Chinese zodiac explained

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The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the Chinese calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle.[1] In traditional Chinese culture, the Chinese zodiac is very important and exists as a reflection of Chinese philosophy and culture.[2] Chinese folkways held that one's personality is related to the attributes of their zodiac animal.[3] Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain popular in many East Asian and Southeast Asian countries, such as Japan,[4] South Korea,[5] Vietnam, Singapore, Nepal, Bhutan, Cambodia, and Thailand.[6]

Identifying this scheme using the generic term "zodiac" reflects several superficial similarities to the Western zodiac: both have time cycles divided into twelve parts, each label at least the majority of those parts with names of animals, and each is widely associated with a culture of ascribing a person's personality or events in their life to the supposed influence of the person's particular relationship to the cycle. The 12 Chinese zodiac animals in a cycle are not only used to represent years in China, but also believed to influence people's personalities, career, compatibility, marriage, and fortune.[7]

For the starting date of a zodiac year, there are two schools of thought in Chinese astrology: Chinese New Year or the Start of Spring.

History

According to legend, the Jade Emperor held a contest to decide which animals would be lucky enough to be included in the calendar. The winner of the race – the rat – received the first year of the 12-year cycle, and so on.[8]

However, according to historical records and research, the Chinese zodiac appeared after the establishment of the "Ganji Chronicle Law", and the twelve animals corresponded to the twelve branches one by one. People born in any given year have animals belonging to that branch of the earth, and accordingly, twelve animals are used for chronology and the genus of each person.

In the Eastern Han dynasty, Xu Shen said that the character si (巳) was the image of a snake, and the same was true for hai (亥) and shi (豕; 'pig'). Since the twelve Earthly Branches of the zodiac were easily confused, folks replaced them with animals and borrowed the ordinal symbols to match them with the Earthly Branches to form a chronological symbol system.[9]

"Totem and celestial combination theory", puts forth the idea that the zodiac is ancient animal totem worship combined with astronomical images in astronomy. Among them, the explanation of the totem and celestial combinations is more scientific.

Signs

The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat. The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order, each with its associated characteristics (Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branch, yin/yang force, Trine, and nature element).[10] The belief that everyone and every animal has a role to play in society translates well with Confucian beliefs in a hierarchical society. Just as Confucian beliefs persist in Asia today alongside more modern social views, so does the use of the zodiac.[11]

NumberEnglishAnimalEarthly branchYin/yangTrineFixed element
1 Rat shǔ zǐ1st Water
2 Ox niú chǒu2nd Earth
3 Tiger hǔ yín3rd Wood
4 Rabbit tù mǎo4th Wood
5 Dragon / lóng chén1st Earth
6 Snake shé sì2nd Fire
7 Horse / mǎ wǔ3rd Fire
8 Goat yáng wèi4th Earth
9 Monkey hóu shēn1st Metal
10 Rooster / jī yǒu2nd Metal
11 Dog gǒu xū3rd Earth
12 Pig / zhū hài4th Water

In Chinese astrology the animal signs assigned by year represent how others perceive one or how one presents oneself. It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs, and many Western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system. There are also animal signs assigned by month (called "inner animals"), by day (called "true animals"), and hours (called "secret animals"). The Earth is all twelve signs, with five seasons.

Michel Ferlus (2013) notes that the Old Chinese names of the earthly branches are of Austroasiatic origin.[12] Some of Ferlus's comparisons are given below, with Old Chinese reconstructions cited from Baxter & Sagart (2014).[13]

There is also a lexical correspondence with Austronesian:[12]

The terms for the earthly branches are attested from Shang dynasty inscriptions and were likely also used before Shang times. Ferlus (2013) suggests that the terms may have been ancient pre-Shang borrowings from Austroasiatic languages that were spoken in the Yangtze River region.[12]

Chinese calendar

See main article: Chinese calendar.

Years

See main article: Sexagenary cycle. Within the Four Pillars, the year is the pillar representing information about the person's family background and society or relationship with their grandparents. The person's age can also be easily deduced from their sign, the current sign of the year, and the person's generational disposition (teens, mid-20s, and so on). For example, a person born a Tiger is 12, 24, 36, (etc.) years old in the year of the Tiger (2022); in the year of the Rabbit (2023), that person is one year older.

The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the Gregorian calendar for 1924–2043. The sexagenary cycle begins at lichun about February 4 according to some astrological sources.[14] [15]

  Year YearAssociated
animal 		Yin/yangAssociated
element
1924–1983 1984–2043
1Feb 05 1924–Jan 23 1925Feb 02 1984–Feb 19 1985RatYangWood 甲子
2Jan 24 1925–Feb 12 1926Feb 20 1985–Feb 08 1986OxYinWood 乙丑
3Feb 13 1926–Feb 01 1927Feb 09 1986–Jan 28 1987TigerYangFire 丙寅
4Feb 02 1927–Jan 22 1928Jan 29 1987–Feb 16 1988RabbitYinFire 丁卯
5Jan 23 1928–Feb 09 1929Feb 17 1988–Feb 05 1989DragonYangEarth 戊辰
6Feb 10 1929–Jan 29 1930Feb 06 1989–Jan 26 1990SnakeYinEarth 己巳
7Jan 30 1930–Feb 16 1931Jan 27 1990–Feb 14 1991HorseYangMetal 庚午
8Feb 17 1931–Feb 05 1932Feb 15 1991–Feb 03 1992GoatYinMetal 辛未
9Feb 06 1932–Jan 25 1933Feb 04 1992–Jan 22 1993MonkeyYangWater 壬申
10Jan 26 1933–Feb 13 1934Jan 23 1993–Feb 09 1994RoosterYinWater 癸酉
11Feb 14 1934–Feb 03 1935Feb 10 1994–Jan 30 1995DogYangWood 甲戌
12Feb 04 1935–Jan 23 1936Jan 31 1995–Feb 18 1996PigYinWood 乙亥
13Jan 24 1936–Feb 10 1937Feb 19 1996–Feb 06 1997RatYangFire 丙子
14Feb 11 1937–Jan 30 1938Feb 07 1997–Jan 27 1998OxYinFire 丁丑
15Jan 31 1938–Feb 18 1939Jan 28 1998–Feb 15 1999TigerYangEarth 戊寅
16Feb 19 1939–Feb 07 1940Feb 16 1999–Feb 04 2000RabbitYinEarth 己卯
17Feb 08 1940–Jan 26 1941Feb 05 2000–Jan 23 2001DragonYangMetal 庚辰
18Jan 27 1941–Feb 14 1942Jan 24 2001–Feb 11 2002SnakeYinMetal 辛巳
19Feb 15 1942–Feb 04 1943Feb 12 2002–Jan 31 2003HorseYangWater 壬午
20Feb 05 1943–Jan 24 1944Feb 01 2003–Jan 21 2004GoatYinWater 癸未
21Jan 25 1944–Feb 12 1945Jan 22 2004–Feb 08 2005MonkeyYangWood 甲申
22Feb 13 1945–Feb 01 1946Feb 09 2005–Jan 28 2006RoosterYinWood 乙酉
23Feb 02 1946–Jan 21 1947Jan 29 2006–Feb 17 2007DogYangFire 丙戌
24Jan 22 1947–Feb 09 1948Feb 18 2007–Feb 06 2008PigYinFire 丁亥
25Feb 10 1948–Jan 28 1949Feb 07 2008–Jan 25 2009RatYangEarth 戊子
26Jan 29 1949–Feb 16 1950Jan 26 2009–Feb 13 2010OxYinEarth 己丑
27Feb 17 1950–Feb 05 1951Feb 14 2010–Feb 02 2011TigerYangMetal 庚寅
28Feb 06 1951–Jan 26 1952Feb 03 2011–Jan 22 2012RabbitYinMetal 辛卯
29Jan 27 1952–Feb 13 1953Jan 23 2012–Feb 09 2013DragonYangWater 壬辰
30Feb 14 1953–Feb 02 1954Feb 10 2013–Jan 30 2014SnakeYinWater 癸巳
31Feb 03 1954–Jan 23 1955Jan 31 2014–Feb 18 2015HorseYangWood 甲午
32Jan 24 1955–Feb 11 1956Feb 19 2015–Feb 07 2016GoatYinWood 乙未
33Feb 12 1956–Jan 30 1957Feb 08 2016–Jan 27 2017MonkeyYangFire 丙申
34Jan 31 1957–Feb 17 1958Jan 28 2017–Feb 15 2018RoosterYinFire 丁酉
35Feb 18 1958–Feb 07 1959Feb 16 2018–Feb 04 2019DogYangEarth 戊戌
36Feb 08 1959–Jan 27 1960Feb 05 2019–Jan 24 2020PigYinEarth 己亥
37Jan 28 1960–Feb 14 1961Jan 25 2020–Feb 11 2021RatYangMetal 庚子
38Feb 15 1961–Feb 04 1962Feb 12 2021–Jan 31 2022OxYinMetal 辛丑
39Feb 05 1962–Jan 24 1963Feb 01 2022–Jan 21 2023TigerYangWater 壬寅
40Jan 25 1963–Feb 12 1964Jan 22 2023–Feb 09 2024RabbitYinWater 癸卯
41Feb 13 1964–Feb 01 1965Feb 10 2024–Jan 28 2025DragonYangWood 甲辰
42Feb 02 1965–Jan 20 1966Jan 29 2025–Feb 16 2026SnakeYinWood 乙巳
43Jan 21 1966–Feb 08 1967Feb 17 2026–Feb 05 2027HorseYangFire 丙午
44Feb 09 1967–Jan 29 1968Feb 06 2027–Jan 25 2028GoatYinFire 丁未
45Jan 30 1968–Feb 16 1969Jan 26 2028–Feb 12 2029MonkeyYangEarth 戊申
46Feb 17 1969–Feb 05 1970Feb 13 2029–Feb 02 2030RoosterYinEarth 己酉
47Feb 06 1970–Jan 26 1971Feb 03 2030–Jan 22 2031DogYangMetal 庚戌
48Jan 27 1971–Feb 14 1972Jan 23 2031–Feb 10 2032PigYinMetal 辛亥
49Feb 15 1972–Feb 02 1973Feb 11 2032–Jan 30 2033RatYangWater 壬子
50Feb 03 1973–Jan 22 1974Jan 31 2033–Feb 18 2034OxYinWater 癸丑
51Jan 23 1974–Feb 10 1975Feb 19 2034–Feb 07 2035TigerYangWood 甲寅
52Feb 11 1975–Jan 30 1976Feb 08 2035–Jan 27 2036RabbitYinWood 乙卯
53Jan 31 1976–Feb 17 1977Jan 28 2036–Feb 14 2037DragonYangFire 丙辰
54Feb 18 1977–Feb 06 1978Feb 15 2037–Feb 03 2038SnakeYinFire 丁巳
55Feb 07 1978–Jan 27 1979Feb 04 2038–Jan 23 2039HorseYangEarth 戊午
56Jan 28 1979–Feb 15 1980Jan 24 2039–Feb 11 2040GoatYinEarth 己未
57Feb 16 1980–Feb 04 1981Feb 12 2040–Jan 31 2041MonkeyYangMetal 庚申
58Feb 05 1981–Jan 24 1982Feb 01 2041–Jan 21 2042RoosterYinMetal 辛酉
59Jan 25 1982–Feb 12 1983Jan 22 2042–Feb 09 2043DogYangWater 壬戌
60Feb 13 1983–Feb 01 1984Feb 10 2043–Jan 29 2044PigYinWater 癸亥

Animal Trines

First

The first Trine consists of the Rat, Dragon, and Monkey. These three signs are considered intense and powerful individuals capable of great good, who make great leaders but are rather unpredictable. The three are intelligent, generous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent, and artistic, but can also be manipulative, jealous, selfish, aggressive, vindictive, and deceitful.

Second

The second Trine consists of the Ox, Snake, and Rooster. These three signs are said to possess endurance and application, with slow accumulation of energy, meticulous at planning but tending to hold fixed opinions. The three are said to be intelligent, hard-working, modest, industrious, loyal, philosophical, patient, goodhearted, and morally upright, but can also be self-righteous, egotistical, vain, judgmental, narrow-minded, and petty.

Third

The third Trine consists of the Tiger, Horse, and Dog. These three signs are said to seek true love, to pursue humanitarian causes, to be idealistic and independent but tending to be impulsive. The three are said to be productive, enthusiastic, independent, engaging, dynamic, honorable, loyal, and protective, but can also be rash, rebellious, quarrelsome, anxious, disagreeable, and stubborn.

Fourth

The fourth Trine consists of the Rabbit, Goat, and Pig. These three signs are said to have a calm nature and somewhat reasonable approach; they seek aesthetic beauty and are artistic, well-mannered and compassionate, yet detached and resigned to their condition. The three are said to be caring, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, empathetic, tactful, and prudent, but can also be naive, pedantic, insecure, selfish, indecisive, and pessimistic.

Compatibility

As the Chinese zodiac is derived according to the ancient Five Elements Theory, every Chinese sign is associated with five elements with relations, among those elements, of interpolation, interaction, over-action, and counter-action—believed to be the common law of motions and changes of creatures in the universe. Different people born under each animal sign supposedly have different personalities, and practitioners of Chinese astrology consult such traditional details and compatibilities to offer putative guidance in life or for love and marriage.[16] One of the most common ways to explore the compatibility of the zodiac is to use a compatibility chart that shows how each zodiac sign interacts with another zodiac sign.For example, constellations that are considered compatible with each other may have similar values and interests, while constellations that are considered incompatible may have conflicting personalities and ways of communicating.[17]

Chinese zodiac compatibility grid[18]
SignBest match (compatible)Average match (friendly)Super bad (conflict)Harmful (best avoid)
RatDragon, Monkey, OxPig, Tiger, Dog, Snake, Rabbit, Rooster, RatHorseGoat
OxSnake, Rooster, RatMonkey, Dog, Rabbit, Tiger, Dragon, Pig, OxGoatHorse
TigerHorse, Dog, PigRabbit, Dragon, Rooster, Rat, Goat, Ox, TigerMonkeySnake
RabbitPig, Goat, DogTiger, Monkey, Rabbit, Ox, Horse, Rat, SnakeRoosterDragon
DragonRat, Monkey, RoosterTiger, Snake, Horse, Goat, Pig, Ox, DragonDogRabbit
SnakeOx, Rooster, MonkeyHorse, Dragon, Goat, Dog, Rabbit, Rat, SnakePigTiger
HorseDog, Tiger, GoatSnake, Rabbit, Dragon, Rooster, Pig, Monkey, HorseRatOx
GoatRabbit, Pig, HorseSnake, Goat, Dragon, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, TigerOxRat
MonkeyDragon, Rat, SnakeMonkey, Dog, Ox, Goat, Rabbit, Rooster, HorseTigerPig
RoosterOx, Snake, DragonHorse, Rooster, Goat, Pig, Tiger, Monkey, RatRabbitDog
DogTiger, Horse, RabbitMonkey, Pig, Rat, Ox, Snake, Goat, DogDragonRooster
PigRabbit, Goat, TigerRat, Rooster, Dog, Dragon, Horse, Ox, PigSnakeMonkey

Origin stories

There are many stories and fables to explain the beginning of the zodiac. Since the Han dynasty, the twelve Earthly Branches have been used to record the time of day. However, for the sake of entertainment and convenience, they have been replaced by the twelve animals, and a mnemonic refers to the behavior of the animals:

Earthly Branches may refer to a double-hour period.[19] In the latter case it is the center of the period; for instance, 马 (Horse) means noon as well as a period from 11:00 to 13:00.

AnimalPronunciationPeriodThis is the time when...
Zishi 23:00 to 00:59 Rats are most active in seeking food. Rats also have a different number of digits on front and hind legs, thus earning Rat the symbol of "turn over" or "new start"
Ox Choushi 01:00 to 02:59 Oxen begin to chew the cud slowly and comfortably
Yinshi 03:00 to 04:59 Tigers hunt their prey more and show their ferocity
Maoshi 05:00 to 06:59 The Jade Rabbit is busy pounding herbal medicine on the Moon according to the tale
Chenshi 07:00 to 08:59 Dragons are hovering in the sky to give rain
Sishi 09:00 to 10:59 Snakes are leaving their caves
Wushi 11:00 to 12:59 The sun is high overhead and while other animals are lying down for a rest, horses are still standing
Weishi 13:00 to 14:59 Goats eat grass and urinate frequently
Shenshi 15:00 to 16:59 Monkeys are lively
Youshi 17:00 to 18:59 Roosters begin to get back to their coops
Xushi 19:00 to 20:59 Dogs carry out their duty of guarding the houses
Haishi 21:00 to 22:59 Pigs are sleeping sweetly

Great Race

An ancient folktale[20] called "The Great Race" tells of the Jade Emperor's decree that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they reached him. To get there, the animals would have to cross a river.

Variations

Another version of the folktale tells that the Rat deceived the Ox into letting it jump on its back by promising the Ox that it could hear the Rat sing,[21] before jumping off at the finish line and finishing first. Another variant says that the Rat cheated the Cat out its place at the finish line, by hiding on the back of the Dog, who was too focused to notice that he had a stow-away. The Cat tried to attack the rat in retaliation, but hurt the Dog by accident. This is said to account for the antagonistic dynamic between cats and rats, beyond normal predator and prey behavior, and also why dogs and cats fight.

In Chinese mythology, a story tells that the cat was tricked by the Rat so it could not go to the banquet. This is why the Cat is ultimately not part of the Chinese zodiac.

In Buddhism, legend has it that Gautama Buddha summoned all of the animals of the Earth to come before him before his departure from this Earth, but only twelve animals actually came to bid him farewell. To reward the animals who came to him, he named a year after each of them. The years were given to them in the order they had arrived.

The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were developed in the early stages of Chinese civilization, so therefore it is difficult to investigate its real origins. Most historians agree that the Cat is not included, as cats had not yet been introduced to China from India with the arrival of Buddhism. Until recently, however, the Vietnamese have moved away from their traditional texts[22] and literature and, unlike all other countries who follow the Sino lunar calendar, include the Cat instead of the Rabbit as a zodiac animal. The most common explanation for this would be that cats are worshipped by farmers in East Asia, who believe that cats' luck and prosperity protects their crops.[23] Another popular cultural reason is that the ancient word for rabbit (Mao) sounds like cat (Meo).[24]

Adaptations

The Chinese zodiac signs are also used by cultures other than Chinese. For one example, they usually appear on Korean New Year and Japanese New Year's cards and stamps. The United States Postal Service and several other countries' postal services issue a "Year of the ____" postage stamp each year to honor this Chinese heritage.

The zodiac is also widely used in commercial culture, for example, in the Chinese New Year market, various products related to the zodiac, such as crafts, toys, books, accessories, paintings and so on are popular.

The Chinese lunar coins, depicting the zodiac animals, inspired the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins, as well as varieties from Australia, South Korea, and Mongolia.

The Chinese zodiac is also used in some other Asian countries that have been under the cultural influence of China. However, some of the animals in the zodiac may differ by country.

Asian

The Korean zodiac includes the Sheep (yang) instead of the Goat (which would be yeomso), although the Chinese source of the loanword yang may refer to any goat-antelope.

The Japanese zodiac includes the Sheep (hitsuji) instead of the Goat (which would be yagi), and the Wild boar (inoshishi, i) instead of the Pig (buta).[25] Since 1873, the Japanese have celebrated the beginning of the new year on 1 January as per the Gregorian calendar.

The Vietnamese zodiac varies from the Chinese zodiac with the second animal being the Water Buffalo instead of the Ox, and the fourth animal being the Cat instead of the Rabbit. The Cambodian zodiac is exactly identical to that of the Chinese although the dragon is interchangeable with the Neak (nāga) Cambodian sea snake.[26] Sheep and Goat are interchangeable as well. The Cambodian New Year is celebrated in April, rather than in January or February as it is in China and most countries.[27] [28]

The Cham zodiac uses the same order as the Chinese zodiac, but replaces the Monkey with the turtle (known locally as kra).

Similarly the Malay zodiac is identical to the Chinese but replaces the Rabbit with the mousedeer (pelanduk) and the Pig with the tortoise (kura or kura-kura).[29] The Dragon (Loong) is normally equated with the nāga but it is sometimes called Big Snake (ular besar) while the Snake sign is called Second Snake (ular sani). This is also recorded in a 19th-century manuscript compiled by John Leyden.[30]

The Thai zodiac includes a nāga in place of the Dragon[31] and begins, not at the Chinese New Year, but either on the first day of the fifth month in the Thai lunar calendar, or during the Songkran New Year festival (now celebrated every 13–15 April), depending on the purpose of the use.[32] Historically, Lan Na (Kingdom around Northern Thailand) also replaces pig with elephant. While modern Thai have returned to pig, its name is still กุน (gu̜n), retaining the actual word for elephant in the zodiac.[33]

The Gurung zodiac in Nepal includes a Cow instead of an Ox, a Cat instead of Rabbit, an Eagle instead of a Dragon (Loong), a Bird instead of a Rooster, and a Deer instead of a Pig.

The Bulgar calendar used from the 2nd century[34] and that has been only partially reconstructed uses a similar sixty-year cycle of twelve animal-named years groups.[35]

The Old Mongol calendar uses the Mouse, the Ox, the Leopard, the Hare, the Crocodile, the Serpent, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Hen, the Dog and the Hog.[36]

The Tibetan calendar replaces the Rooster with the bird.

The Volga Bulgars, Kazars and other Turkic peoples replaced some animals by local fauna: Leopard (instead of Tiger), Fish or Crocodile (instead of Dragon/Loong), Hedgehog (instead of Monkey), Elephant (instead of Pig), and Camel (instead of Rat/Mouse).[37] [38]

In the Persian version of the Eastern zodiac brought by Mongols during the Middle Ages, the Chinese word lóng and Mongol word lū (Dragon) was translated as nahang meaning "water beast", and may refer to any dangerous aquatic animal both mythical and real (crocodiles, hippos, sharks, sea serpents, etc.). In the 20th century the term nahang is used almost exclusively as meaning Whale, thus switching the Loong for the Whale in the Persian variant.[39] [40]

In the traditional Kazakh version of the twelve-year animal cycle (Kazakh: мүшел, müşel), the Dragon is replaced by a snail (Kazakh: ұлу, ulw), and the Tiger appears as a leopard (Kazakh: барыс, barıs).[41]

In the Kyrgyz version of the Chinese zodiac (Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: мүчөл, müçöl) the words for the Dragon (Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: улуу, uluu), Monkey (Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: мечин, meçin) and Tiger (Kirghiz; Kyrgyz: барс, bars) are only found in Chinese zodiac names, other animal names include Mouse, Cow, Rabbit, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Chicken, Dog and Wild boar.[42]

Chinese Zodiac by Ethnic Group
Ethnic Group123456789101112
ChineseRatOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyRoosterDogPig
KoreanRatOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyRoosterDogPig
JapaneseRatOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyRoosterDogWild Boar
VietnameseRatWater BuffaloTigerCatDragonSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyRoosterDogPig
CambodianRatOxTigerRabbitNāgaSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyRoosterDogPig
ChamRatOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseGoatTurtleRoosterDogPig
MalayRatOxTigerMousedeerNāgaSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyRoosterDogTortoise
ThaiRatOxTigerRabbitNāgaSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyRoosterDogElephant
GurungRatCowTigerCatEagleSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyBirdDogDeer
BulgarRatOxTiger/WolfRabbitDragonSnakeHorseRamMonkeyRoosterDogBoar
Old MongolianRatOxLeopardHareCrocodileSerpentHorseSheepMonkeyHenDogHog
TibetanRatOxTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyBirdDogPig
KazarsCamelOxLeopardRabbitFish/CrocodileSnakeHorseGoatHedgehogRoosterDogElephant
PersianRatOxTigerRabbitWhaleSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyRoosterDogPig
KazakhsRatOxLeopardRabbitSnailSnakeHorseGoatMonkeyRoosterDogPig
KyrgyzMouseCowTigerRabbitDragonSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyChickenDogWild Boar
TurkmenMouseCowTigerRabbitDragon/FishSnakeHorseSheepMonkeyChickenDogPig
Chinese Zodiac by Ethnic Group (Native Names)
Ethnic Group123456789101112
ChamTikuhKubaoRimaongTapayInagiraiUlanaihAthaihPabaiyKraManukAthauPapwiy
ꨓꨪꨆꨭꩍꨆꨭꨯꨝꨱꨣꨪꨠꨯꨱꨮꨓꨚꩈ꩓ꨘꨈꨪꨣꨰꨂꨤꨘꨰꩍꨀꨔꨰꩍꨚꨝꨰꩈꨆꨴꨠꨘꨭꩀꨀꨔꨭꨮꨚꩇꨥꨪꩈ
MalayTikusKerbauHarimauPelandukNagaUlarKudaKambingMonyetAyam JantanAnjingKura-kura
تيکوسکرباوريماوڤلندوقاولر بسراولر ثانيکوداکمبيڠموڽيتأيمأنجيڠکورا
BulgarSomorShegorVer?Dvan[sh]Ver[eni]?DilomImen[shegor]?Teku[chitem]?TohEthDohs
TurkmenSyçan SygyrBarsTowşanLuw~balykÝylanÝylkyGoýunBijinTowukItDoňuz
سیچانسیغربارسطاوشانلو~بالیقییلانیلقیقویونبیجینطاویقایتدونگغز

English translation

Due to confusion with synonyms during translation, some of the animals depicted by the English words did not exist in ancient China. For example:

See also

References

Sources

External links

  1. Web site: The Chinese Zodiac . 2023-12-27 . Timothy S. Y. Lam Museum of Anthropology . en.
  2. Web site: Chinese Zodiac Home . 2023-12-27 . UW Departments Web Server.
  3. Gao . Jinlin . Joh . Yoon-kyoung . 2019-04-30 . Chinese Zodiac Culture and the Rhetorical Construction of A Shu B, C . Lanaguage Research . en . 55 . 1 . 2 . 10.30961/lr.2019.55.1.55 . free . Seoul National University . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240106115356/https://s-space.snu.ac.kr/bitstream/10371/153111/1/03%2019-004%20Jinlin%20Gao%20and%20Yoon-kyoung%20Joh.pdf . Jan 6, 2024 .
  4. Web site: The Twelve Japanese Zodiac Signs. Abe. Namiko. ThoughtCo. en. 2019-07-16. 2017-10-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20171014105037/https://www.thoughtco.com/japanese-zodiac-overview-2028019. live.
  5. Web site: Chinese Zodiac and Chinese Year Animals. astroica.com. 2019-07-16. 2011-03-24. https://web.archive.org/web/20110324135646/https://www.astroica.com/chinese-astrology/chinese-zodiac/. live.
  6. Web site: Animals of the Thai Zodiac and the Twelve Year Cycle. 2011-09-08. Thaizer. en-GB. 2019-07-16. 2012-08-14. https://web.archive.org/web/20120814163343/https://www.thaizer.com/culture-shock/animals-of-the-thai-zodiac-and-the-twelve-year-cycle/. live.
  7. Web site: Chinese Zodiac: 2024 Year of Dragon, 12 Animal Signs, Calculator . 2023-12-26 . www.travel china guide.com.
  8. Web site: Markarian . Taylor . 2023-08-12 . The 12 Chinese Astrology Signs and What They Mean for You . 2023-12-26 . Reader's Digest . en-US.
  9. Web site: 2020-10-22 . The origin of the twelve zodiac signs is like this. . 2023-12-26 . author.baidu.com . zh.
  10. Theodora Lau, The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes, pp. 2–8, 30–35, 60–64, 88–94, 118–124, 148–153, 178–184, 208–213, 238–244, 270–278, 306–312, 338–344, Souvenir Press, New York, 2005
  11. Web site: Learn the History of the Chinese Zodiac . 2023-12-26 . ThoughtCo . en.
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