Chinese Zodiac Guide

The Chinese zodiac is a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year represented by an animal and its reputed attributes. Rooted in over 2,000 years of tradition, your birth year animal reveals deep insights into your personality, relationships, and destiny.

What is the Chinese Zodiac?

The Chinese zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is an ancient classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its attributes to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The twelve animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Each animal sign is also associated with one of the five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water — and a Yin or Yang polarity. Together, these create a 60-year grand cycle that forms the backbone of Chinese astrological tradition. Your sign is determined by the year you were born, and it is believed to influence your character traits, compatibility with others, and fortune throughout life.

The 12 Animal Signs

🐀

Rat

Yang

Water

Years: 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020

In Chinese tradition, the Rat holds the very first position in the zodiac cycle, and there is a good reason for that. Th...

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🐂

Ox

Yin

Earth

Years: 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021

If you need something done right and you need it done no matter what, give it to an Ox. In Chinese culture, the Ox symbo...

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🐅

Tiger

Yang

Wood

Years: 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022

Families take Tiger years seriously in Chinese culture, and for good reason. Tigers are the bold warriors of the zodiac:...

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🐇

Rabbit

Yin

Wood

Years: 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023

The Rabbit is the most refined and diplomatic animal in the Chinese zodiac. In Chinese tradition, Rabbit years are consi...

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🐉

Dragon

Yang

Earth

Years: 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024

There is a reason the Dragon is everyone's favorite year. In Chinese culture, birth rates actually rise during Dragon ye...

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🐍

Snake

Yin

Fire

Years: 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025

In Chinese tradition, the Snake is the sign of wisdom and intuition. These are the deep thinkers, the mystic philosopher...

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🐴

Horse

Yang

Fire

Years: 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026

The Horse is the free spirit of the Chinese zodiac. Energetic, adventurous, and irrepressibly enthusiastic about life. H...

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🐐

Goat

Yin

Earth

Years: 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027

The Goat (also called the Sheep or Ram in some traditions) is the gentle artist of the Chinese zodiac. In Chinese cultur...

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🐒

Monkey

Yang

Metal

Years: 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028

The Monkey is the clever trickster of the Chinese zodiac, and in Chinese folklore, the Monkey King (Sun Wukong) captures...

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🐓

Rooster

Yin

Metal

Years: 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029

The Rooster is the perfectionist and truth-teller of the Chinese zodiac. In Chinese tradition, the Rooster's crow at daw...

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🐕

Dog

Yang

Earth

Years: 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030

In Chinese culture, the Dog is the moral guardian of the zodiac: loyal, honest, and deeply concerned with fairness. Dogs...

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🐷

Pig

Yin

Water

Years: 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031

The Pig (sometimes called the Boar) completes the Chinese zodiac cycle, and it does so with warmth, generosity, and a ge...

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Discover Your Full Birth Chart

Your Chinese zodiac sign is just the beginning. Calculate your Western birth chart to uncover the planets, houses, and aspects that shape your unique cosmic blueprint.

Free Birth Chart Calculator