The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs

In the course of its over 5,000-year history, the Chinese culture had developed different and unique traditions. One tradition that is significant is the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, which refer to rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. Although the twelve Chinese zodiac signs have little scientific foundation, they are important parts and widely used in Chinese culture.

There is a popular myth that explains how the twelve Chinese zodiac signs are formed. Long long ago, Yellow Emperor (2697-2589B.C.) wanted to select twelve animals to be the Palace guards. The cat asked the rat to sign up, but the rat forgot and the cat was not chosen; therefore, the two animals became opponents (The real reason, however, why the cat is not on the list is because the twelve Chinese zodiac signs had shaped before cats came to China from Egypt). The elephant also came to participate in the competition, but the rat entered into the elephant's nose and as a result, the elephant ran away. The rest of the participants recommended the ox to be the first one, however. The rat jumped onto the ox's back, and the pig rose up in an uproar. Finally, among the twelve animals, the rat became the first one while the pig was the last one. The tiger and the dragon were resentful because they were respectively the monarch of the mountains and the monarch of the seas, and they were after the rat and the ox. However, the rabbit disagreed with the result. The rabbit won the race with the dragon and was ranked before the dragon. The dog felt the process unfair, bit the rabbit and was punished to be the next to the last. The snake, horse, sheep, monkey and rooster achieved their positions after a series of competitions. Finally, the order of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. 

The following video is about another story that tells how the twelve animals are formed, interesting as well.

Each symbolic animal, actually, has its special characteristics in Chinese culture.

The Rat stands for emotion and opportunism. The Rat is clever, sensitive and always cares for his/her lover, and is always ready to face challenges whenever there is difficulty. 

Rat Year: 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

The Ox stands for power and faithfulness. The Ox is a good leader and has a positive attitude toward work and family. 

Ox Year: 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009

The Tiger stands for independence and optimism. The Tiger is well organized, often works alone, is lucky, and will enjoy success, but refrains from being too self-centered. 

Tiger Year: 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

The Rabbit stands for honesty and elegance. People who are born in the year of the Rabbit are particularly creative and are well received by others, but may sometimes cause envy.  

Rabbit Year: 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

The Dragon stands for confidence and idealism. Dragon is a symbol of luck, virtue, peace, and long life. People who are born in the year of the Dragon will do everything to make their dreams come true. 

Dragon Year: 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012

The Snake stands for beauty and romance. The Snake is equipped with exceptional judgment and is always conscientious and well groomed. 

Snake Year: 1953, 1965 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013

The Horse stands for optimism and good leadership. The Horse is kind-hearted and liked by others. People who are born in the year of the Horse are always working independently and are good at managing their money, but not their love affairs.

Horse Year: 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014

The Sheep stands for kindness and creativeness. People who are born in the year of the Sheep love nature. They are creative, responsible, and much stronger than they look.

Sheep Year: 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

The Monkey stands for naughtiness but wisdom. The Monkey is an intelligent person with good memory. People who are born in the year of the Monkey act like politicians so that they can avoid falling into traps. In addition, the Monkeys take every opportunity to show off their abilities. 

Monkey Year: 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016

The Rooster stands for outspokenness and high-profile. The Rooster does not trust anyone but is ready to give advice and support others. People who are born in the year of the Rooster are vain, but lucky and resourceful as well. 

Rooster Year: 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017

The Dog stands for frankness but pessimism. The Dog always seeks the truth, is faithful and ready to serve others; that is why the Dog is respected by others. 

Dog Year: 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

The Pig stands for fairness but materialism. People who are born in the year of the Pig are reliable and make a lot of friends. Their diligence and hardworking pave the way for their great success. 

Boar Year: 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

The Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs

Besides the unique meanings, the zodiac signs are matched according to positive and negative relationships.

Zodiac Signs         The Best Partners           The worst Partners

Rat                       Dragon, Monkey, Ox         Sheep, Horse, Rabbit, Rooster

Ox                        Rat, Snake, Rooster          Dragon, Horse, Sheep, Dog, Rabbit

Tiger                    Horse, Dog                      Snake, Monkey

Rabbit                  Sheep, Dog, Dragon           Rat, Ox, Monkey, Rooster, Horse

Dragon                  Rat, Monkey, Rabbit          Dog, Ox, Dragon, Monkey

Snake                   Ox, Rooster, Horse            Tiger, Monkey, Pig

Horse                   Snake, Sheep, Dog             Rat, Ox, Rabbit, Horse

Sheep                   Rabbit, Horse, Pig             Rat, Ox, Dog

Monkey                 Rat, Dragon                     Tiger, Snake, Pig

Rooster                 Ox, Dragon, Snake            Rabbit, Rooster, Dog

Dog                      Tiger, Rabbit, Horse          Ox, Dragon, Sheep, Rooster

Pig                       Sheep, Rabbit                   Snake, Pig, Monkey

Although the partnerships seem to have no scientific basis, however, they influence people in the aspects of their love, fortune, health and fate at times. Take my father and me as an example. My father is a Monkey while I am a Tiger. According to Chinese culture, monkeys and tigers are usually rivals. It does not mean that my father and I do not love each other, instead, I am very precious to my father and I dearly love my father. I was always sick when I was at home. However, I became healthier when I went to university, which is located far away from my hometown. What is more, I have been sick only twice since I came to America two and a half years ago. Unfortunately, I got sick as soon as I went back to China last summer vacation. Therefore, the relationships among the twelve signs may have no scientific basis, but they exist for their meanings, and I believe that they influence each other at times.

Overall, the culture of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs is really special and interesting. Due to its long history and important role in Chinese culture, the twelve Chinese zodiac signs influence people's daily lives, and sometimes give people suggestions on choosing good or bad partners. Although such kind of culture has no scientific foundation, however, if considering it as a kind of entertainment, people will find it is completely funny.