Chinese astrology: animals, elements and the 60-year cycle
Understand Chinese astrology: the 12 animals, the 5 elements, yin and yang, the 60-year cycle and the lunar new year. A symbolic tradition, presented honestly.
Key points
| Animals | 12, in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig |
|---|---|
| Elements | 5: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water |
| Polarities | Yin and yang (even years yang, odd years yin) |
| Full cycle | 60 years (the current cycle began in 1984) |
| Calendar | Lunisolar: months begin at the new moon, with an extra month roughly every three years |
| Change of sign | At the Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February, not on 1 January |
| Current year (2026) | Fire Horse, from 17 February 2026 to 5 February 2027 |
| Status | Symbolic tradition, with no scientific validation |
What is Chinese astrology?
When people speak of a “Chinese sign”, they almost always mean the animal of the year of birth: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog or Pig. This is the best-known part of a much larger whole, built on a calendar, on the theory of yin and yang and on the five phases or “elements” (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water).
The complete traditional system, called bazi (“eight characters”), looks at the year, month, day and hour of birth, that is four “pillars” of two characters each. The animal of the year is only one element of it. Other methods exist, such as the Zi Wei Dou Shu, but this guide deliberately stays with the basics: the animal, the element, the polarity and the sixty-year cycle.
One word of honesty, once and for all: Chinese astrology is a symbolic and cultural tradition, rich and ancient. It has no scientific validation and cannot predict the future. We present it as a language of images for reflection, never as a destiny. See also the history and limits of astrology.
A lunisolar calendar
The traditional Chinese calendar follows both the Moon and the Sun. Each month begins at the new moon and lasts 29 or 30 days; since twelve lunar months make about 354 days, an extra intercalary month is added from time to time to keep in step with the seasons. The Chinese New Year therefore falls on a different date each year, always between 21 January and 20 February for the years 1920 to 2039 that we have checked.
This is the point that matters for your sign: the animal changes at the Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. A person born on 15 January generally belongs to the animal of the previous year. The page Calculating your Chinese sign and the Chinese New Year gives the step-by-step method and the dates year by year.
The twelve animals
The twelve animals are associated with the twelve earthly branches (dizhi), a series of twelve characters that has long been used to count years, but also months and the hours of the day. The order is always the same, and one returns to the Rat after the Pig.
| Rank | Animal | Character | Earthly branch | Element of the branch | Recent years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rat | 鼠 (shǔ) | 子 (zǐ) | Water | 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032 |
| 2 | Ox | 牛 (niú) | 丑 (chǒu) | Earth | 1997, 2009, 2021 |
| 3 | Tiger | 虎 (hǔ) | 寅 (yín) | Wood | 1998, 2010, 2022 |
| 4 | Rabbit | 兔 (tù) | 卯 (mǎo) | Wood | 1999, 2011, 2023 |
| 5 | Dragon | 龍 (simplified: 龙) (lóng) | 辰 (chén) | Earth | 2000, 2012, 2024 |
| 6 | Snake | 蛇 (shé) | 巳 (sì) | Fire | 2001, 2013, 2025 |
| 7 | Horse | 馬 (simplified: 马) (mǎ) | 午 (wǔ) | Fire | 2002, 2014, 2026 |
| 8 | Goat | 羊 (yáng) | 未 (wèi) | Earth | 2003, 2015, 2027 |
| 9 | Monkey | 猴 (hóu) | 申 (shēn) | Metal | 2004, 2016, 2028 |
| 10 | Rooster | 雞 (simplified: 鸡) (jī) | 酉 (yǒu) | Metal | 2005, 2017, 2029 |
| 11 | Dog | 狗 (gǒu) | 戌 (xū) | Earth | 2006, 2018, 2030 |
| 12 | Pig | 豬 (simplified: 猪) (zhū) | 亥 (hài) | Water | 2007, 2019, 2031 |
The years shown are those that began between 1996 and 2032; remember that a Chinese year starts in January or February. Each animal has its own portrait page: follow the links in the table.
Yin, yang and the five elements
The yin and the yang are two complementary poles (see the yin and yang symbol): shadow and light, receptive and active. The even years of the Gregorian calendar are yang, the odd years yin. The five phases, wuxing, are processes of transformation rather than substances: they are often translated as “elements”.
- Wood: growth, momentum, spring.
- Fire: heat, expansion, summer.
- Earth: centre, stability, the transition between seasons.
- Metal: contraction, clarity, autumn.
- Water: rest, depth, winter.
Each element carries a yin or yang polarity, which gives ten “heavenly stems” (tiangan), from 甲 jiǎ to 癸 guǐ. The element of a year can be read from its last digit: 0 and 1 Metal, 2 and 3 Water, 4 and 5 Wood, 6 and 7 Fire, 8 and 9 Earth.
The sixty-year cycle
The ten stems and the twelve branches combine two by two, in order, starting with 甲子 jiǎzǐ (yang Wood and Rat). Since 10 and 12 have 60 as their lowest common multiple, the combination returns exactly after sixty years: this is the sexagenary cycle. Only half of the 120 possible pairs exist, because a yang stem combines only with a yang branch, and vice versa.
The current cycle began in 1984 (Wood Rat), and the next one will begin in 2044. This is why a “Fire Horse” only returns every sixty years: 1966, then 2026. In popular usage, people say “Wood Dragon” for the year 2024; in the full cycle, each year has a unique two-character name, here 甲辰 jiǎchén.
Where does this system come from?
The historical landmarks are solid on some points and more fragile on others.
- The characters of the cycle were used to count days as early as the Shang dynasty, in the second millennium BCE, as the oracle bones show.
- The use of both series to name years is attested under the Western Han (the oldest evidence dates from the Mawangdui tomb, around 168 BCE).
- Manuscripts from the Qin period (third century BCE), almanac manuals of auspicious days, already link animals to the branches, but their list does not fully match the current one. The modern sequence of twelve animals is well documented in the Eastern Han period, for example in the writings of the thinker Wang Chong (1st century CE).
- The theory of the five phases is attributed to the school of Zou Yan (around 305 to 240 BCE) and took its classic form under the Han.
The exact dates and the details of these texts are debated by historians; we therefore do not present them as definitive.
The legend of the Great Race
The best-known folk tale explains the order of the animals. The Jade Emperor is said to have invited the animals to cross a river: the first twelve to arrive would give their names to the years. The Ox was swimming in the lead, but the Rat, riding on its back, jumped ahead at the very last moment and arrived first. In the most widespread version, the Cat, who was also travelling on the Ox, was pushed into the water by the Rat: this is why it is not in the zodiac, and why cats do not get along with rats. There are many variants.
It is a story that explains, with humour, an order that existed before it: it should not be read as the historical origin of the system. In Vietnam, the Cat takes the place of the Rabbit.
Chinese and Western astrology
| Question | Chinese astrology (popular version) | Western astrology |
|---|---|---|
| What matters | The year of birth (animal and element); in the full version, also the month, day and hour | The positions of the Sun, Moon and planets at the moment of birth |
| Calendar | Lunisolar, new year between 21 January and 20 February | Solar: the year changes on 1 January, and signs change around the 20th or 21st of each month |
| Cycle | 12 animals, 5 elements, 60 years | 12 signs, 4 elements, annual cycle |
| Calculation | A division and a digit, with the date of the Chinese New Year | Ephemerides or software for the full chart |
| Status | Symbolic tradition, with no scientific proof | Symbolic tradition, with no scientific proof |
To compare with the other tradition, see the guide to astrological signs. The two systems do not overlap: you can be an “Aries” and a “Dragon” without either one changing the other.
How to use it without getting it wrong
In countries that celebrate the Spring Festival, the sign is above all a cultural and family landmark: people ask someone’s animal as they would ask their age, and homes are decorated with the image of the year’s animal. Tradition also holds that the year of one’s own animal, the benmingnian (本命年), returns every twelve years; people often wear red, a colour of luck, as a symbolic precaution.
For you, we suggest three simple uses: discover Chinese culture through its festivals, tales and proverbs; use the portrait of your animal as a question (“do I recognise myself?”) rather than as an answer; and never make an important decision about health, money or a relationship on the basis of a sign. For the method, start by calculating your sign, then read the portrait of your animal and the page on your element.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Chinese sign?
It depends on your year of birth and on the date of the Chinese New Year of that year. If you were born before that date, your animal is that of the previous year. Use the calculation page to check it in a few seconds.
How many signs are there in Chinese astrology?
Twelve animals, five elements and two polarities, which gives sixty combinations before the cycle starts again. Each combination appears once every sixty years.
Why is the Cat not in the Chinese zodiac?
In the tale of the Great Race, the Cat arrives too late or falls into the water, often because of the Rat. It is a popular story with many variants; in Vietnam, the Cat replaces the Rabbit.
Is Chinese astrology scientific?
No. It is a cultural and symbolic tradition with no scientific validation. It can serve as a basis for reflection, but not as a prediction or as advice on health, money or a breakup.
Does the Chinese zodiac begin on 1 January?
No. The animal changes at the Chinese New Year, between 21 January and 20 February depending on the year. Some astrologers also use the beginning of the Chinese spring, around 4 February, when reading the eight characters.
Do all Asian countries have the same animals?
Nearly. Vietnam puts the Cat in place of the Rabbit; Japan uses the wild boar instead of the pig; several countries say sheep or ram for the Goat. The order remains the same.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Chinese astrology.