Zodiac

Chinese zodiac has a long history of more than 2,000 years. The twelve Chinese animal signs, i.e. the Chinese zodiac signs, can be traced back as early as before the Spring and Autumn Period (770 - 476 BC) and the Warring States Period (475 - 221 BC), even in the Zhou Dynasty (1046 - 256 BC). In order, the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. As an important symbol of the Chinese culture, Chinese zodiac has the morals of good luck, harmony and happiness.

The twelve animals in Chinese zodiac symbolize the twelve guardians. Chinese zodiac, the most distinctive and charming treasure in traditional Chinese folk culture, not only can number the years, months, and hours in a vivid way, but also can be used to record age, and pray for blessing and peace.

Chinese zodiac signs consist of mythical creatures which can drive out evil spirits, the auspicious beasts symbolizing benevolence, righteousness, courtesy and faith, as well as those that can bring good luck, wealth and peace. Each animal has its own profound cultural connotations. The twelve zodiac signs are expressive of the wisdom and longing of the Chinese people, showing their longing for a happy life and good fortune. It is the twelve common animals around us that form a broad and profound atmosphere of emotional transmission, which closely link the zodiac culture with human spirit, destiny and emotion and constitute a cultural complex no one can get rid of.

Chinese zodiac is made up of twelve animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig). Everyone belongs to a certain sign based on the date of birth.

Chinese zodiac compatibility is divided into compatible groups and incompatible groups. When Chinese zodiac is used to determine whether he or she is compatible with you in marriage, a sign in the Four Compatible Groups (San He 三合) or Six Compatible Groups (Liu He 六合) is recommended while those in the offending, punishment and harming groups should be avoided, especially a sign in the offending (conflicting) groups. Marrying a compatible sign can bring a perfect conjugal bliss while marrying an incompatible sign can result a life riddled with setbacks.

It is said that long long ago, human beings did not know how to calculate age and they went to consult the Jade Emperor. The Jade Emperor decided to choose twelve animals as the zodiac signs to represent the years and number the age in a twelve-year cycle. Therefore, all the animals were summoned to hold a river-crossing race and the twelve animals that crossed the river and arrived at the Temple of Heaven first would be selected.

The race began and the rat asked the honest ox skilled in swimming to carry him across the river. When they were about to arrive, the rat made a cunning leap forward and won the championship. The ox and the tiger followed. The rabbit jumped on the back of other animals and rushed ahead to take the fourth place; he was so excited that he fell on a rock on the river bank and knocked his mouth into three lips. Dragon and snake were good at swimming but why did they fall behind? The dragon was busy raining for human beings, so he was late and only won the fifth place. The snake capitalized on his swimming skill and underestimated the opponents, so he fell behind the dragon and won the sixth place. Horse, goat and monkey took the seventh, eighth and ninth places respectively. Rooster and dog found a trunk and stood on it across the river. Legend has it that the rooster originally had four feet but two of them stuck in the crack of the trunk and broke, so he took the tenth place. The dog stood on the trunk, indulged in watching the game and forgot that he was also a player, thus the 11th place. The sun would set soon. At this moment, the fat pig calmly crossed the river and took the last place. Then, the way of computing age with twelve animals in a 12-year cycle spread throughout the mortal world.

People born in the year of the Rat are smart and clever. Their good luck comes from their diligence and ambition. They always want to outflank others. This kind of competitive spirit, if properly brought into play, can help them achieve top-notch success in all aspects. But if this spirit is too extreme and fails to develop in a positive direction, they can become the villains who attain their end by hook or by crook. Especially in the pursuit of love relationship, the bigotry may lead to some dirty and evil means.

Rat people are sensitive, cautious and well-planned no matter what they do. They can concentrate on the tedious and detailed work and handle it in an orderly manner. However, people under Rat sign are conservative and risk-averse; limited by the overly cautious personality, they usually lack an optimistic and bold initiative.

People of Rat sign are business-minded and sociable in character, and they like to make friends. With intelligence, diligence and strong ambition, they can get good benefits from wholesale and trading.

People born in the year of the Ox are highly responsible and always considerate of others. They are merciful, selfless, and very sociable. With a team spirit, they can take the overall situation into consideration and often make sacrifice to achieve the collective goals.

The sociable Oxen would like to be with friends, and most of their friends are honest, noble and sincere. Being with friends can make them happy and bring them good luck.

People born in the Ox years are quite perseverant and enduring in doing things. Sometimes they are too persistent to make an exception and play to the score. Deep inside, however, they always wish to bring luck to others and benefit others. In general, people of Ox sign are disinterested in the jobs which highlight the pursuit of personal interests and selfish desires.

People born in the year of Tiger are far-sighted, insightful and helpful. They can cooperate and get along well with their peers. With a generous and amiable personality, they usually enjoy great popularity.

Tiger people are skilled in leadership and often become the leader or opinion leader in a group. Probably, their good luck and wealth come from the great popularity they enjoy. Most of them are lucky and wealthy persons with excellent financial performance.

Despite the popularity, the strong-minded Tigers may become self-righteous, self-assertive and possessive, and make others feel bossy if they fail to coordinate and communicate properly.

People born in the year of the Rabbit can be energetic or languid. They are agile, often come up with some new and original ideas, and take the initiative to execute. Therefore, they can give full play to their talents in the workplace and become the leaders.

When they leave the workplace and go home, however, they can be family-oriented and prefer to stay at home and share housework with their partner.

Rabbit people like the changeable and challenging jobs. They are too confident to yield to the authority of others, and fearful of restriction and constraint, sometimes seeming to be unconventional in the eyes of others. The pioneering characteristics of their personality can make him different in any field of business and achieve success and wealth.

People born in the year of the Dragon are confident, smart and energetic. With the temperament of dreamer, they often imagine freely, which can make them the king of ideas in the eyes of friends and give others an unrealistic impression.

Dragon people are conscientious and dedicated sticklers for perfection. At the very beginning, they can work hard towards their goals; once frustrated, however, they can become short-tempered, impatient and fussy, and leave things behind.

Therefore, Dragons are unsuited to jobs with fixed pay. The best choice is to do the work that can freely bring their personality and talents into full play, especially those in need of imagination and creation, such as interior designer, architect, artist, cultural worker and advertising designer.

Snake people are quite curious and fond of novelty. Seemingly sober-minded outside, they are passionate inside. They are very smart and can perform well in everything that needs to be done intellectually. However, the monotonous and changeless routine work can be painful for those born in the year of Snake.

People of Snake sign attach great importance to the taste and beauty of life. They are good at handling any situation with the flexible mind and the sense of humor. With excellent diplomacy skills, they are natural diplomats who can easily win the favor and trust of other people.

Snakes are usually compassionate and willing to help others. In fact, they are not really generous and sometimes can be jealousy due to the possessive and suspicious personality. However, this will not affect their popularity.

People under Snake sign value their looks and manners, and always dress up to look dignified, beautiful and sometimes seductive, thus very lucky in adventures with opposite sex and master-handed in love.

People born in the year of the Horse are brave in self expression and full of dreams and vivid imagination. They prefer the free and comfortable life and would like to enjoy life and experience the joys to the fullest. Horse people generally have an independent personality and a wonderful temperament.

Horses are warm, generous, merciful and good at getting along with others, thus of great popularity. These good qualities are the source of their good luck and wealth.

With an unrestrained personality, people of Horse sign like social activities, travel and food. Due to the tendency of hedonism deep in soul, they would pursue the joys throughout the whole life no matter what kind of work they are engaged in. Because of this, they usually spend a lot and find it hard to make both ends meet.

People born in the year of the Goat are strong-willed and have the sensitivity in dealing with people and things, as well as courage and tolerance. Also, they know exactly how to get what they want step by step.

Goat people acquire the absolute power first before they can give full play to their talents in work. Otherwise, they will be filled with resentment and indignation for being unrecognized.

Seemingly gentle, quiet, elegant and guileless, people of Goat sign are in fact very vital, strong-willed and enterprising. They are not impulsive and would observe the development of the situation, analyze and evaluate quietly in mind before completing all the work step by step.

Monkey people are smart, sensitive, adaptable and intent to stand out. Sometimes, they can appear to be slippery and need to cultivate a practical and steady personality to make correct judgments and get good luck and wealth.

People of Monkey sign tend to lay emphasis on the accumulation of money, have little ambition to expand the business and often treat the wealth and assets prudently. Still, they can live a well-off life.

Those born in the year of the Money like romance and novelty. Occasionally, they would be up to mischief and show off, hoping to get the attention of others in this way.

Roosters are kind-hearted, open-minded, sensitive and gifted in art. Compared with others, they are easier to grasp the essence of abstract concepts and theories. If they can give full play to their talents in art and abstract theory, they will get good luck and wealth.

People born in the year of the Rooster have a good taste in clothes. Male Roosters are basically tall and handsome while females often dress up to look beautiful, elegant, gorgeous and refined. In terms of manners and attitudes, they are always gentle, impartial, less aggressive and able to strike a balance in all aspects.

Rooster people have foresight of the future, always think a little more than others, and work in a planned manner. Besides, they often finish things in an ingenious way, which is really very amazing.

People born in the year of the Dog are generally honest, loyal to family and friends, sincere and very patient. However, they can't stand the irony of others. Although they are less sociable, they are charming and attractive to the opposite sex.

Dog people are very devoted to work and they would not switch jobs recklessly but follow their trusted supervisors and friends tirelessly, thus good partners at work. Though less flexible, they work steadfastly and have a keen reaction and alertness for discovering the facts and exploring the unknown.

People under the zodiac sign of Pig are intelligent and kind-hearted, giving others a warm feeling. They are conscientious about their work and intent on fulfilling their missions, and prefer to pursue the material enjoyment. Both male and female Pig people are natural economic experts. The open-minded Pig people never quibble and usually enjoy great popularity and good luck.

People born in the year of the Pig pursue economic independence which allows them to use money freely. Anything related to making or using money can inspire their excellent ideas and opinions. They are smart-minded and competent for all jobs requiring quick wit and precision.