Chinese zodiac

Shengxiao or Chinese zodiac
The Chinese zodiac
Chinese	生肖
Hanyu Pinyin	Shēngxiào
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shēngxiào Wu Romanization sen平siau去 Hakka Romanization sensiau Yue: Cantonese Jyutping saang1ciu3 Southern Min Hokkien POJ singsiàu Eastern Min Fuzhou BUC Săng-ngáu
Alternative Chinese name
Chinese	屬相
Hanyu Pinyin	Shǔxiàng
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Shǔxiàng Wu Romanization zoh入sian平 Yue: Cantonese Jyutping suk6soeng1 Southern Min Hokkien POJ sio̍ksiùnn

The Shēngxiào literally "birth likeness", is also known in English as the Chinese zodiac. The 12-year cycle of Chinese zodiac is an approximation to the 11.86-year cycle of Jupiter, the largest planet of the solar system. ^[1] There is a similar concept in western astrology and means "circle of animals". It is a scheme and systematic plan of future action that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes according to a 12-year cycle. It remains popular in several East Asian countries including China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and Mongolia.

Name

Identifying this scheme using the term "zodiac" reflects several similarities to the Western zodiac: both have time cycles divided into 32 parts, each labels at least the majority of those parts with names of animals, and each is widely associated with a culture of ascribing a person's personality or events in his or her life to the supposed influence of the person's particular relationship to the cycle. Nevertheless, there are major differences: the Chinese 12-part cycle corresponds to years, rather than months. The Chinese zodiac is represented by 12 animals, whereas some of the signs in the Western zodiac are not animals, despite the implication of the Greek etymology of "zodiac". The animals of the Chinese zodiac are not associated with constellations spanned by the ecliptic plane.

Signs

The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat. The following are the twelve zodiac signs (each with its associated Earthly Branch) in order and their characteristics.^[2]

Jade Emperor

1. Rat – 鼠 (子) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water)
2. Ox – 牛 (丑) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water)
3. Tiger – 虎 (寅) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood)
4. Rabbit – 兔 or 兎 (卯) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood)
5. Dragon – 龍 / 龙 (辰) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood)
6. Snake – 蛇 (巳) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire)
7. Horse – 馬 / 马 (午) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire)
8. Goat – 羊 (未) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire)
9. Monkey – 猴 (申) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal)
10. Rooster – 雞 / 鸡 (酉) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal)
11. Dog – 狗 / 犬 (戌) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal)
12. Pig – 豬 / 猪 (亥) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water)

In Chinese astrology the animal signs assigned by year represent what others perceive you as being or how you present yourself. It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs and many western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals), by day (called true animals) and hours (called secret animals).

While a person might appear to be a Dragon because they were born in the year of the Dragon, they might also be a Snake internally, an Ox truly, and a Goat secretively.

Chinese calendar

Years

Within the Four Pillars, the year is the pillar representing information about the person's family background and society or relationship with their grandparents. The person's age can also be easily deduced from the sign of the person, the current sign of the year and the person's perceived age (teens, mid 20's, 40's and so on). For example, a person who is a Tiger is either 12, 24, 36 or 48 years old in 2010, the year of the Tiger. In 2011, the year of the Rabbit, that person is one year older.

The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the Western calendar for the years 1924–2043 (see Sexagenary cycle article for years 1804–2043). The sexagenary cycle begins at lichun 'about February 4' according to some astrological sources.^[3]

	Year	Associated Element	Heavenly Stem	Earthly Branch	Associated Animal	Year
	1924–1983					1984–2043
1	Feb  5, 1924 – Jan 23, 1925	Yang Wood	甲	子	鼠 Rat	Feb  2, 1984 – Feb 19, 1985
2	Jan 24, 1925 – Feb 12, 1926	Yin Wood	乙	丑	牛 Ox	Feb 20, 1985 – Feb  8, 1986
3	Feb 13, 1926 – Feb  1, 1927	Yang Fire	丙	寅	虎 Tiger	Feb  9, 1986 – Jan 28, 1987
4	Feb  2, 1927 – Jan 22, 1928	Yin Fire	丁	卯	兔 Rabbit	Jan 29, 1987 – Feb 16, 1988
5	Jan 23, 1928 – Feb  9, 1929	Yang Earth	戊	辰	龍 Dragon	Feb 17, 1988 – Feb  5, 1989
6	Feb 10, 1929 – Jan 29, 1930	Yin Earth	己	巳	蛇 Snake	Feb  6, 1989 – Jan 26, 1990
7	Jan 30, 1930 – Feb 16, 1931	Yang Metal	庚	午	馬 Horse	Jan 27, 1990 – Feb 14, 1991
8	Feb 17, 1931 – Feb  5, 1932	Yin Metal	辛	未	羊 Goat	Feb 15, 1991 – Feb  3, 1992
9	Feb  6, 1932 – Jan 25, 1933	Yang Water	壬	申	猴 Monkey	Feb  4, 1992 – Jan 22, 1993
10	Jan 26, 1933 – Feb 13, 1934	Yin Water	癸	酉	雞 Rooster	Jan 23, 1993 – Feb  9, 1994
11	Feb 14, 1934 – Feb  3, 1935	Yang Wood	甲	戌	狗 Dog	Feb 10, 1994 – Jan 30, 1995
12	Feb  4, 1935 – Jan 23, 1936	Yin Wood	乙	亥	豬 Pig	Jan 31, 1995 – Feb 18, 1996
13	Jan 24, 1936 – Feb 10, 1937	Yang Fire	丙	子	鼠 Rat	Feb 19, 1996 – Feb  6, 1997
14	Feb 11, 1937 – Jan 30, 1938	Yin Fire	丁	丑	牛 Ox	Feb  7, 1997 – Jan 27, 1998
15	Jan 31, 1938 – Feb 18, 1939	Yang Earth	戊	寅	虎 Tiger	Jan 28, 1998 – Feb 15, 1999
16	Feb 19, 1939 – Feb  7, 1940	Yin Earth	己	卯	兔 Rabbit	Feb 16, 1999 – Feb  4, 2000
17	Feb  8, 1940 – Jan 26, 1941	Yang Metal	庚	辰	龍 Dragon	Feb  5, 2000 – Jan 23, 2001
18	Jan 27, 1941 – Feb 14, 1942	Yin Metal	辛	巳	蛇 Snake	Jan 24, 2001 – Feb 11, 2002
19	Feb 15, 1942 – Feb  4, 1943	Yang Water	壬	午	馬 Horse	Feb 12, 2002 – Jan 31, 2003
20	Feb  5, 1943 – Jan 24, 1944	Yin Water	癸	未	羊 Goat	Feb  1, 2003 – Jan 21, 2004
21	Jan 25, 1944 – Feb 12, 1945	Yang Wood	甲	申	猴 Monkey	Jan 22, 2004 – Feb  8, 2005
22	Feb 13, 1945 – Feb  1, 1946	Yin Wood	乙	酉	雞 Rooster	Feb  9, 2005 – Jan 28, 2006
23	Feb  2, 1946 – Jan 21, 1947	Yang Fire	丙	戌	狗 Dog	Jan 29, 2006 – Feb 17, 2007
24	Jan 22, 1947 – Feb  9, 1948	Yin Fire	丁	亥	豬 Pig	Feb 18, 2007 – Feb  6, 2008
25	Feb 10, 1948 – Jan 28, 1949	Yang Earth	戊	子	鼠 Rat	Feb  7, 2008 – Jan 25, 2009
26	Jan 29, 1949 – Feb 16, 1950	Yin Earth	己	丑	牛 Ox	Jan 26, 2009 – Feb 13, 2010
27	Feb 17, 1950 – Feb  5, 1951	Yang Metal	庚	寅	虎 Tiger	Feb 14, 2010 – Feb  2, 2011
28	Feb  6, 1951 – Jan 26, 1952	Yin Metal	辛	卯	兔 Rabbit	Feb  3, 2011 – Jan 22, 2012
29	Jan 27, 1952 – Feb 13, 1953	Yang Water	壬	辰	龍 Dragon	Jan 23, 2012 – Feb  9, 2013
30	Feb 14, 1953 – Feb  2, 1954	Yin Water	癸	巳	蛇 Snake	Feb 10, 2013 – Jan 30, 2014
31	Feb  3, 1954 – Jan 23, 1955	Yang Wood	甲	午	馬 Horse	Jan 31, 2014 – Feb 18, 2015
32	Jan 24, 1955 – Feb 11, 1956	Yin Wood	乙	未	羊 Goat	Feb 19, 2015 – Feb  7, 2016
33	Feb 12, 1956 – Jan 30 1957	Yang Fire	丙	申	猴 Monkey	Feb  8, 2016 – Jan 27, 2017
34	Jan 31, 1957 – Feb 17, 1958	Yin Fire	丁	酉	雞 Rooster	Jan 28, 2017 – Feb 15, 2018
35	Feb 18, 1958 – Feb  7, 1959	Yang Earth	戊	戌	狗 Dog	Feb 16, 2018 – Feb  4, 2019
36	Feb  8, 1959 – Jan 27, 1960	Yin Earth	己	亥	豬 Pig	Feb  5, 2019 – Jan 24, 2020
37	Jan 28, 1960 – Feb 14, 1961	Yang Metal	庚	子	鼠 Rat	Jan 25, 2020 – Feb 11, 2021
38	Feb 15, 1961 – Feb  4, 1962	Yin Metal	辛	丑	牛 Ox	Feb 12, 2021 – Jan 31, 2022
39	Feb  5, 1962 – Jan 24, 1963	Yang Water	壬	寅	虎 Tiger	Feb  1, 2022 – Jan 21, 2023
40	Jan 25, 1963 – Feb 12, 1964	Yin Water	癸	卯	兔 Rabbit	Jan 22, 2023 – Feb  9, 2024
41	Feb 13, 1964 – Feb  1, 1965	Yang Wood	甲	辰	龍 Dragon	Feb 10, 2024 – Jan 28, 2025
42	Feb  2, 1965 – Jan 20, 1966	Yin Wood	乙	巳	蛇 Snake	Jan 29, 2025 – Feb 16, 2026
43	Jan 21, 1966 – Feb  8, 1967	Yang Fire	丙	午	馬 Horse	Feb 17, 2026 – Feb  5, 2027
44	Feb  9, 1967 – Jan 29, 1968	Yin Fire	丁	未	羊 Goat	Feb  6, 2027 – Jan 25, 2028
45	Jan 30, 1968 – Feb 16, 1969	Yang Earth	戊	申	猴 Monkey	Jan 26, 2028 – Feb 12, 2029
46	Feb 17, 1969 – Feb  5, 1970	Yin Earth	己	酉	雞 Rooster	Feb 13, 2029 – Feb  2, 2030
47	Feb  6, 1970 – Jan 26, 1971	Yang Metal	庚	戌	狗 Dog	Feb  3, 2030 – Jan 22, 2031
48	Jan 27, 1971 – Feb 14, 1972	Yin Metal	辛	亥	豬 Pig	Jan 23, 2031 – Feb 10, 2032
49	Feb 15, 1972 – Feb  2, 1973	Yang Water	壬	子	鼠 Rat	Feb 11, 2032 – Jan 30, 2033
50	Feb  3, 1973 – Jan 22, 1974	Yin Water	癸	丑	牛 Ox	Jan 31, 2033 – Feb 18, 2034
51	Jan 23, 1974 – Feb 10, 1975	Yang Wood	甲	寅	虎 Tiger	Feb 19, 2034 – Feb  7, 2035
52	Feb 11, 1975 – Jan 30, 1976	Yin Wood	乙	卯	兔 Rabbit	Feb  8, 2035 – Jan 27, 2036
53	Jan 31, 1976 – Feb 17, 1977	Yang Fire	丙	辰	龍 Dragon	Jan 28, 2036 – Feb 14, 2037
54	Feb 18, 1977 – Feb  6, 1978	Yin Fire	丁	巳	蛇 Snake	Feb 15, 2037 – Feb  3, 2038
55	Feb  7, 1978 – Jan 27, 1979	Yang Earth	戊	午	馬 Horse	Feb  4, 2038 – Jan 23, 2039
56	Jan 28, 1979 – Feb 15, 1980	Yin Earth	己	未	羊 Goat	Jan 24, 2039 – Feb 11, 2040
57	Feb 16, 1980 – Feb  4, 1981	Yang Metal	庚	申	猴 Monkey	Feb 12, 2040 – Jan 31, 2041
58	Feb  5, 1981 – Jan 24, 1982	Yin Metal	辛	酉	雞 Rooster	Feb  1, 2041 – Jan 21, 2042
59	Jan 25, 1982 – Feb 12, 1983	Yang Water	壬	戌	狗 Dog	Jan 22, 2042 – Feb  9, 2043
60	Feb 13, 1983 – Feb  1, 1984	Yin Water	癸	亥	豬 Pig	Feb 10, 2043 – Jan 29, 2044

Months and solar terms

Within the Four Pillars, the month is the pillar representing information about the person's parents or childhood. Many Chinese astrologers consider the month pillar to be the most important one in determining the circumstances of one's adult life.

The 12 animals are also linked to traditional Chinese agricultural calendar, which runs alongside the better known lunar calendar. Instead of months, this calendar is divided into 24 two week segments known as Solar Terms. Each animal is linked to two of these solar terms for a period similar to the Western month. Unlike the 60 year lunar calendar, which can vary by as much as a month in relation to the Western calendar, the agricultural calendar varies by only one day, beginning on the Western February 3 or 4 every year. Again unlike the cycle of the lunar years, which begins with the Rat, the agricultural calendar begins with the Tiger as it is the first animal of spring. Around summer days are longer than winter days, because it occurs differences of perihelion and aphelion.

As each sign is linked to a month of the solar year, it is thereby also linked to a season. Each of the elements is also linked to a season (see above), and the element that shares a season with a sign is known as that sign's fixed element. In other words, that element is believed to impart some of its characteristics to the sign concerned. The fixed element of each sign applies also to the year and hour signs, and not just the monthly sign. It is important to note that the fixed element is separate from the cycle of elements which interact with the signs in the 60-year cycle.

Season	Lunar month	Fixed element	Solar longitude	Solar term	Gregorian date	Approx. Western zodiac
Spring	1st – 寅 (yin) Tiger	Wood	314°	立春 lìchūn	Feb 4 – Feb 18	Aquarius
			329°	雨水 yǔshuǐ	Feb 19 – Mar 5	Pisces
	2nd – 卯 (mao) Rabbit	Wood	344°	啓蟄 qǐzhé (驚蟄 jīngzhé)	Mar 6 – Mar 20
			359°	春分 chūnfēn	Mar 21 – Apr 4	Aries
	3rd – 辰 (chen) Dragon	Wood	14°	清明 qīngmíng	Apr 5 – Apr 19
			29°	穀雨 gǔyǔ	Apr 20 – May 4	Taurus
Summer	4th – 巳 (si) Snake	Fire	44°	立夏 lìxià	May 5 – May 20
			59°	小滿 xiǎomǎn	May 21 – Jun 5	Gemini
	5th – 午 (wu) Horse	Fire	74°	芒種 mángzhòng	Jun 6 – Jun 20
			89°	夏至 xiàzhì	Jun 21 – Jul 6	Cancer
	6th – 未 (wei) Goat	Fire	104°	小暑 xiǎoshǔ	Jul 7 – Jul 22
			119°	大暑 dàshǔ	Jul 23 – Aug 6	Leo
Autumn	7th – 申 (shen) Monkey	Metal	134°	立秋 lìqiū	Aug 7 – Aug 22
			149°	處暑 chùshǔ	Aug 23 – Sep 7	Virgo
	8th – 酉 (you) Rooster	Metal	164°	白露 báilù	Sep 8 – Sep 22
			181°	秋分 qiūfēn	Sep 23 – Oct 7	Libra
	9th – 戌 (xu) Dog	Metal	194°	寒露 hánlù	Oct 8 – Oct 22
			211°	霜降 shuāngjiàng	Oct 23 – Nov 6	Scorpio
Winter	10th – 亥 (hai) Pig	Water	224°	立冬 lìdōng	Nov 7 – Nov 21
			244°	小雪 xiǎoxuě	Nov 22 – Dec 6	Sagittarius
	11th – 子 (zi) Rat	Water	251°	大雪 dàxuě	Dec 7 – Dec 21
			271°	冬至 dōngzhì	Dec 22 – Jan 5	Capricorn
	12th – 丑 (chou) Ox	Water	284°	小寒 xiǎohán	Jan 6 – Jan 19
			299°	大寒 dàhán	Jan 20 – Feb 3	Aquarius

Hours

The Chinese zodiac is also used to label times of the day, with each sign corresponding to a "large-hour" or shichen (時辰), which is a two-hour period (24 divided by 12 animals). Determining this period depends on knowing an individual's exact time of birth. The secret animal is thought to be a person's truest representation, since this animal is determined by the smallest denominator: a person's birth hour. As this sign is based on the position of the sun in the sky and not the time shown on a local clock, followers of this system believe it to be important to compensate for daylight saving time. However, some on-line systems already compensate for daylight saving time, and astrologers may compensate for this as well, even though a client may already have compensated for it, leading to a theoretically inaccurate reading.

Within the Four Pillars, the hour is the pillar representing information about one's children and contributions to the world or later life.

London & solar time:

• 23:00 – 00:59: 子 Rat
• 01:00 – 02:59: 丑 Ox
• 03:00 – 04:59: 寅 Tiger
• 05:00 – 06:59: 卯 Rabbit
• 07:00 – 08:59: 辰 Dragon
• 09:00 – 10:59: 巳 Snake
• 11:00 – 12:59: 午 Horse
• 13:00 – 14:59: 未 Goat
• 15:00 – 16:59: 申 Monkey
• 17:00 – 18:59: 酉 Rooster
• 19:00 – 20:59: 戌 Dog
• 21:00 – 22:59: 亥 Pig

The times above are based on local solar time, rather than standard time. To convert to standard time, one needs to add or take off up to 30 min or more, depending on one's birth location west or east respectively of the central meridian of the given time zone. London, marking the central meridian of GMT has solar time equivalent to standard time; but for other cities like Cardiff located 3° 11′ W, the times will start at 11 min past the hour, whereas for Norwich, located 1° 17′ E, they will start 5 min earlier.

^* standard time for other major cities:^[4]

New York: 22:56 - 00:55 ; Chicago: 22:50 - 00:49; San Francisco: 23:09 - 01:08 ; Los Angeles: 22:53 - 00:52

Mumbai: 23:39 - 01:38 ; Lagos: 23:47 - 01:46 ; Cape Town: 23:47 - 01:46 ; Cairo: 22:56 - 00:55 ; Sydney: 23:00 - 00:59 ; Bangkok: 23:19 - 01:18 ; Beijing: 23:15 - 01:14 ; Nairobi: 23:33 - 01:32 ; Buenos Aires: 23:51 - 01:50 ; Moscow: 23:30 - 01:29 ; Paris: 23:51 - 01:50

Compatibility

As the Chinese zodiac is derived according to the ancient Five Elements Theory, every Chinese Sign is composed of five elements with relations, among those elements, of interpolation, interaction, over-action, and counter-action — believed to be the common law of motions and changes of creatures in the universe. Different people born under each animal sign supposedly have different personalities, and practitioners of Chinese astrology consult such traditional details and compatibilities to offer putative guidance in life or for love and marriage.^[5]

Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Grid^[6]

Sign	Best Match	Match	No Match
Rat	Ox, Dragon, Monkey	Dog, Pig, Rat, Goat, Tiger, Snake	Horse, Rabbit, Rooster
Ox	Rat, Rooster, Snake	Pig, Tiger, Ox, Dragon, Rabbit, Dog, Monkey	Goat, Horse
Tiger	Pig, Horse, Dog	Rooster, Goat, Tiger, Rabbit, Ox, Dragon, Rat	Monkey, Snake
Rabbit	Dog, Pig, Goat	Monkey, Snake, Tiger, Ox, Horse, Rabbit, Dragon	Rooster, Rat
Dragon	Rooster, Monkey, Rat	Horse, Pig, Snake, Rabbit, Tiger, Dragon, Ox	Dog, Goat
Snake	Monkey, Rooster, Ox	Rabbit, Dog, Horse, Dragon, Snake, Rat, Goat	Pig, Tiger
Horse	Goat, Dog, Tiger	Dragon, Rabbit, Snake, Pig, Monkey, Horse, Rooster	Rat, Ox
Goat	Horse, Rabbit, Pig	Snake, Monkey, Goat, Rooster, Rat, Tiger	Ox, Dragon, Dog
Monkey	Snake, Dragon, Rat	Goat, Monkey, Ox, Horse, Rooster, Dog, Rabbit	Tiger, Pig
Rooster	Dragon, Ox, Snake	Tiger, Pig, Rooster, Goat, Dog, Monkey, Horse	Rabbit, Rat
Dog	Rabbit, Horse, Tiger	Rat, Snake, Dog, Rooster, Monkey, Ox, Pig	Dragon, Goat
Pig	Tiger, Rabbit, Goat	Ox, Rat, Pig, Horse, Rooster, Dragon, Dog	Snake, Monkey

Four Pillars

The Four Pillars method can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), and is still much used in Feng Shui astrology and general analysis today. The Four Pillars or Columns chart is called such as the Chinese writing causes it to fall into columns. Each pillar or column contains a stem and a branch—and each column relates to the year, month, day and hour of birth. The first column refers to the year animal and element, the second to the month animal and element, the third to the day animal and element, and the last to the hour animal and element.

Within the 'Four Pillars', the Year column purports to provide information about one's ancestor or early age, and the Month column about one's parents or growing age. The Day column purports to offer information about oneself (upper character) and one's spouse (lower character) or adult age, and the Hour column about children or late age.^[7]

Four Animal Trines

See: Astrological aspect#Trine

First Trine

The first trine consists of the Rat, Dragon and Monkey. These three signs are said to be intense and powerful individuals capable of great good, who make great leaders but are rather unpredictable. The three are said to be intelligent, magnanimous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent and artistic, but can be manipulative, jealous, selfish, aggressive, vindictive or deceitful.

Second Trine

The second trine consists of the Ox, Snake and Rooster. These three signs are said to possess endurance and application, with slow accumulation of energy, meticulous at planning but tending to hold fixed opinions. The three are said to be hard-working, modest, industrious, loyal, philosophical, patient, good-hearted and morally upright, but can also be self-righteous, egotistical, vain, judgmental, narrow-minded or petty.

Third Trine

The third trine consists of the Tiger, Horse and Dog. These three signs are said to seek true love, to pursue humanitarian causes, to be idealistic and independent but tending to be impulsive. The three are said to be productive, enthusiastic, independent, engaging, dynamic, honourable, loyal and protective, but can also be rash, rebellious, quarrelsome, anxious, disagreeable or stubborn.

Fourth Trine

The fourth trine consists of the Rabbit, Goat and Pig. These three signs are said to have a calm nature and an intellectual approach; they seek aesthetic beauty and are artistic, well-mannered and compassionate, yet detached and resigned to their condition. The three are said to be caring, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, empathetic, tactful and prudent, but can also be naïve, pedantic, insecure, cunning, indecisive or pessimistic.

Zodiac origin stories

There are many stories and fables to explain the beginning of the zodiac. Since the Han Dynasty, the 12 Earthly Branches have been used to record the time of day. However, for the sake of entertainment and convenience, they have been replaced by the 12 animals. The 24 hours are divided into 12 periods, and a mnemonic refers to the behaviour of the animals:^[8][9]

A Branch may refer to a double-hour period. In the latter case it is the center of the period; for instance, 马 (the Horse) means noon or a period from 11am to 1pm.

• Rat (Zishi): 23:00 to 00:59. This is the time when Rats are most active in seeking food. Rats also have a different number of digits on front and hind legs, thus earning Rat the symbol of "turn over" or "new start".
• Ox (Choushi): 01:00 to 02:59. This is the time when Oxen begin to chew the cud slowly and comfortably.
• Tiger (Yinshi): 03:00 to 04:59. This is the time when Tigers hunt their prey more and show their ferocity.
• Rabbit (Maoshi): 05:00 to 06:59. This is the time when the Jade Rabbit is busy pounding herbal medicine on the Moon according to the tale.
• Dragon (Chenshi): 07:00 to 08:59. This is the time when Dragons are hovering in the sky to give rain.
• Snake (Sishi): 09:00 to 10:59. This is the time when Snakes are leaving their caves.
• Horse (Wushi): 11:00 to 12:59. This is the time when the sun is high overhead and while other animals are lying down for a rest, Horses are still standing.
• Goat (Weishi): 13:00 to 14:59. This is the time when Goats eat grass and urinate frequently.
• Monkey (Shenshi): 15:00 to 16:59. This is the time when Monkeys are lively.
• Rooster (Youshi): 17:00 to 18:59. This is the time when Roosters begin to get back to their coops.
• Dog (Xushi): 19:00 to 20:59. This is the time when Dogs carry out their duty of guarding the houses.
• Pig (Haishi): 21:00 to 22:59. This is the time when Pigs are sleeping sweetly.

The Great Race

An ancient folk story tells that Cat and Rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although they were poor swimmers, they were both quite intelligent. To get to the meeting called by the Jade Emperor, they had to cross a river to reach the meeting place. The Jade Emperor had also decreed that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they arrived to the meeting. Cat and Rat decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of Ox. Ox, being naïve and good-natured, agreed to carry them both across. Midway across the river, Rat pushed Cat into the water. Then as Ox neared the other side of the river, Rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first. So he claimed first place in the competition and the zodiac.^[10][11]

Following closely behind was strong Ox who was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After Ox, came Tiger, panting, while explaining to the Jade Emperor how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with its powerful strength, Tiger made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.^[9]

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the Rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race, but the Rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the Zodiac cycle. In 5th place was the Flying Dragon. Of course, the Jade Emperor was deeply curious as to why a swift flying creature such as the Dragon should fail to reach first place. The mighty Dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back. Then, on his way to the finish, he saw a little helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Jade Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the Dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the Horse appeared. Hidden on the Horse's hoof was the Snake, whose sudden appearance gave the Horse a fright, thus making it fall back and giving the Snake the 6th spot, while the Horse placed 7th.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the Goat, Monkey, and Rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The Rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the Goat and the Monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the Goat as the 8th creature, the Monkey as the 9th, and the Rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal was the Dog. Although he was supposed to be the best swimmer, he could not resist the temptation to play a little longer in the river. Though his explanation for being late was because he needed a good bath after a long spell. For that, he almost didn't make it to the finish line. Just as the Jade Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little Pig. The Pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the Pig continued the race and was named the 12th animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat drowned in 13th place and did not make it in the zodiac. It is said that is the reason why cats always chase Rats; to get back at them for what they have done.

Another folk story tells that on registration day, the Rat met up with the Ox. He thought to himself "Ox is the fastest, strongest animal!" So the little Rat played a trick on the Ox. He asked the Ox if he would like to listen to him sing. The Rat opened his mouth but said nothing. "How was that?" he asked the Ox and of course he replied "Sorry little Rat, I didn't hear you." The Rat told the Ox to let him jump onto his back so that he could sing it more clearly, and the Ox agreed. Soon without knowing, the Ox was walking to the signing post, forgetting the Rat on his back. When they reached there, the Rat jumped off and claimed first place. The Ox following and the rest.

In Buddhism, legend has it that Buddha summoned all of the animals of the earth to come before him before his departure from this earth, but only 12 animals actually came to bid him farewell. To reward the animals who came to him, he named a year after each of them. The years were given to them in the order they had arrived.

The 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac must have been developed in the early stages of Chinese civilization over hundreds of years before it became the current edition; and it's very hard to investigate the real origin. Most historians agree that Cat is not in the list since the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac were formed before cats were introduced to China from India with Buddhism.

Another story tells that God called the animals to a banquet that night. The Rat, who loved to play tricks on his neighbor, told the cat that the banquet was on the day after tomorrow. The cat believed his neighbour the Rat and slept whilst dreaming of the banquet. The next day, the Rat arrived first followed by the Ox, the Tiger and the rest of the animals. The order of the animals was decided by the order that they arrived. The cat was devastated and vowed that he would always hate the Rat. This is why cats chase Rats in folklore.

Problems with English translation

Due to confusion with synonyms during translation, some of the animals depicted by the English words did not exist in ancient China. For example, 羊 can mean ram, sheep or Goat. Similarly, 鼠 (Rat) can also be translated as mouse, as there are no distinctive words for the two genera in Chinese. Further, 豬 (Pig) is sometimes translated to boar after its Japanese name, and 牛 plainly means cow or Ox, and not water buffalo, 水牛. 雞 (Rooster) may mean chicken, hen or cock. However, Rooster is the most commonly used one among all the synonyms, same for 羊, 鼠, etc.

Chinese zodiac in other countries

The Chinese zodiac signs are also used by cultures other than Chinese. For one example, they usually appear on Korean New Year and Japanese New Year's cards and stamps. The United States Postal Service and those of several other countries issue a "Year of the ____" postage stamp each year to honor this Chinese heritage.

The Chinese lunar coins, depicting the zodiac animals, inspired the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins, as well as varieties from Australia, Korea, and Mongolia. The Chinese zodiac is an internationally popular theme, available from many of the world's government and private mints.

The Chinese zodiac is also used in some other Asian countries that have been under the cultural influence of China. However, some of the animals in the zodiac may differ by country.

East Asia

The Korean zodiac is almost identical to the Chinese zodiac except it includes the Sheep instead of the Goat. The Vietnamese zodiac is almost identical to the Chinese zodiac except the second animal is the Water Buffalo instead of the Ox, and the fourth animal is the Cat instead of the Rabbit. The Japanese zodiac includes the Sheep instead of the Goat, and the Wild Boar instead of the Pig.^[12] The Japanese have since 1873 celebrated the beginning of the new year on 1 January as per the Gregorian Calendar. The Thai zodiac includes a nāga in place of the Dragon^[13] and begins, not at Chinese New Year, but either on the first day of fifth month in Thai lunar calendar, or during the Songkran festival (now celebrated every 13–15 April), depending on the purpose of the use.^[14]

Bulgars, Huns and Turkic people

The European Huns used the Chinese zodiac complete with "Dragon" "Pig". This common Chinese-Turkic Zodiac was in use in Balkan Bulgaria well into the Bulgars' adoption of Slavic language and Orthodox Christianity . Following is the Hunnish or Bulgarian Pagan zodiac calendar, distinctive from the Greek zodiac but much in conformity with the Chinese one:

Torè calendar

Names of years

1. Kuzgé – [Year of] Saravana - Rat
2. Shiger (Syger) – Ox
3. Kuman (Imén)
4. Ügur – Tiger, Myachè Ügur – Tiger
5. Taushan – Rabbit
6. Samar – Dragon Birgün (Bergen, Birig, Baradj) – Dragon
7. Dilan – Snake
8. Tykha – Horse
9. Téké – Goat
10. Bichin, Michin – Monkey
11. Tavuk – Rooster (also written tağuk—ğ is pronounced as v in Turk. verbs döğmek and öğmek)
12. It – Dog
13. Shushma – Pig (many mistake it as boar though)(Turk., Russ. "Kaban"—Translator's Note, also cognate of Turkish şişman, "fat")

In Kazakhstan, an animal cycle similar to the Chinese is used, but the Dragon is substituted by a snail (Kazakh: улу), and Tiger appears as a leopard (Kazakh: барыс).

In Mongolia 12 year beasts are called "Арван хоёр жил" meaning "12 years"

1. Hulgana - Хулгана - Rat
2. Ukher - Үхэр - Ox
3. Bar - Бар - Tiger
4. Tuulai - Туулай - Rabbit
5. Luu - Луу - Dragon
6. Mogoi - Могой - Snake
7. Mori - Морь - Horse
8. Honi - Хонь - Goat
9. Bichin, Michin, Mechin - Бич/Мич, Бичин, Мичин, Мэчин - Monkey
10. Tahiya - Тахиа - Rooster
11. Nohoi - Нохой - Dog
12. Gahai - Гахай - Pig

See also

• Earthly Branches
• Astrology and science

References

Sources

• Shelly H. Wu. (2005). Chinese Astrology. Publisher: The Career Press, Inc. ISBN 1-56414-796-7

External links

• Media related to Chinese Zodiac at Wikimedia Commons

Chinese zodiac Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Goat Monkey Rooster Dog Pig