Chinese Zodiac

According to ancient Chinese tradition, life follows a 12-year cycle. Each year is named for an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (or goat), monkey, rooster, dog and pig (or boar). The animal for your year of birth indicates how others view you. It is your outer animal.

Your outer animal is moderated by the location of five major planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn). Each planet has a corresponding element (gold, wood, water, fire and earth) that influences your animal sign. In combination with the 12 years, there are 60 years in a full cycle. The last full cycle began in 1984 and next one begins in 2044.

And it’s actually more complicated than that. Each animal is also the sign for a month of the year. January is the rat, February the ox, etc. The animal of your birth month indicates how you are inside or how you wish to be. In addition to your inner animal, the 2-hour block of time in which you are born is your secret animal: So, all together, the 5 elements, 12 years, 12 months and 12 periods of the day give 8640 possible combinations.

Did I mention that the Chinese zodiac calendar is lunar? It doesn’t start with January 1st; it starts with Chinese New Year’s Day, which varies from year to year. So even though you’re born in January, you might not be born under the sign of the rat. You could be a pig. And don’t forget the Yin Yang cycle as well. Odd years are yin and even years are yang.

Instead of figuring out the complexities of this system, we’ll avoid it altogether. For our purposes, let’s try things backwards. Read the following descriptions and select the one that best describes you. Click on the number to find out which animal you think you should be.

01. You are intelligent, hard-working, successful, and ambitious. You can be quick-tempered and extremely critical but you are hardest on yourself. You’re charming, attractive, and love parties. You’re calm on the outside but needlessly worry and fret about trivial details. You’re a good problem solver but tend not to plan for the future. You’re pretty tight with your money but always looking for fast deals and “bargains.”

02. You are strong-willed, understanding, well-mannered and always find something good to say about everyone. You’re creative, artistic, and diplomatic. You carry through on plans, are rarely impulsive but a bit moody. You’re warm, friendly, likeable, and rarely get in trouble. If cornered, you’re evasive or might even tell a fib. You’re a good listener but not a party animal. A quiet night at home is more your style.

03. You are strong, optimistic and smart. You don’t spend a lot of time on your looks, but you belong to several clubs, love to entertain and are often the center of attention. Although you’re a bit naïve and quick tempered, you love being involved and helping others. You’re steady, calm and have a hard time saying no. You set high goals for yourself and others.

04. You like parties, crowds and activity. You work hard and play hard. You love falling in love and do so often. You like to exercise but don’t like wasting time. You’re intelligent, friendly, capable and a bit selfish. Sometimes you talk too much but you’re always charming. You’re independent, adventurous and good with money and time. You might be impetuous or rash but you’re never jealous of others.

05. You are very expressive, enthusiastic and charismatic. You speak your mind, share your feelings, and bubble with excitement. Everybody loves your bigger than life personality, mostly. You rely on emotions more than thoughts, you can’t keep a secret, and you’re a bit of a know-it-all. Although you’re confident and honest, you have a bit of a temper. Some find you intimidating but you’re fiercely loyal to friends and family.

06. You are capable, talented, and hard working but tend to be a loner. You’re a bundle of contradictions. You’re a thinker but your emotions are quite volatile. You’re both conservative and a show off. You know how to spend and how to save but not how to do both. You swing from one extreme to the other. You have good intentions but can’t always deliver on your promises.

07. You’re good at seeing problems but tend to rush in with too little thought. You’re adventurous, independent and strong. But you hate being bossed around or worse: ignored. You could be great at many things but can’t make up your mind about anything. You’re fun to be around, have a great sense of humor, and love being the center of attention. You don’t have many lasting friendships.

08. You are patient, easy going, and not easily angered. You’re a strong, faithful, dedicated worker and you hate to fail. You’re a born leader but you’re slow to make decisions and don’t have much of a sense of humor. It’s hard for you to form close relationships but you’re very loyal to the friends you have. You’re a bit of a traditionalist and extremely stubborn.

09. You are gentle, artistic and deeply spiritual. Although somewhat timid, you’re passionate about what you do. But you do only what you’re passionate about. You prefer to be your own boss, set your own pace, and keep to yourself. You’re a family person and a bit of a romantic. You love art, music and beauty. You hate pressure, aggression and competition. You love peace and avoid confrontation.

10. You love travel, adventure and new experiences. You want to keep busy, and enjoy being creative. You don’t like people telling you what to do but you’re impatient when others don’t do what you want. You’re good at making decisions and are a natural leader but tend to gloat about your own accomplishments. You are charming, clever and more than a bit mischievous.

11. You prefer life to be predictable. You are loyal, honest and good at keeping secrets. You tend to see life in simple terms: friend or foe, work or play. You work hard and long but never seem to worry. You’re easy going unless riled. You don’t take yourself or other too seriously but you can hold a grudge for a long time. You like good company and are good company.

12. You’re a romantic and a bit of a snob. You love good food, good music and good art. You think more than you talk, but you often make decisions on intuition. You don’t worry about money because you have plenty, mostly because you never part with any. You’re good-looking but know it. You’re very successful and could achieve more, but tend to procrastinate; you’re busy living the good life.