of summer. People born in a Fire year are said to be passionate and bold, the first to start and the last to give up.

**Season**
夏 xià summer

**Direction**
南 nán south

**Colour**
红 hóng red

### Words for a Fire Snake

- 冷静 lěngjìng calm
- 热情 rèqíng warm-hearted
- 乐观 lèguān optimistic

Each year has one of five elements, 五行 wǔ xíng, two years each, so the same animal and element meet once every sixty years. The traits are what tradition says, for fun.

## The Snake, 蛇

The Snake is called the “little dragon”, 小龙. People born in a Snake year are said to be calm, wise and intuitive: private people who think before they speak and rarely miss.

[Snake personality, matches and sayings](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-zodiac/snake)

## Questions

### What Chinese zodiac animal is 1917?

1917 is the Year of the Snake, 蛇 (shé), from Chinese New Year on 23 January 1917 to 10 February 1918. Its element is Fire, so people born in it are Fire Snakes.

### What if I was born in January or early February 1917?

The zodiac year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. Born from 1 January to 22 January 1917? You belong to 1916, the Year of the Fire Dragon.

### What element is 1917 in the Chinese zodiac?

Fire, 火 (huǒ). 1917 is 丁巳 (dīng sì) in the sixty-year cycle, a yin Fire year; the Fire Snake comes round once every sixty years.

### How do you say 1917 in Chinese?

Read the digits one by one and add 年 (nián, year): 一九一七年 (yī jiǔ yī qī nián). “I was born in 1917” is 我是一九一七年出生的 (wǒ shì yī jiǔ yī qī nián chū shēng de), and “I'm a Snake” is 我属蛇 (wǒ shǔ shé).