Most people are interested to
find out what sign they are in
the
Chinese zodiac system
, particularly since - like the
Western system - each person is
supposed to have characteristics
similar to those of the sign
which relates to their birthdate.
True Chinese astrologers,
however, eschew the use of the
animal symbols in isolation to
analyse a person's life, seeing
the zodiac signs as mere
entertainment. There are twelve
signs of the Chinese zodiac,
corresponding with one of twelve
animals, whose characteristics
you'll find listed below. These
animal
signs have existed in
Chinese folk tradition since the
sixth century BC, though it
wasn't until the third century
BC that they were incorporated
into a formal study of astrology
and astronomy, based around the
device of the lunar calendar.
Quite why animals emerged as the
vehicle for Chinese horoscopy is
unclear: one story has it that
the animals used are the twelve
which appeared before the
command of Buddha, who named the
years in the order in which the
animals arrived. Another says
that the Jade Emperor held a
race to determine the fastest
animals. The first twelve to
cross a chosen river would be
picked to represent the twelve
earthly branches which make up
the cyclical order of years in
the lunar calendar.
Each lunar year (which
starts in late January/early
February) is represented by one
of the twelve animal symbols.
Your sign depends on the year
you were born, but beyond that
the idea is the same: born under
the sign of a particular animal,
you will have certain
characteristics, ideal partners,
lucky and unlucky days. To go
into your real Chinese
astrological self, you need to
take your precise date and time
of birth along to a Chinese
astrologer - in China, you'll
find plenty of amateurs plying
their trade around city parks.
The animals always appear in the
same order so that if you know
the current year you can always
work out which one is to
influence the following Chinese
New Year.
The Rat
Characteristics :
usually generous, intelligent
and hard-working, but can be
petty and idle; has lots of
friends, but few close ones;
may be successful, likes
challenges and is good at
business, but is insecure;
generally diplomatic; tends to
get into emotional
entanglements.
Partners : best
suited to Dragon, Monkey and
Ox; doesn't get on with Horse
and Goat.
Famous Rats :
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
William Shakespeare, Marlon
Brando, Leo Tolstoy, and
Prince Charles.
The Ox
Characteristics :
healthy; obstinate;
independent; usually calm and
cool, but can get stroppy at
times; shy and conservative;
likes the outdoors and
old-fashioned things; always
finishes a task.
Partners : best
suited to Snake, Rat or
Rooster; doesn't get on with
Tiger, Goat or Monkey.
Famous Oxen : Walt
Disney, Adolf Hitler, Napoleon
Bonaparte, Richard Nixon,
Vincent Van Gogh, Peter
Sellers, Dustin Hoffman,
Margaret Thatcher, Jane Fonda.
The Tiger
Characteristics :
adventurous; creative and
idealistic; confident and
enthusiastic; can be
diplomatic and practical;
fearless and forward, aiming
at impossible goals, though a
realist with a forceful
personality.
Partners : best
suited to Horse for marriage;
gets on with Dragon, Pig and
Dog; avoid Snake, Monkey and
Ox.
Famous Tigers : Karl
Marx, Queen Elizabeth II,
Ludwig van Beethoven, Marilyn
Monroe, Ho Chi Minh.
The Rabbit
Characteristics :
peace-loving; sociable but
quiet; devoted to family and
friends; timid but can be good
at business; needs reassurance
and affection to avoid being
upset; can be vain;
long-lived.
Partners : best
suited to Pig, Dog and Goat;
not friendly with Tiger and
Rooster.
Famous Rabbits :
Fidel Castro, Martin Luther
King, Josef Stalin, Queen
Victoria and Albert Einstein.
The Dragon
Characteristics :
strong, commanding, a leader;
popular, athletic; bright,
chivalrous and idealistic,
though not always consistent;
likely to be a believer in
equality.
Partners : best
suited to Snake, Rat, Monkey,
Tiger and Rooster; avoid Dog.
Famous Dragons :
Joan of Arc, Ringo Starr, John
Lennon, Salvador Dali, and Che
Guevara.
The Snake
Characteristics :
charming, but possessive and
selfish; private and
secretive; strange sense of
humour; mysterious and
inquisitive; ruthless; likes
the nice things in life; a
thoughtful person, but
superstitious.
Partners : best
suited for marriage to Dragon,
Rooster and Ox; avoid Snake,
Pig and Tiger.
Famous Snakes : J.
F. Kennedy, Mao Zedong, Pablo
Picasso, Franz Schubert and
Ferdinand Marcos.
The Horse
Characteristics : nice
appearance and deft; ambitious
and quick-witted; favours bold
colours; popular, with a sense
of humour, gracious and gentle;
can be good at business; fickle
and emotional.
Partners : best suited
to Tiger, Dog and Goat; doesn't
get on with Rabbit and Rat.
Famous Horses : Neil
Armstrong, Paul McCartney,
Rembrandt and Igor Stravinsky.
The Goat
Characteristics : a
charmer and a lucky person who
likes money; unpunctual and
hesitant; too fond of
complaining; interested in the
supernatural.
Partners : best
suited to Horse, Pig and
Rabbit; avoid Ox and Dog.
Famous Goats : Andy
Warhol, Mohammed Ali,
Michelangelo, and Laurence
Olivier.
The Monkey
Characteristics : very
intelligent and sharp, an
opportunist; daring and
confident, but unstable and
egoistic; entertaining and
very attractive to others;
inventive; a sense of humour
but with little respect for
reputations.
Partners : best
suited to Dragon and Rat;
doesn't get on with Tiger and
Ox.
Famous Monkeys :
Leonardo da Vinci, Mick Jagger,
Charles Dickens, Julius
Caesar, and Paul Gauguin.
The Rooster
Characteristics : frank
and reckless, and can be
tactless; free with advice;
punctual and a hard worker;
imaginative to the point of
dreaming; likes to be noticed;
emotional.
Partners : best
suited to Snake, Dragon and
Ox; doesn't get on with Pig,
Rabbit and Rooster.
Famous Roosters :
Prince Philip, Charles Darwin,
Elton John, and Michael Caine.
The Dog
Characteristics :
alert, watchful and defensive;
can be generous and is
patient; very responsible and
has good organizational
skills; spiritual, home-loving
and non-materialistic.
Partners : best
suited to Rabbit, Pig, Tiger
and Horse; avoid Dragon and
Goat.
Famous Dogs : Henry
Moore, Winston Churchill,
Elvis Presley, Sophia Loren
and Voltaire.
The Pig
Characteristics :
honest; vulnerable and not
good at business, but still
materialistic and ambitious;
outgoing and outspoken, but
naive; kind and helpful to the
point of being taken advantage
of; calm and genial.
Partners : best
suited to Dog, Goat, Tiger and
Rabbit; avoid Snake and
Rooster.
Famous Pigs : Alfred
Hitchcock, Ronald Reagan,
Woody Allen, Al Capone and
Ernest Hemingway.
Calendar chart
| Date
Of Birth |
Animal |
| 1.2.1900
- 18.2.1901 |
Rat |
| 19.2.1901
- 7.2.1902 |
Ox |
| 8.2.1902
- 28.1.1903 |
Tiger |
| 29.1.1903
- 15.2.1904 |
Rabbit |
| 16.2.1904
- 3.2.1905 |
Dragon |
| 4.2.1905
- 24.1.1906 |
Snake |
| 25.1.1906
- 12.2.1907 |
Horse |
| 13.2.1907
- 1.2.1908 |
Goat |
| 2.2.1908
- 21.1.1909 |
Monkey |
| 22.1.1909
- 9.2.1910 |
Rooster |
| 10.2.1910
- 29.1.1911 |
Dog |
| 30.1.1911
- 17.2.1912 |
Pig |
| 18.2.1912
- 5.2.1913 |
Rat |
| 6.2.1913
- 25.1.1914 |
Ox |
| 26.1.1914
- 13.2.1915 |
Tiger |
| 14.2.1915
- 3.2.1916 |
Rabbit |
| 4.2.1916
- 22.1.1917 |
Dragon |
| 23.1.1917
- 10.2.1918 |
Snake |
| 11.2.1918
- 31.1.1919 |
Horse |
| 1.2.1919
- 19.2.1920 |
Goat |
| 20.2.1920
- 7.2.1921 |
Monkey |
| 8.2.1921
- 27.1.1922 |
Rooster |
| 28.1.1922
- 15.2.1923 |
Dog |
| 16.2.1923
- 4.2.1924 |
Pig |
| 5.2.1924
- 23.1.1925 |
Rat |
| 24.1.1925
- 12.2.1926 |
Ox |
| 13.2.1926
- 1.2.1927 |
Tiger |
| 2.2.1927
- 22.1.1928 |
Rabbit |
| 23.1.1928
- 9.2.1929 |
Dragon |
| 10.2.1929
- 29.1.1930 |
Snake |
| 30.1.1930
- 16.2.1931 |
Horse |
| 17.2.1931
- 5.2.1932 |
Goat |
| 6.2.1932
- 25.1.1933 |
Monkey |
| 26.1.1933
- 13.2.1934 |
Rooster |
| 14.2.1934
- 3.2.1935 |
Dog |
| 4.2.1935
- 23.1.1936 |
Pig |
| 24.1.1936
- 10.2.1937 |
Rat |
| 11.2.1937
- 30.1.1938 |
Ox |
| 31.1.1938
- 18.2.1939 |
Tiger |
| 19.2.1939
- 7.2.1940 |
Rabbit |
| 8.2.1940
- 26.1.1941 |
Dragon |
| 27.1.1941
- 14.2.1942 |
Snake |
| 15.2.1942
- 4.2.1943 |
Horse |
| 5.2.1943
- 24.1.1944 |
Goat |
| 25.1.1944
- 12.2.1945 |
Monkey |
| 13.2.1945
- 1.2.1946 |
Rooster |
| 2.2.1946
- 21.1.1947 |
Dog |
| 22.1.1947
- 9.2.1948 |
Pig |
| 10.2.1948
- 28.1.1949 |
Rat |
| 29.1.1949
- 16.2.1950 |
Ox |
| 17.2.1950
- 5.2.1951 |
Tiger |
| 6.2.1951
- 26.1.1952 |
Rabbit |
| 27.1.1952
- 13.2.1953 |
Dragon |
| 14.2.1953
- 2.2.1954 |
Snake |
| 3.2.1954
- 23.1.1955 |
Horse |
| 26.1.1955
- 11.2.1956 |
Goat |
| 12.2.1956
- 30.1.1957 |
Monkey |
| 31.1.1957
- 17.2.1958 |
Rooster |
| 18.2.1958
- 7.2.1959 |
Dog |
| 8.2.1959
- 27.1.1960 |
Pig |
| 28.1.1960
- 14.2.1961 |
Rat |
| 15.2.1961
- 4.2.1962 |
Ox |
| 5.2.1962
- 24.1.1963 |
Tiger |
| 25.1.1963
- 12.2.1964 |
Rabbit |
| 13.2.1964
- 1.2.1965 |
Dragon |
| 2.2.1965
- 20.1.1966 |
Snake |
| 21.1.1966
- 8.2.1967 |
Horse |
| 9.2.1967
- 29.1.1968 |
Goat |
| 30.1.1968
- 16.2.1969 |
Monkey |
| 17.2.1969
- 5.2.1970 |
Rooster |
| 6.2.1970
- 26.1.1971 |
Dog |
| 27.1.1971
- 14.2.1972 |
Pig |
| 15.2.1972
- 2.2.1973 |
Rat |
| 3.2.1973
- 22.1.1974 |
Ox |
| 23.1.1974
- 10.2.1975 |
Tiger |
| 11.2.1975
- 30.1.1976 |
Rabbit |
| 31.1.1976
- 17.2.1977 |
Dragon |
| 18.2.1977
- 6.2.1978 |
Snake |
| 7.2.1978
- 27.1.1979 |
Horse |
| 28.1.1979
- 15.2.1980 |
Goat |
| 16.2.1980
- 4.2.1981 |
Monkey |
| 5.2.1981
- 24.1.1982 |
Rooster |
| 25.1.1982
- 12.2.1983 |
Dog |
| 13.2.1983
- 1.2.1984 |
Pig |
| 2.2.1984
- 19.2.1985 |
Rat |
| 20.2.1985
- 8.2.1986 |
Ox |
| 9.2.1986
- 28.1.1987 |
Tiger |
| 29.1.1987
- 16.2.1988 |
Rabbit |
| 17.2.1988
- 5.2.1989 |
Dragon |
| 6.2.1989
- 26.1.1990 |
Snake |
| 27.1.1990
- 14.2.1991 |
Horse |
| 15.2.1991
- 3.2.1992 |
Goat |
| 4.2.1992
- 22.1.1993 |
Monkey |
| 23.1.1993
- 9.2.1994 |
Rooster |
| 10.2.1994
- 30.1.1995 |
Dog |
| 31.1.1995
- 18.2.1996 |
Pig |
| 19.2.1996
- 6.2.1997 |
Rat |
| 7.2.1997
- 27.1.1998 |
Ox |
| 28.1.1998
- 15.2.1999 |
Tiger |
| 16.2.1999-4.2.2000 |
Rabbit |
| 5.2.2000-23.1.2001 |
Dragon |
| 24.1.2001-11.2.2002 |
Snake |
