Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 1 of 10

Chinese zodiac
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sheng xiao (Chinese: ) is 12 animals which are representative

of years in some East Asia countries, and the Chinese zodiac is the 12-
year cycle of these 12 animals. Each year of the 12-year cycle is named
after one of the original 12 animals. Each animal has a different
personality and different characteristics. The animal is believed to be the
main factor in each person's life that gives them their traits, success and
happiness in their lifetime.
Stone carving of Chinese
The Chinese zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle; there are no zodiac
equivalent constellations like those of the occidental zodiac. In imperial
times there were astrologers who watched the sky for heavenly omens
that would predict the future of the state, but this was a quite different practice of divination from the
popular present-day methods.

Contents

1 Personality

2 Problems with English translation

3 Application in Chinese calendar

3.1 The months and the Solar Term

3.2 The hours

4 Categorizations of the twelve signs

5 The Four Animal Trines

5.1 The First Trine

5.2 The Second Trine

5.3 The Third Trine

5.4 The Fourth Trine

6 Zodiac origin stories

7 Chinese zodiac in other countries

7.1 East Asia

7.2 The Bulgars, Huns and Turkic people

7.2.1 Tor calendar

8 References

8.1 Sources

8.2 Web sources

9 See also

Personality
In Chinese astrology the zodiac of twelve animal signs represents twelve different types of personality.
The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat, and there are many stories about the Origins of
the Chinese Zodiac which explain why this is so (see below). The following are the twelve zodiac signs
in order and their characteristics.[1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 10

1. Rat (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water): Forthright, disciplined,

systematic, meticulous, charismatic, hardworking, industrious, The twelve animals
charming, eloquent, sociable, shrewd. Can be manipulative, vindictive,
mendacious, venal, selfish, obstinate, critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, of Chinese zodiac:
intolerant, scheming.
Rat Ox
2. Ox (Water buffalo in Vietnam) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water):
Dependable, calm, methodical,born leader, patient, hardworking, Tiger Rabbit
ambitious, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious. Dragon Snake
Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding. Horse Sheep
3. Tiger (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Unpredictable, Monkey Rooster
rebellious, colorful, powerful, passionate, daring, impulsive, vigorous,
stimulating, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, generous. Can be Dog Pig
restless, reckless, impatient, quick-tempered, obstinate, selfish.
4. Rabbit (Cat in Vietnam) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Gracious,perfect friend, kind,
sensitive, soft-spoken, amiable, elegant, reserved, cautious, artistic, thorough, tender, self-assured,
astute, compassionate, flexible. Can be moody, detached, superficial, self-indulgent, opportunistic .
5. Dragon (Snail in Kazakhstan) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Magnanimous, stately,
vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, zealous, fiery, passionate, decisive,
pioneering, ambitious, generous, loyal. Can be arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding,
eccentric, grandiloquent and extremely bombastic, prejudiced, dogmatic, over-bearing, violent,
impetuous, brash.
6. Snake (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Deep thinker, wise, mystic, graceful, soft-spoken,
sensual, creative, prudent, shrewd, ambitious, elegant, cautious, responsible, calm, strong, constant,
purposeful. Can be loner, bad communicator, possessive, hedonistic, self-doubting, distrustful,
mendacious.
7. Horse (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Cheerful, popular, quick-witted, changeable, earthy,
perceptive, talkative, agile mentally and physically, magnetic, intelligent, astute, flexible, open-
minded. Can be fickle, arrogant, anxious, rude, gullible, stubborn.
8. Ram (Goat in Vietnam) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire): Righteous, sincere, sympathetic,
mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, mothering,
determined, peaceful, generous, seeks security. Can be moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier,
pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer, wise.
9. Monkey (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Inventor, motivator, improviser, quick-witted,
inquisitive, flexible, innovative, problem solver, self-assured, sociable, polite, dignified,
competitive, objective, factual, intellectual. Can be egotistical, vain, selfish, reckless, snobbish,
deceptive, manipulative, cunning, jealous, suspicious.
10. Rooster (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Acute, neat, meticulous, organized, self-assured,
decisive, conservative, critical, perfectionist, alert, zealous, practical, scientific, responsible. Can be
over zealous and critical, puritanical, egotistical, abrasive, opinionated.
11. Dog (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal): Honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, sense of
justice and fair play, attractive, amicable, unpretentious, sociable, open-minded, idealistic,
moralistic, practical, affectionate, dogged. Can be cynical, lazy, cold, judgmental, pessimistic,
worrier, stubborn, quarrelsome.
12. Pig (Wild boar in Japan and Elephant in Thailand) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water): Honest,
simple, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, hard-working, trusting, sincere, calm,
understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, intelligent. Can be naive, over-reliant, self-
indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.

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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 3 of 10

also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals) and hours of the day (called secret animals).

To sum it up, 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 and an ox secretively. In total, this makes for 8,640 possible
combinations (five elements x 12 animals in the 60 year cycle (12 x 5 = 60) , 12 months, 12 times of day)
that a person might be. These are all considered critical for the proper use of Chinese astrology.

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, can mean both goat and sheep, but goat is the species that
existed in central China before sheep, and goat is the species seen in illustrations, not sheep. Similarly,
(rat) can also be translated as mouse, as originally there are no distinctive words for the two genera in
Chinese. Further, (pig) is sometimes translated to boar after its Japanese name, and (water
buffalo) is commonly thought to be ox. Another confusion is rabbit. It is known as cat in some Asian
countries.

Application in Chinese calendar

The months and the Solar Term

The 12 animals are also linked to the 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.

An individual's monthly animal sign is called their inner animal and is concerned with what motivates a
person. Since this sign dictates the person's love life and inner persona, it is critical to a proper
understanding of the individual's compatibility with other signs.

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.

Solar Fixed
Solar term Western date Lunar Month Season
Longitude Element
Feb 04Feb
314 lchn
18
1st -(yin) Tiger Wood Spring
Feb 19Mar
329 yshu
05
qzh ( Mar 06Mar

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 4 of 10

344 jngzh) 20
2ndmao)
Mar 21Apr Wood Spring
0 chnfn Rabbit
04
Apr 05Apr
14 qngmng
19 3rd(chen)
Wood Spring
Apr 20May Dragon
29 gy
04
May 05May
44 lxi
20
4th(si) Snake Fire Summer
May 21June
59 xiomn
05
74 mngzhng Jun 06Jun 20
5th(wu) Horse Fire Summer
89 xizh Jun 21Jul 06
104 xiosh Jul 07Jul 22
6th(wei) Ram Fire Summer
119 dsh Jul 23Aug 06
Aug 07Aug
134 lqi
22 7th(shen)
Metal Autumn
Aug 23Sep Monkey
149 chsh
07
164 bil Sep 08Sep 22 8th(you)
Metal Autumn
181 qifn Sep 23Oct 07 Rooster
194 hnl Oct 08Oct 22
Oct 23Nov 9th(xu) Dog Metal Autumn
211 shungjing
06
Nov 07Nov
224 ldng
21
10th(hai) Pig Water Winter
Nov 22Dec
244 xioxu
06
Dec 07Dec
251 dxu
21
11th(zi) Rat Water Winter
Dec 22Jan
271 dngzh
05
284 xiohn Jan 06Jan 19
12th(chou) Ox Water Winter
301 dhn Jan 20Feb 03

The hours

The Chinese zodiac is also used to label times of day, with each sign corresponding to a "large-hour" or
shichen (), which is a two-hour period (24 divided by 12 animals). It is therefore important to know
the exact time of birth to determine it. The secret animal is thought to be a persons truest representation,
since this animal is determined by the smallest denominator: a persons birth hour. As this sign is based

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 5 of 10

on the position of the sun in the sky and not the time of your local clock, it is important to compensate for
daylight saving time. However, some online systems already compensate for daylight saving time, and
astrologers may compensate your time for you oblivious to the fact that you've compensated it yourself,
leading to an inaccurate reading.

The large-hour in which a person is born is their secret animal. It is a person's own true sign which their
personality is based on. Note that while this chart is quite precise, the exact time at which each animal
begins shifts by the day.

23:0001:00: rat

01:0003:00: ox

03:0005:00: tiger

05:0007:00: rabbit

07:0009:00: dragon

09:0011:00: snake

11:0013:00: horse

13:0015:00: ram

15:0017:00: monkey

17:0019:00: rooster

19:0021:00: dog

21:0023:00: pig

Categorizations of the twelve signs

Masculine (Yang) Signs

Rat

Tiger

Dragon

Horse

Monkey

Dog

Feminine (Yin) Signs

Ox

Rabbit

Snake

Sheep

Rooster

Pig

Power Signs

Rat

Ox

Tiger

Dragon

Snake

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 6 of 10

Monkey

Romance Signs

Rabbit

Horse

Sheep

Rooster

Dog

Pig

The Four Animal Trines

The First Trine

The first trine consists of the Rat, Dragon, and Monkey. These three signs are intense and powerful
individuals, capable of great good or great evil. They make great leaders, but the three may have different
approaches. Frustrated when hampered, these signs are ruled by highly potent energy and
unpredictability. At their worst, Rats are ruthlessly power-hungry, vindictive, and Machiavellian;
Dragons are inflexible megalomaniacs and narcissists; and Monkeys are destructive manipulators and
hedonists. They are intelligent, magnanimous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent
and artistic. They can also be tyrannical, bombastic, prejudiced, deceitful, imperious, ruthless, power-
hungry, and megalomaniacal.

The Second Trine

The second trine consists of the Ox, Snake, and Rooster. These three soul mates conquer life through
endurance, application, and slow accumulation of energy. Although each sign is fixed and rigid in
opinions and views, they are genius in the art of meticulous planning. They are hardworking, discreet,
modest, industrious, charitable, loyal, punctual, philosophical, patient, and good-hearted individuals with
high moral standards. They can also be self-righteous, vain, critical, judgmental, myopic, narrow-minded,
and petty. They are also natural leaders, but are better natured than the first trine.

The Third Trine

The third trine consists of the Tiger, Horse, and Dog. These three signs seek a true lover, and are like-
minded in their pursuit of humanitarian causes. Each is a gifted orator and excels at verbal
communication. Relationships and personal contact are of highest priority and each one seeks their
intimate soul mate. Idealistic and impulsive, the Tiger, Horse and Dog follow the beat of their own
drummer. Defiant against injustice, these three signs wilt without large amounts of physical affection and
loyal support for causes. They are productive, enthusiastic, independent, engaging, dynamic and
honourable. They can also be rash, rebellious, quarrelsome, hot-headed, reckless, anxious, moody,
disagreeable, and stubborn. Although these three signs are loyal, they can be very protective when lied to.
The three signs do not enjoy being told what to do, but will listen when it is a person they love or trust
whole-heartedly.

The Fourth Trine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 7 of 10

The fourth trine consists of the Rabbit, Ram and Pig . The quest for these three signs is the aesthetic and
beautiful in life. Their calm nature gives them great leadership abilities. They are artistic, refined,
intuitive, and well-mannered. These souls love the preliminaries in love, and are fine artists in their
lovemaking. The Rabbit, Ram (Sheep) and Pig have been bestowed with calmer natures than the other 9
signs. These three are compassionately aware, yet detached and resigned to their condition. They seek
beauty and a sensitive lover. They are caring, unique, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative,
emphatic, tactful, and prudent. They can also be naive, pedantic, insecure, cunning, indecisive, and
pessimistic.

The order of the trines names (first, second, third, and fourth) are equal to the order of where they are
placed to the highest honor. The first being the highest and the fourth being the lowest

Zodiac origin stories

The 12 Zodiac animal signs ( shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse,
sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. There are many legends to explain the beginning of
the zodiac (see Origins of the Chinese Zodiac). One of the most popular reads, in summarised form, as
follows:

The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be
selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into
believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was
the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.

Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit (see below).

Another popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor.

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were
both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of
the ox. The ox, being a nave and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome
with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly
pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as
well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed
first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox,
came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Jade Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river
with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore
and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

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. Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying. Of course, the
Jade Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to
reach first. 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 a little. Then, on his way to the finish line, he saw a

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 8 of 10

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 is 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 sheep, 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 ram 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 ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being latealthough he was supposed to be the best
swimmer amongst the restwas that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from
the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to 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 and last animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win
any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

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 twelve 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.

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
honour this Chinese heritage. However, those unfamiliar with the use of the Chinese lunar calendar
usually just assume that the signs switch over on January 1 of each year. Those who are serious about the
fortune telling aspect of the signs can consult a table, such as the one above. The Chinese zodiac animals
were used also in the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins.

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 identical to the Chinese one. The Vietnamese zodiac is almost identical to
Chinese zodiac except that the second animal is the water buffalo instead of the ox, the fourth animal is
the cat instead of the rabbit and the eighth animal is the Ram instead of the sheep. The Japanese zodiac
includes the wild boar instead of the pig. The Thai zodiac includes a naga in place of the dragon.

The Bulgars, Huns and Turkic people

The European Huns used the Chinese Zodiac complete with "dragon", "pig". This common Chinese-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 9 of 10

Turkic Zodiac was in use in Balkan Bulgaria well into the Bulgars' adoption of Slavic language and
Orthodox Christianity. Following is the Hunnish or Turkic Bulgarian Pagan zodiac calendar, distinctive
from the Greek zodiac but much in conformity with the Chinese one:

Tor calendar

Names of years

1. Kuzg[Year of] Saravana

2. Shiger (Syger)Artom (Taurus)
3. Kuman (Imn)
4. gurTiger Myach gurTiger
5. TaushanRabbit
6. SamarDragon Birgn (Bergen, Birig, Baradj)- Dragon
7. MclovenSnake
8. TykhaHorse
9. TkSheep (Ram or Goat)
10. Bichin, MichinMonkey
11. TavukRooster, Hen (also written tauk is pronounced as v in Turk. verbs dmek and mek)
12. ItDog
13. ShushmaPig (many mistake it as boar though)(Turk., Russ. "Kaban"Translator's Note, also
cognate of Turkish iman, "fat")

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

References
1. ^ Theodora Lau, The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes, pp2-8, 30-5, 60-4, 88-94, 118-24, 148-53,
178-84, 208-13, 238-44, 270-78, 306-12, 338-44, Souvenir Press, New York, 2005

Sources

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

Web sources

Chinese Animal Signs Website

See also

Earthly Branches

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac"

Categories: Chinese calendars | Chinese culture | Chinese philosophy | Chinese thought | Chinese
astrology | Asian culture
Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since
December 2007 | Articles to be merged since October 2007 | All articles to be merged | Articles
containing Kazakh language text

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009
Chinese zodiac - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Page 10 of 10

This page was last modified on 31 March 2009, at 07:45.

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for
details.)
Wikipedia is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)
(3) tax-deductible nonprofit charity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_zodiac 1/04/2009