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What are the Chinese New Year Animals?
Did you know that there is a different Chinese New Year animal associated with each solar-lunar year in a twelve-year cycle? If you don’t know yours, you can easily look that up. Be sure to find a chart that indicates exact months and days, though, just to be sure, since the Gregorian calendar is different from the lunar.
Positive and negative characteristics
Just like sun signs in Western astrology, certain characteristics are linked with each Chinese New Year animal. Though most popular charts emphasize only the positive, remember that with every positive there also comes a negative.
The story behind the animals of the Chinese zodiac
The story goes that the Jade Emperor instituted a race to see which animals would represent the cycles and in what order. The years are ordered in the way the animals finished the race. Though these character details are very shallow compared the complexity of a real reading, here are the main traits associated with each Chinese New Year animal. The positive ones are what each animal is usually, and the negative what might be sometimes.
Other things to consider when determining your Chinese horoscope symbol
This chart, however, is only a beginning taste of what your Chinese horoscope would really be. You also have to consider the elements, your year, day and time fall under, very similarly to the Western zodiac. The elements are metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. Have fun figuring out your Chinese New Year animal sign with your family and friends!
Rat– Positive: smart, charming, driven, friendly, careful, talented, clever. Negative: Too driven, jealous, critical, a schemer.
Ox– Positive: gentle, reliable, a good leader, serene, a hard worker, sticks to things. Negative: obstinate, overly conservative, bad-tempered, materialistic.
Tiger– Positive: brave, strong, stimulating, warm, generous, deep feelings, a good lover. Negative: impulsive, aggressive, changeable, hard to predict.
Rabbit– Positive: gentle, friendly, lucky, elegant, kind, shy, quiet. Negative: detached, overly indulgent, hard-headed.
Dragon– Positive: strong, proud, noble, extremely generous, poised, faithful, eccentric. Negative: proud, angry, pushy, bossy.
Snake– Positive: wise, pensive, mystical, shrewd, faithful, well-balanced, careful. Negative: poor communicator, indulgent of themselves, tendency to lie, possessive.
Horse– Positive: well-liked, happy, witty, charismatic, smart, open-minded. Negative: changeable, stubborn, too proud, gullible.
Goat– Positive: shy, artistic, nurturing, understanding, gentle, desires security, peaceful. Negative: too passive, complainer, anxious, slow to make up mind.
Monkey– Positive: clever, a good motivator, inventive, likes to solve puzzles or problems, friendly in groups, assured, smart. Negative: snobby, mendacious, jealous, selfish.
Rooster– deep thinking, talented, devoted, enjoy seeing others succeed, shy but brave, ordered. Negative: moody, outspoken, selfish, critical.
Dog– Positive: good leader, idealistic, a good listener, loyal, trustworthy, inspiring, honest. Negative: eccentric, cold, sharp-tongued.
Pig– Positive: smart, helpful, good taste, enjoys the good life, brave, noble, chivalrous. Negative: perfectionistic, stubborn, don’t like manual labor, naive.
Chinese Horoscope Sings Compatibility
Just like in the Western Horoscope Signs, each Chinese New Year animal has compatibilities and incompatibilities, with some animals getting along better than others.
For example, rabbits get along great with pigs and dogs, but rarely with roosters and rats. What to find the perfect mate? A good friend? A good work partner? Check out Chinese Zodiac Compatibility.