Chinese Astrology

Chinese Astrology

China has its astrology, unlike the western astrology that people worldwide follow. Chinese astrology has 12 zodiac signs, commonly known as Shēng xiào in China. Most of them are animals from different categories of the animal kingdom.

These 12 signs are in order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each represents a person's characteristics, personality, and destiny.

How to know your Chinese Zodiac Sign?

Chinese zodiac signs are based on the birth year of a person. Lunar calendars have the list of years that comes under each zodiac sign. However, the lunar calendar is not simple, as Chinese new year dates change every year in January or February, probably between January 21st and February 20th.

For example - 1977, 1989, 2001, and 2013 all come under the Snake zodiac sign. So if your birth year falls on one of these years, your zodiac sign will be Snake.

The list of Zodiac signs followed by their birth years is given below:

• Rat: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032
• Ox: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033
• Tiger: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034
• Rabbit: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2035
• Dragon: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036
• Snake: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037
• Horse: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038
• Goat: 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039
• Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040
• Rooster: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041
• Dog: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042
• Pig: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031, 2043

There are five elements Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Each of these comes with zodiac signs; they are classified into five categories-

• Metal: Monkey, Rooster
• Wood: Tiger, Rabbit
• Water: Rat, Pig
• Fire: Snake, Horse
• Earth: Ox, Dragon, Goat, Dog

History of Chinese Zodiac Signs

The Chinese zodiac comprises twelve animals first appearing during the Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC).

All these 12 zodiac signs properly came into light during the Han Dynasty [206 B.C.-9 A.D.], over 2000 years ago.

The ranking of animals is said to be done by the Jade Emperor, a Chinese God, who held a race to see which animals were suited to be his palace guard. These 12 animals participated and were competitive over first place in the race. As a result, the Rat came first, leaving behind the Ox, while the Pig came last. Since then, this order of zodiac signs has been followed by Chinese astrologers.

The circle of 12 zodiac animals represents the 12-year cycles, as every animal signifies a different year. For example, the Year 2022 zodiac sign is Tiger, so those born in 2022 will have Tiger as their Zodiac sign and inherit its qualities.

Characteristics of Chinese Zodiac Signs

• Rat: clever, intelligent, ambitious, friendly, love to organise things, explore opportunities and enjoy their work.
• Ox: hardworking, patient, tolerant, loyal, honest, serious, dependable, responsible, good at making the decision, solving problems and learning new things.
• Tiger: passionate, aggressive, emotional, creative, intelligent, independent, and likes to be alone or in small groups, inherit leadership skills.
• Rabbit: social, insightful, sensitive, compassionate, and like to be surrounded by beauty and order; they have a robust aesthetic sense for old antique items.
• Dragon: charismatic, social butterflies, leaders, energetic, fierce, and kind
• Snake: intelligent, good listeners, secret keepers, introverted, good at managing, generous
• Horse: courageous, energetic, independent, responsible, impatient, and enjoying exploring places.
• Goat: peaceful, introverted, kind, trustworthy, warm-hearted, have social anxiety at large social gatherings
• Monkey: intelligent, witty, good communicators, extroverts, short-tempered, outgoing, energetic, and funny
• Rooster: hardworking, diligent, honest, trustworthy, loyal, responsible, good communicator, and observant
• Dog: hardworking, dependable, loyal, honest, sincere, good listeners, patient, diligent, generous, has a strong sense of justice
• Pig: intelligent, loving, hardworking, loyal, generous, tolerant, honest, and good at management

Compatibility of Chinese Zodiac Signs

To help you find your best match, given below the list of zodiac signs and their best compatibility with other signs:

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