Category:The Chinese Zodiac
From Association of Independent Readers and Rootworkers
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Each Chinese Zodiac sign begins at the New Moon that opens the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, which is a variable date between January 21st and February 20th) and for the rest of the year its animal holds the luck of the year. The twelve animals, or earthly branches, of the Chinese Zodiac are, in order: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep (sometimes referred to as the Ram or Goat), the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Boar (also known as the Pig).
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The Great Race
The story of how the order of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac came to be tells of a race ordered by the Jade Emperor, in which the 12 animals were challenged to cross a wide river to reach the finish line and claim their place in the order. The rat finished first, by catching a ride on the back of the ox as it swam across the river and darting ahead across the finish line. The tiger was third, followed by the rabbit. The dragon came in fifth, because it stopped to help a village along the way. The snake hitched a ride on the horse as it swam across the river, and finished sixth, ahead of the horse. The sheep, monkey, and rooster built a raft together to cross the river, and finished eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively. The dog was distractable along the race course, taking side-paths and detours, and eventually finished eleventh. And the pig finished last, as it took a nap along the way.
Animals of the Year
Each year is named after one of the twelve lucky Chinese Zodiac animals, and, as with other forms of astrology, people born under these signs have certain personality traits.
- Rat: 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020: Resourceful, versatile, kind.
- Ox: 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021: Strong, dependable, determined.
- Tiger: 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022: Brave, confident, competitive.
- Rabbit: 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023: Quiet, elegant, responsible.
- Dragon: 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024: Confident, intelligent, enthusiastic.
- Snake: 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025: Mysterious, intelligent, wise.
- Horse: 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026: Animated, active, energetic.
- Goat: 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027: Calm, gentle, sympathetic.
- Monkey: 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016,2028: Sharp, smart, curious.
- Rooster: 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029: Observant, hardworking, courageous.
- Dog: 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030: Loving, honest, prudent.
- Pig: 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007,2019, 2031: Compassionate, generous, practical.
Animals and Elements
These twelve animal signs are modified by a yearly cycle of five elements, which are Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. The five elements may also be expressed as colours, which are White, Black, Green, Red, and Brown. Each of these five elements takes its turn governing two sequential years, thus a Rooster may be a Metal Rooster, a Water Rooster, and so forth.
Each year also has a Yang (positive or male) or Yin (negative or female) character, and these alternate in polarity year by year.
- Yang Metal or White: Years that end in 0.
- Yin Metal or White: Years that end in 1.
- Yang Water or Black: Years that end in 2.
- Yin Water or Black: Years that end in 3.
- Yang Wood or Green: Years that end in 4.
- Yin Wood or Green: Years that end in 5.
- Yang Fire or Red: Years that end in 6.
- Yin Fire or Red: Years that end in 7.
- Yang Earth or Brown: Years that end in 8.
- Yin Earth or Brown: Years that end in 9.
In practice, the twelve animal signs of the Chinese Zodiac are described in terms of the polarity, the element, and the animal, making for a total of ten possible refinements of the basic animal sign, so if a Chinese astrologer does your chart, your sign may be, for instance, a Yang Water Horse, a Female Wood Ox, a Yin Metal Boar, or a Male Fire Dragon -- each of which has specific personality traits and is inclined to succeed best in certain forms of career, and to marry a person of a harmonizing sign. Thus one may be said to have been born in the year of the Female or Yin Ox or the Male or Yang Dragon.
On the pages for each individual sign of the Chinese zodiac you will find information on how the characteristics of each animal express themselves through each combination of element and polarity.
The 12 Animal signs
The Rat
The Rat is the first animal of the lunar Chinese Zodiac, and heralds the beginning of a new cycle. The Rat represents the concepts of intelligence, resourcefulness, and adaptability, as well as the ability to work with others to achieve greater goals. (Read More...)
The Ox
The Tiger
The Rabbit
The Dragon
The Snake
The Horse
The Sheep
The Monkey
The Rooster
The Dog
The Pig
Credits
This page is brought to you by the AIRR Tech Team:
- Author: catherine yronwode
- Contributors: nagasiva yronwode, Papa Newt, Lukianos
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