Chinese Zodiac

There are 12 animals represent the rotating 12-year cycle that is the basis of the Chinese Zodiac, just like western zodiac 12 sun signs are represented based on birth date, in chinese astrology it is based on the year you were born. You’ve likely heard reference to a particular year being the “Year of the Rabbit” or “Year of the Pig.”

In addition to the 12 animals, the Chinese Zodiac involves 5 elements: metal, wood, water, fire and Earth. These zodiac elements are associated with the 5 major planets Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars, and Saturn, respectively. The combinations presented by these 5 elements and the 12 animals actually combine to create a 60-year chinese cycle. This cycle, along with Yin and Yang, directions, the positions of the sun and moon, and a person’s date and time of birth are all used to help foresee a person’s future.

The 12 animals or signs of the Chinese Zodiac are associated with a person’s birth year, and the animals repeat every 12 years. The inner animals and the secret animals are associated with a person’s birth month (of which there are 12) and a person’s hour of birth (of which there are also 12 as they are calculated as 2-hour increments), respectively. When combined, the 12 animals, the 5 elements, the 12 birth months and 12 birth 2-hour segments create 8,640 different personality combinations!

To make this easier to understand, the animal representing your birth year determines the “outer” you. The animal representing your birth month determines your “inner” you the person you wish you could be. And the animal representing your time of birth determines your “secret” you the person you are but that you prevent the rest of the world from knowing about.

The Inner Animal

As mentioned above, your inner animal on the Chinese Zodiac is a representation of the type of person you believe you are or that you wish you could be. In addition, your inner animal helps determine which of the other animals you are and are not compatible with.

The Secret Animal

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. The Chinese Zodiac is based on astrology so those 2-hour increments of time coincide with the position of the sun in the sky; not the time your local clock. The sun’s position isn’t guided by daylight savings time or Greenwich mean time so be sure you’re calculating your birth time accurately or you may end up with the wrong secret animal.

The 12 Chinese Zodiac Animal Signs and the Years

Rat 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008
Ox 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009
Tiger 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010
Rabbit 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011
Dragon 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012
Snake 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013
Horse 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014
Ram 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015
Monkey 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016
Rooster 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017
Dog 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018
Pig 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019

Chinese Zodiac Elements

The five elements of wood, fire, Earth, metal and water are associated with five major planets in the Solar System: Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury respectively. The five elements are naturally-occurring phenomena and they’re believed to have both a generating and an overcoming influence on one another. For example, wood generates fire, water generates wood, water overcomes fire, fire overcomes metal, etc.

Another important concept in Chinese philosophy is Yin and Yang or the ability to compare as well as balance that which exists in life such as day and night, and femininity and masculinity. The concepts of Yin and Yang also affect the five elements and the Chinese Zodiac by assigning opposing forces or characteristics to each. There’s a Yin wood and a Yang wood, a Yin metal and a Yang metal, and so on.