The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the

Chinese calendar The traditional Chinese calendar, dating back to the Han dynasty, is a lunisolar calendar that blends solar, lunar, and other cycles for social and agricultural purposes. While modern China primarily uses the Gregorian calendar for officia ...

that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year (or duodenary) cycle. The zodiac is very important in traditional Chinese culture and exists as a reflection of

Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy (Simplified Chinese characters, simplified Chinese: 中国哲学; Traditional Chinese characters, traditional Chinese: 中國哲學) refers to the philosophical traditions that originated and developed within the historical ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

. Chinese folkways held that one's personality is related to the attributes of their zodiac animal. Originating from

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, the zodiac and its variations remain popular in many

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

n and

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

countries A country is a distinct part of the Earth, world, such as a state (polity), state, nation, or other polity, political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, List of states with limited r ...

, such as

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, and

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. Identifying this scheme as a "''

zodiac The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north and south celestial latitude of the ecliptic – the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. Within this zodiac ...

''" reflects superficial similarities to the

Western zodiac Western astrology is the system of astrology most popular in Western countries. It is historically based on Ptolemy's ''Tetrabiblos'' (2nd century CE), which in turn was a continuation of Hellenistic astrology, Hellenistic and ultimately Babylon ...

: both divide time cycles into twelve parts, label the majority of those parts with animals, and are used to ascribe a person's personality or events in their life to the person's particular relationship to the cycle. The 12 Chinese zodiac animals in a cycle are not only used to represent years in China but are also believed to influence people's personalities, careers, compatibility, marriages, and fortunes. For the starting date of a zodiac year, there are two schools of thought in

Chinese astrology Chinese astrology is based on traditional Chinese astronomy and the Chinese calendar. Chinese astrology flourished during the Han dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD). Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theor ...

Chinese New Year Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival (see also #Names, § Names), is a festival that celebrates the beginning of a New Year, new year on the traditional lunisolar calendar, lunisolar Chinese calendar. It is one of the most important holi ...

or the start of spring.

History

There are theories that suggest the twelve animals were chosen for their symbolic traits, based on their revered status in traditional Chinese culture. The selection process varied regionally before being standardized in the

Han Dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

(Cao, 2008). This standardization connected these animals into a cyclical timekeeping system, which is seen as a way to reflect personality traits and the broader society (Zhou, 2017). The Chinese zodiac, as an essential part of Chinese culture, started to take shape during the Han Dynasty. This era formalizes a twelve-year cycle, where each year is associated with a specific animal, as part of a timekeeping system. This system, known as the zodiac cycle, combined the twelve ''Earthly Branches'' (地支) with the ten ''Heavenly Stems'' (天干) to create a total of a 60-year cycle. Each Earthly Branch was linked to an animal, and to the twelve zodiac signs: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. According to legend, the

Jade Emperor In the Chinese mythology, myths and Chinese folk religion, folk religion of Chinese culture, the Jade Emperor or Yudi is one of the representations of the Primordial Divinity (Tai Di), primordial god. In Taoist theology, he is the assistant of ...

held a contest to decide which animals would be lucky enough to be included in the calendar. The winner of the race – the rat – received the first year of the 12-year cycle, and so on. However, historical research suggests that the Chinese zodiac emerged after the establishment of the "Gangi Chronicle Law", with each of the twelve animals directly assigned to one of the twelve Earthly Branches. In this system, a person's birth year determines their associated animal, which is linked to a specific Earthly Branch and serves both a chronological function and a means of categorizing individuals into symbolic groups, akin to a genus. In the

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, Xu Shen said that the character ''si'' (巳) was the image of a snake, and the same was true for ''hai'' (亥) and ''shi'' (豕; 'pig'). Since the twelve

Earthly Branches The Earthly Branches (also called the Terrestrial Branches or the 12-cycle) are a system of twelve ordered symbols used throughout East Asia. They are indigenous to China, and are themselves Chinese characters, corresponding to words with no co ...

of the zodiac were easily confused, people replaced them with animals and borrowed the ordinal symbols to match them with the Earthly Branches to form a chronological symbol system. In "Totem and celestial combination theory", it is suggested that the zodiac is ancient animal totem worship combined with astronomical images in astronomy. Among them, the explanation of the totem and celestial combinations is more scientific.

Signs

The

traditionally begins with the sign of the

Rat Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus ''Rattus''. Other rat genera include '' Neotoma'' (pack rats), '' Bandicota'' (bandicoo ...

. The following are the twelve

signs in order, each with its associated characteristics ( Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branch, yin/yang force, Trine, and nature element). The belief that everyone and every animal has a role to play in society conforms to Confucian beliefs in a hierarchical society. Just as Confucian beliefs persist in Asia today alongside more modern social views, so does zodiac use. In

the animal signs assigned by year represent self-presentation or perception by others. It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs, and many

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

descriptions of Chinese astrology only reference this system. There are also animal signs assigned by month (called "inner animals"), by day (called "true animals"), and hours (called "secret animals"). The

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to Planetary habitability, harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all ...

is all twelve signs, with five seasons.

Michel Ferlus Michel Ferlus (; 1935 – 10 March 2024) was a French linguistics, linguist who specialized in the historical phonology of languages of Southeast Asia. In addition to phonological systems, he also studied writing systems, in particular the evoluti ...

(2013) notes that the Old Chinese names of the earthly branches are of Austroasiatic origin.Ferlus, Michel (2013)
The sexagesimal cycle, from China to Southeast Asia
23rd Annual Conference of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society, May 2013, Bangkok, Thailand. Some of Ferlus's comparisons are given below, with Old Chinese reconstructions cited from Baxter & Sagart (2014). * :

Old Chinese Old Chinese, also called Archaic Chinese in older works, is the oldest attested stage of Chinese language, Chinese, and the ancestor of all modern varieties of Chinese. The earliest examples of Chinese are divinatory inscriptions on oracle bones ...

* ̥uʔ (compare Proto- Viet-Muong *c.luː '

water buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...

') * :

* qʰˤaʔ (compare Proto- Viet-Muong *m.ŋəːˀ) * :

* �əʔ (compare Northern Proto- Viet-Muong *kuːrˀ) There is also a lexical correspondence with Austronesian: * :

*m �-s (compare Atayal miːts) The terms for the earthly branches are attested from

Shang dynasty The Shang dynasty (), also known as the Yin dynasty (), was a Chinese royal dynasty that ruled in the Yellow River valley during the second millennium BC, traditionally succeeding the Xia dynasty and followed by the Western Zhou d ...

inscriptions and were likely also used before Shang times. Ferlus (2013) suggests that the terms were ancient pre-Shang borrowings from Austroasiatic languages spoken in the Yangtze River region.

Chinese calendar

Years

Within the Four Pillars, the year is the pillar representing information about the person's family background and society or relationship with their grandparents. The person's age can also be easily deduced from their sign, the current sign of the year, and the person's generational disposition (teens, mid-20s, and so on). For example, a person born a

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

is 12, 24, 36, (etc.) years old in the year of the Tiger (2022); in the year of the

Rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

(2023), that person is one year older. The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the

Gregorian calendar The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It went into effect in October 1582 following the papal bull issued by Pope Gregory XIII, which introduced it as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian cale ...

for 1924–2043. The

sexagenary cycle The sexagenary cycle, also known as the gānzhī (干支) or stems-and-branches, is a cycle of sixty terms, each corresponding to one year, thus amounting to a total of sixty years every cycle, historically used for recording time in China and t ...

begins at lichun about February 4 according to some astrological sources.

Animal Trines

The Chinese zodiac's animal trines are deeply connected with ancient Chinese cosmology, reflecting the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and the natural order. Each animal trine has a specific elemental attribute and a celestial pattern, showing the combination of astronomy and philosophy in the system (Hui, n.d.).

First

The first Trine consists of the

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

, and

Monkey Monkey is a common name that may refer to most mammals of the infraorder Simiiformes, also known as simians. Traditionally, all animals in the group now known as simians are counted as monkeys except the apes. Thus monkeys, in that sense, co ...

. These three signs are considered intense and powerful individuals capable of great good. They are associated with the element of water, seen as great leaders but are also known to be unpredictable. The three are intelligent, adaptive, generous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent, and artistic. However, they can also exhibit traits such as being manipulative, jealous, selfish, aggressive, vindictive, and deceitful.

Second

The second Trine consists of the Ox,

Snake Snakes are elongated limbless reptiles of the suborder Serpentes (). Cladistically squamates, snakes are ectothermic, amniote vertebrates covered in overlapping scales much like other members of the group. Many species of snakes have s ...

, and

Rooster The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

. These three signs are said to possess endurance and application, with a slow accumulation of energy. They are associated with the element of metal, meticulous at planning but tend to hold fixed opinions. The three are described as intelligent, hard-working, modest, industrious, loyal, philosophical, patient, good-hearted, and morally upright. However, they can also exhibit traits such as being self-righteous, egotistical, vain, judgmental, narrow-minded, and petty.

Third

The third Trine consists of the

Horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 mi ...

, and Dog. These three signs are associated with the element of fire, said to seek true love, pursue humanitarian causes, and be idealistic and independent, but they tend to be impulsive. They are described as productive, enthusiastic, independent, engaging, dynamic, honorable, loyal, and protective. However, they can also display traits such as being rash, rebellious, quarrelsome, anxious, disagreeable, and stubborn.

Fourth

The fourth Trine consists of the

Goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

, and Pig. These three signs are associated with the element of wood, said to have a calm nature and a somewhat reasonable approach. They seek aesthetic beauty, are artistic, well-mannered, and compassionate, yet they can also be detached and resigned to their condition. The three are described as caring, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, empathetic, tactful, and prudent. However, they can also exhibit traits such as being naive, pedantic, insecure, selfish, indecisive, and pessimistic. These associations extend beyond just symbolism, they reflect ancient people's deep understanding of the universe's cyclical nature. The trines are also linked to specific seasons and directions, as well as human activities with the Earth's patterns. For example, the Wood element's trine is more connected with spring and the east, meaning renewal and growth. This connection set a direction for agricultural practices and societal rituals, maintaining harmony between humanity and nature (Hui, n.d.). In addition, the connection of the lunar calendar with the zodiac signs also reflects the importance of celestial movements in day-to-day life. The lunar times dictated the timing of holidays and agricultural events, further linking astronomical observations to cultural traditions. This implication of astronomy, philosophy, and daily life reflected the open worldview of ancient China, where timekeeping was not just a practical tool but a way to achieve a balance between cosmic and societal harmony.

Compatibility

As the Chinese zodiac is derived according to the ancient Five Elements Theory, every Chinese sign is associated with five elements with relations, among those elements, of interpolation, interaction, over-action, and counter-action—believed to be the

common law Common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law primarily developed through judicial decisions rather than statutes. Although common law may incorporate certain statutes, it is largely based on prece ...

of motions and changes of creatures in the

universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents. It comprises all of existence, any fundamental interaction, physical process and physical constant, and therefore all forms of matter and energy, and the structures they form, from s ...

. Different people born under each animal sign supposedly have different personalities, and practitioners of

consult such traditional details and compatibilities to offer putative guidance in life or for love and marriage. A common way to explore zodiac compatibility is with a chart showing how each zodiac sign interacts other signs. For example, constellations that are considered compatible with each other may have similar values and interests, while incompatible constellations may have conflicting personalities and ways of communicating.

Origin stories

Many stories and

fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...

s explain the beginning of the

. Since the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

, the twelve

have been used to record the time of day. However, for entertainment and convenience, they were replaced by the twelve animals, and a

mnemonic A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. It makes use of e ...

refers to the behavior of the animals: Earthly Branches may refer to a double-hour period. In the latter case it is the center of the period; for instance, 馬 mǎ (

) means noon as well as a period from 11:00 to 13:00.

Great Race

An ancient folktale called "The Great Race" tells of the

's decree that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they reached him. To get there, the animals would have to cross a river.

Variations

Another version of the folktale tells that the Rat deceived the Ox into letting it jump on its back by promising the Ox that it could hear the Rat sing, before jumping off at the finish line and finishing first. Another variant says that the Rat cheated the Cat out its place at the finish line, by hiding on the back of the Dog, who was too focused to notice that he had a stow-away. The Cat tried to attack the rat in retaliation, but hurt the Dog by accident. This is said to account for the antagonistic dynamic between cats and rats, beyond normal predator and prey behavior, and also why dogs and cats fight. In

Chinese mythology Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature throughout the area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology encompasses a diverse array of myths derived from regional and cultural tradit ...

, a story tells that the cat was tricked by the Rat so it could not go to the banquet. This is why the Cat is ultimately not part of the Chinese zodiac. In

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

legend

Gautama Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha (),* * * was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist lege ...

summoned all animals of the

to come before him before his departure from this

, but only twelve animals came to bid him farewell. To reward these animals, he named a year after each of them in the order they had arrived. The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were developed in the early stages of Chinese civilization, so therefore it is difficult to investigate its real origins. Most historians agree that the Cat is not included, as cats had not yet been introduced to China from India with the arrival of

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

. However until recently, the Vietnamese moved away from their traditional texts and literature and, unlike all other countries who follow the Sino lunar calendar, include the Cat instead of the Rabbit as a zodiac animal. The most common explanation is that cats are worshipped by farmers in East Asia, believing that cats' luck and prosperity protects their crops. Another popular cultural reason is that the ancient word for

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

(Mao) sounds like cat (Meo).

Adaptations

The Chinese zodiac signs are also used by

cultures Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

other than Chinese. For example, they usually appear on

Korean New Year () is a Korean traditional festival and national holiday commemorating the first day of the Korean calendar, Korean lunisolar calendar. It is one of the most important traditional holidays for Koreans, ethnic Koreans, being celebrated in bot ...

and Japanese New Year's cards and stamps. The

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...

and several other countries' postal services issue a "Year of the ____" postage stamp each year to honor this Chinese

heritage Heritage may refer to: History and society * A heritage asset A heritage asset is an item which has value because of its contribution to a nation's society, knowledge and/or culture. Such items are usually physical assets, but some countries also ...

. The zodiac is widely used in commercial culture, for example, in the Chinese New Year market, and popular zodiac-related products, such as crafts, toys, books, accessories, and paintings and Chinese lunar coins. The coins depict

animals, inspired the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf

coin A coin is a small object, usually round and flat, used primarily as a medium of exchange or legal tender. They are standardized in weight, and produced in large quantities at a mint in order to facilitate trade. They are most often issued by ...

s, as well as varieties from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

, and

Mongolia Mongolia is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south and southeast. It covers an area of , with a population of 3.5 million, making it the world's List of countries and dependencies by po ...

. The Chinese zodiac is also used in some Asian countries that were under the

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

influence of

. However, some of the animals in the

may differ by

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

Asian

The Korean zodiac includes the ''Sheep'' (''yang'') instead of the ''Goat'' (which would be ''yeomso''), although the Chinese source of the loanword ''yang'' may refer to any

goat-antelope The subfamily Caprinae, also sometimes referred to as the tribe Caprini, is part of the ruminant family (biology), family Bovidae, and consists of mostly medium-sized bovids. A member of this subfamily is called a caprine. Prominent members in ...

. The Japanese zodiac includes the ''

Sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

'' (''hitsuji'') instead of the ''

'' (which would be ''yagi''), and the ''

Wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

'' (''inoshishi'', ''i'') instead of the '' Pig'' (''buta''). Since 1873, the Japanese have celebrated the beginning of the new year on 1 January as per the

. The Vietnamese zodiac varies from the Chinese zodiac with the second animal being the

Water Buffalo The water buffalo (''Bubalus bubalis''), also called domestic water buffalo, Asian water buffalo and Asiatic water buffalo, is a large bovid originating in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Today, it is also kept in Italy, the Balkans ...

instead of the Ox, and the fourth animal being the Cat instead of the

. The Cambodian zodiac is exactly identical to that of the Chinese although the dragon is interchangeable with the Neak (

nāga In various Asian religious traditions, the Nāgas () are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...

)

n sea snake. Sheep and Goat are interchangeable as well. The Cambodian New Year is celebrated in April, rather than in January or February as it is in China and most countries. The Cham zodiac uses the same order as the Chinese zodiac, but replaces the

with the turtle (known locally as ''kra''). Similarly the Malay zodiac replaces the

with the

mousedeer Chevrotains, or mouse-deer, are small, even-toed ungulates that make up the family Tragulidae, and are the only living members of the infraorder Tragulina. The 10 extant species are placed in three genera, but several species also are k ...

(''pelanduk'') and the Pig with the tortoise (''kura'' or ''kura-kura''). The

(''Loong'') is normally equated with the

but it is sometimes called Big Snake (''ular besar'') while the Snake sign is called Second Snake (''ular sani''). This is also recorded in a 19th-century manuscript compiled by John Leyden. The Thai zodiac includes a ''

'' in place of the

and begins, not at the

, but either on the first day of the fifth month in the Thai lunar calendar, or during the Songkran New Year festival (now celebrated every 13–15 April), depending on the purpose of the use. Historically, Lan Na (Kingdom around Northern Thailand) also replaces pig with elephant. While modern Thai have returned to pig, its name is still กุน (gu̜n), retaining the actual word for elephant in the zodiac. The

Gurung Gurung (exonym; ) or Tamu (endonym; Gurung language, Gurung: ) are a Tibetan people, Tibetan ethnic group living in the hills and mountains of Gandaki Province of Nepal. Gurungs speak Tamu kyi which is a Sino-Tibetan language derived from the ...

zodiac in

includes a Cow instead of an Ox, a Cat instead of Rabbit, an Eagle instead of a Dragon (''Loong''), a Bird instead of a Rooster, and a Deer instead of a Pig. The Bulgar calendar used from the 2nd century and that has been only partially reconstructed uses a similar sixty-year cycle of twelve animal-named years groups. The Old Mongol calendar uses the Mouse, the Ox, the

Leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

, the

Hare Hares and jackrabbits are mammals belonging to the genus ''Lepus''. They are herbivores and live Solitary animal, solitarily or in pairs. They nest in slight depressions called forms, and their young are precociality, able to fend for themselves ...

, the

Crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...

, the Serpent, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Hen, the Dog and the Hog. The

Tibetan calendar The Tibetan calendar (), or the Phukpa calendar, known as the ''Tibetan lunar calendar'', is a lunisolar calendar composed of either 12 or 13 lunar months, each beginning and ending with a new moon. A thirteenth month is added every two or three y ...

replaces the

with the

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

. The

Volga Bulgars Volga Bulgaria or Volga–Kama Bulgaria (sometimes referred to as the Volga Bulgar Emirate) was a historical Bulgar state that existed between the 9th and 13th centuries around the confluence of the Volga and Kama River, in what is now Europea ...

, Kazars and other Turkic peoples replaced some animals by local fauna: Leopard (instead of Tiger),

Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

or Crocodile (instead of Dragon/Loong),

Hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

(instead of Monkey),

Elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

(instead of Pig), and

Camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

(instead of Rat/Mouse). In the Persian version of the Eastern zodiac brought by Mongols during the Middle Ages, the Chinese word ''lóng'' and Mongol word ''lū'' (Dragon) was translated as ''nahang'' meaning "water beast", and may refer to any dangerous aquatic animal both mythical and real (crocodiles, hippos, sharks, sea serpents, etc.). In the 20th century the term ''nahang'' is used almost exclusively as meaning

Whale Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...

, thus switching the Loong for the Whale in the Persian variant. In the traditional Kazakh version of the twelve-year animal cycle (, ''müşel''), the

is replaced by a snail (, ''ulw''), and the

appears as a leopard (, ''barıs''). In the Kyrgyz version of the Chinese zodiac (, ''müçöl'') the words for the Dragon (, ''uluu''), Monkey (, ''meçin'') and Tiger (, ''bars'') are only found in Chinese zodiac names, other animal names include Mouse, Cow, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Chicken, Dog and Wild boar. In the Turkish version of zodiac, the animals are almost the same, but it replaces Tiger with Leopard (''Pars''), Dragon with Fish (''Balık'') and Goat with Sheep (''Koyun''). Remarkably, the practise of zodiac persisted since the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

, including the presence of Pig (''Domuz'') despite contradicting Islamic rule.

English translation

Due to confusion with synonyms during translation, some of the animals depicted by the English words did not exist in

ancient China The history of China spans several millennia across a wide geographical area. Each region now considered part of the Chinese world has experienced periods of unity, fracture, prosperity, and strife. Chinese civilization first emerged in the Y ...

. For example: *The term

can be translated as

Mouse A mouse (: mice) is a small rodent. Characteristically, mice are known to have a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail, and a high breeding rate. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse (''Mus musculus'' ...

, as there are no distinctive words for the two

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

in Chinese. However,

is the most commonly used one among all the synonyms. *The term Ox, a castrated

Bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not Castration, castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e. cows proper), bulls have long been an important symbol cattle in r ...

, can be translated interchangeably with other terms related to

Cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

(male

, female Cow) and Buffalo. However, Ox is the most commonly used one among all the synonyms. *The term

can be translated as

, as 卯 (and 兔) do not distinguish between the two genera of leporids. As hares are native to China and most of Asia and rabbits are not, this would be more accurate. However, in colloquial English ''Rabbit'' can encompass hares as well. *The term

can be translated as Serpent, which refers to a large species of snake and has the same behavior, although this term is rarely used. *The term

can be translated interchangeably with other terms related to

(male Ram, female Ewe). However,

is the most commonly used one among all the synonyms. *The term

can be translated interchangeably with

Chicken The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domesticated subspecies of the red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), originally native to Southeast Asia. It was first domesticated around 8,000 years ago and is now one of the most common and w ...

, as well as the female Hen. However,

is the most commonly used one among all the synonyms in English-speaking countries.

Gallery

Image:Bloodletting chart, Tibet Wellcome L0035125.jpg, A

chart A chart (sometimes known as a graph) is a graphics, graphical representation for data visualization, in which "the data is represented by symbols, such as bars in a bar chart, lines in a line chart, or slices in a pie chart". A chart can repres ...

indicating good and bad bloodletting days and when to guard against

demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...

s. Image:Soyombo.jpg, Soyombo and several

Tengrist Tengrism (also known as Tengriism, Tengerism, or Tengrianism) is a belief-system originating in the Eurasian Steppe, Eurasian steppes, based on shamanism and animism. It generally involves the titular sky god Tengri. According to some scholars, ...

, and Chinese zodiac

symbol A symbol is a mark, Sign (semiotics), sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, physical object, object, or wikt:relationship, relationship. Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by cr ...

s in a wall

mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...

. Image:12 zodiac.jpg, Twelve Chinese zodiac jade figurines. Capital Museum,

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

References

Sources

* Shelly H. Wu. (2005). ''Chinese Astrology''. Publisher: The Career Press, Inc. .

External links

*
The Year of the Rooster: On Seeing
*
The Year of the Rooster: On Eating, Injecting, Imbibing & Speaking
*
2016: The Golden Monkey: A Year to Remember
*
The Dragon Raises its Head 龍抬頭
*
2019 year of the Pig
*
From the Year of the Ape to the Year of the Monkey
; (on use of Zodiac figures for political criticism) {{East Asian topics Astrology by tradition Astrology-related lists Chinese astrology Chinese calendars Chinese culture Culture of East Asia Cultural lists

History

Signs

Chinese calendar

Years

Animal Trines

First

Second

Third

Fourth

Compatibility

Origin stories

Great Race

Variations

Adaptations

Asian

English translation

Gallery

See also

References

Sources

External links