The 12 Animals of the Chinese Zodiac

 

 

 

The Chinese zodiac is made up of 12 animals and together they are known as 生肖 shēngxiào. The first animal in the cycle is the rat, followed by ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

Most people are aware that each year is associated with one of the 12 animals, but did you know that the Chinese zodiac extends to months, days, and hours as well? These four time periods are known as the Four Pillars of Destiny and each pillar is related to a different part of your life.

Year:       Society or external representations

Month:    Parents or childhood

Day:        Adult or married life

Hour:      Internal or true identity

Find your four pillars by entering your date and time of birth into the calculator below. Then continue reading to see the full details of each animal. You will notice that each animal has certain romantic compatibilities listed. The ones shown below are believed to be the best matches, but use this information at your own risk! ;)

 

 

 

鼠 shǔ Rat

Compatibility: Dragon, Monkey, 

Feb 19, 1996 – Feb  6, 1997; Feb  7, 2008 – Jan 25, 2009; Jan 25, 2020 – Feb. 11, 

Dec 07 – Jan 

23:00 – 00:59  

Though people don't consider the rat to be adorable, and it even makes its way into derogatory languages, it ranks first on the Chinese zodiac. It has attributes of an animal with spirit, wit, alertness, delicacy, flexibility and vitality.

 

牛 niú Ox

Compatibility: Rat, Snake, Rooster

Feb  7, 1997 – Jan 27, 1998; Jan 26, 2009 – Feb 13, 2010; Feb 12, 2021 – Jan 31, 2022

Jan 06 – Feb 03

01:00 – 02:59

Ranked as the second zodiac, the ox is huge. In life, people often used it to indicate something big in size or large in number. It is persistent, simple, honest, and straightforward. Fractious people are said to have an 'oxen temper'.

 

虎 hǔ Tiger

Compatibility: Horse, Dog, Rabbit

Jan 28, 1998 – Feb 15, 1999; Feb 14, 2010 – Feb  2, 2011; Feb  1, 2022 – Jan 21, 2023

Feb 04 – Mar 05

03:00 – 04:59

 Tigers, considered to be brave, cruel, forceful and terrifying, are the symbol of power and lordliness. In ancient times, people usually compared emperors or grandees with the tiger.

 

兔 tù Rabbit

Compatibility: Tiger, Goat, Dog, Pig

Feb 16, 1999 – Feb  4, 2000; Feb  3, 2011 – Jan 22, 2012; Jan 22, 2023 – Feb  9, 2024

Mar 06 – Apr 04

05:00 – 06:59

The rabbit has represented hope for a long time, by Chinese people. It is tender and lovely. The moon goddess Chang'e in Chinese legend had a rabbit as her pet, which stimulated the thought that only this creature was amiable enough to match her noble beauty.

 

龙 lóng Dragon

Compatibility: Rat, Monkey, Snake

Feb  5, 2000 – Jan 23, 2001; Jan 23, 2012 – Feb  9, 2013; Feb 10, 2024 – Jan 28, 2025

Apr 05 – May 04

07:00 – 08:59 

The dragon enjoys a very high reputation in Chinese culture. It is the token of authority, dignity, honor, success, luck, and capacity. In ancient China, this creature was thought to speed across the sky with divine power.

 

蛇 shé Snake

Compatibility: Ox, Rooster, Dragon

Jan 24, 2001 – Feb 11, 2002; Feb 10, 2013 – Jan 30, 2014; Jan 29, 2025 – Feb 16, 2026

May 5 – June 5

09:00 – 10:59

In the Chinese zodiac, the Snake is listed after the Dragon, but its place and its significance as a symbol of worship is far less than that of the Dragon. it carries the meanings of malevolence, cattiness and mystery, as well as acumen, divination and the ability to distinguish herbs.

 

马 mǎ Horse

Compatibility: Tiger, Goat, Dog

Feb 12, 2002 – Jan 31, 2003; Jan 31, 2014 – Feb 18, 2015; Feb 17, 2026 – Feb  5, 2027

June 06 – July 06

11:00 – 12:59

The spirit of the horse is recognized to be the Chinese people's ethos – making unremitting efforts to improve themselves. It is energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent and able. Ancient people liked to designate an able person as 'Qianli Ma', a horse that covers a thousand li a day.

 

羊 yáng Goat

Compatibility: Rabbit, Horse, Pig

Feb  1, 2003 – Jan 21, 2004; Feb 19, 2015 – Feb  7, 2016; Feb  6, 2027 – Jan 25, 2028

Jul 07 – Aug 06

13:00 – 14:59

The goat (or sheep or ram) is among the animals that people like most. It is gentle and calm. Since ancient times, people have learned to use its fleece to make writing brushes and skin to keep warm.

 

猴 hóu Monkey

Compatibility: Rat, Dragon, Rooster

Jan 22, 2004 – Feb  8, 2005; Feb  8, 2016 – Jan 27, 2017; Jan 26, 2028 – Feb 12, 2029

Aug 07 – Sep 07

15:00 – 16:59

The monkey is a clever animal. It is usually compare to a smart person. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC – 476 BC), the dignified official title of marquis with the pronunciation 'Hou', was the same as the monkey's.

 

鸡 jī Rooster

Compatibility: Ox, Snake, Monkey, Dragon

Feb  9, 2005 – Jan 28, 2006; Jan 28, 2017 – Feb 15, 2018; Feb 13, 2029 – Feb  2, 2030

Sep 08 – Oct 07

17:00 – 18:59

The rooster is almost the epitome of fidelity and punctuality. For ancestors who had no alarm clocks, the rooster's crowing was significant, as it could awaken people to get up and start to work.

 

狗 gǒu Dog

Compatibility: Tiger, Horse, Pig

Jan 29, 2006 – Feb 17, 2007; Feb 16, 2018 – Feb  4, 2019; Feb  3, 2030 – Jan 22, 2031

Oct 08 – Nov 06

19:00 – 20:59

The dog is man's friend who can understand the human's spirit and obey its master, whether he is wealthy or not. The Chinese regard it as an auspicious animal. If a dog happens to come to a house, usually the host will be very glad to adopt it, for it symbolizes the coming of fortune.

 

猪 zhū Pig

Compatibility: Goat, Rabbit, Dog

Feb 18, 2007 – Feb  6, 2008; Feb  5, 2019 – Jan 24, 2020; Jan 23, 2031 – Feb 10, 2032

Nov 07 – Dec 06

21:00 – 22:59

Pig is not thought to be smart as dog. It likes sleeping and eating and becomes fat. Thus it usually features laziness and clumsiness. On the positive side, it behaves itself, has no calculation to harm others, and can bring affluence to people. Consequently, pigs were once regarded as wealth.