The Chinese Zodiac or what we know as Shio consists of 12 animal symbols that describe special years. Your year of birth is represented by one of these animals, and according to your zodiac sign, you will have facts about the personality trait that the animal symbolizes. But did you know that it has a much deeper meaning than just a description of personality? The Four Pillars of Destiny know from the “Clock” when you were born. See Step 1 to begin a plan of your destiny.
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Part 1 of 2: Understanding the Chinese Zodiac Symbol
Step 1. Find Animal Symbols based on your year of birth
Check the data below to find your year of birth and the coat of arms of your animal. (Chinese astrology determines your animal symbol based on your year of birth in Chinese astrology, which starts on or around February 4th each year. Year of your birth and your matching Zodiac animal:
- 1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 - RAT(鼠)
- 1901, 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009- Buffalo(牛)
- 1902, 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010- TIGER(虎)
- 1903, 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011- RABBIT(兔)
- 1904, 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012- DRAGON(龙)
- 1905, 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013- SNAKE(蛇)
- 1906, 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 - HORSE(马)
- 1907, 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 - GOAT(羊)
- 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 - MONKEY(猴)
- 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 - CHICKEN(鸡)
- 1910, 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 - DOG(狗)
- 1911, 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 - PIG(猪)
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Remember to count using the ''Chinese calendar'''. Chinese New Year falls around February 4. If you were born before Chinese New Year, you are technically born in the previous year. Check to see when the new year is for your specific year
Some refer to the Goat as a sheep or sheep
Step 2. Read about your Chinese zodiac character
Similar to Western Astrology, each Symbol is usually associated with several characters. Here are some explanations of what the symbol looks like.
- Rat: This zodiac describes someone who has a spirit, witty nature, alert, subtle, flexible, and strong. Rat people are intelligent, sociable, ambitious people, usually they will become rich and very successful. However, they also lack self-confidence, lack concentration and stability, and are not ready for some leadership positions.
- Dragon: This zodiac describes someone who is intelligent, believes in his abilities and is romantic. They are also lively, intelligent, energetic and easily attracted to something. They can be good leaders, they always direct everything to perfection. However, they can be arrogant and impatient and sometimes become "too" self-confident.
- Ape: This Shio describes the character of someone who is very smart. They are agile, flexible, responsive, and very talented at solving problems. And they are also very forthright! Weakness? They can be a bit jealous, indifferent, and selfish.
- Buffalo: This zodiac describes someone who is intelligent, confident, and naturally born to be a leader. Those who have this zodiac also have the nature of being honest, diligent, patient and above all else, they do everything steadily. No matter what it was, they always enforced obedience firmly. After all, they are very polite and well-mannered, but they are stubborn and not good at communicating.
- Snake: This zodiac is very charming and talented in communication, short but very effective. They are very moral and filled with wisdom. Most of the Shio owners think that money is not a problem. However, they can become jealous and suspicious and often tend to overdo things.
- Chicken: People of the zodiac sign are deep thinkers, often considered honest, intelligent, communicative, and kind and compassionate. They have a fairly high sense of self and their life and they want to be independent. However, they find it difficult to relate to other people and assume that they are always right
- Tiger: Those with the Tiger zodiac are people who have a tolerant, brave, kind, intelligent, and respectable attitude. They love a challenge and are very good at expressing themselves. They get angry easily and are not easily attracted to many things.
- Horse: The owner of this zodiac is cheerful, responsive, kind to others and happy to adventure. They are smart and talented, and can entertain well. However, they can be impatient, uninterested, and not serious.
- Dog: Dog zodiac people are usually loyal, brave, warm, responsible, intelligent, and realistic people. They can also easily inspire confidence in other areas. However, they are unstable, sharp-mouthed, and easily get into trouble.
- Rabbit: This zodiac has a gentle, sensitive, caring, friendly, and humble nature. They also have a sense of humor and they can also add color to their lives -- mainly because they can't afford to do something boring. However, they tend to squander money and are stubborn and are also typical of someone who wants to do things without anyone being able to stop them.
- Goat: People of the zodiac goat are people who have a fairly high sympathetic sense, polite, smart, gentle, and kind. They value art and beauty and also love their livelihood. However, they have a shy, pessimistic, moody and anxious nature.
- Pig: This zodiac sign shows someone who is smart, brave, honest, very polite, and dashing. They are tolerant, calm, and optimistic. They hate conflict and this zodiac sign doesn't lie easily. Even so, sometimes they are reckless and don't know when to do something because they think it's wrong
Step 3. Get to know more about your Shio
We'll talk about 3 topics: Your Lucky Numbers and Colors, and whether you're a yin or yang symbol. We will explain more about yin and yang in the next section; Today, know that everyone has 2 sides to him or her, but one side is typically more obvious (according to the zodiac).
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Rat:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky number: 2, 3
- Lucky colors: blue, gold, green
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Dragon:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky numbers: 1, 7, 6
- Lucky Colors: blue, silver, hoary.
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Ape:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky numbers: 1, 8, 7
- Lucky colors: white, gold, blue
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Buffalo:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky Number: 9, 1
- Lucky colors: blue, red, purple
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Snake:
- Yin Symbol
- Lucky Numbers: 2, 8, 9
- Lucky colors: red, bright yellow, black
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Chicken
- Yin Symbol
- Lucky Numbers: 7, 5, 8
- Lucky colors: gold, brown, tawny, yellow
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Tiger:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky numbers: 1, 3, 4
- Lucky colors: blue, gray, white, orange
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Horse:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky Numbers: 2, 3, 7
- Lucky colors: brown, yellow, purple
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Dog:
- Yang Symbol
- Lucky Numbers: 3, 4, 9
- Lucky colors: green, red, purple
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Rabbit:
- Yin Symbol
- Lucky Numbers: 1, 4, 9
- Lucky colors: red, pink, purple, blue
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Goat:
- Yin Symbol
- Lucky Numbers: 3, 9, 4
- Lucky colors: green, red, purple
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Pig:
- Yin Symbol
- Lucky numbers: 2, 5, 8
- Lucky colors: yellow, gray, brown, gold
Step 4. Get to know the zodiac partner that suits you best
It is believed that one zodiac sign with another has a compatible (or even, very, very “un” compatible) romance. Here's what we believe to make (and make) relationships easier:
- Rat: the zodiac that matches the zodiac of the mouse is the dragon, monkey, and buffalo; The ones that are not compatible with mice are the zodiac of goats, horses, and rabbits
- Dragon: the zodiac that is most compatible with the dragon zodiac is the rat, monkey, and rooster zodiac; while this zodiac is not compatible with the buffalo, rabbit, and dog zodiac.
- Ape: this zodiac is most compatible with the zodiac of mice, dragons, and snakes; but not compatible with the tiger and pig zodiac
- Buffalo: the buffalo zodiac is very compatible with those who are rat, snake, and rooster zodiac; while they are not compatible with the horse, dog and goat zodiac
- Snake: snake zodiac is very compatible with buffalo and rooster zodiac; not compatible with tigers and pigs.
- Chicken: the most compatible with the zodiac of the rooster is the zodiac of buffalo, dragon, and snake; This zodiac is not compatible with the zodiac of mice, rabbits, and dogs.
- Tiger: the zodiac that is most compatible with the zodiac of the tiger is the zodiac of the horse, and the dog; This zodiac is not compatible with the snake and monkey zodiac.
- Horse: the horse zodiac is very compatible with the tiger, goat, and dog zodiac; This zodiac is not compatible with the snake and monkey zodiac
- Dog: the zodiac that is very compatible with this zodiac is the tiger, rabbit, and horse zodiac; This zodiac is not compatible with the zodiac buffalo, dragon, goat, and chicken
- Rabbit: this zodiac is compatible with the zodiac of goats, pigs, and dogs; The zodiac that is less compatible with the rabbit zodiac is the mouse and dragon zodiac.
- Goat: Goat zodiac is very compatible with Rabbit, Horse and Pig zodiac; Goat zodiac is not compatible with buffalo and dog zodiac
- Pig: the most compatible with this zodiac is the zodiac goat and rabbit; Pig zodiac is not compatible with snake, monkey and pig zodiac
Part 2 of 2: Understand the Four Pillars of Destiny
Step 1. Don't just stop at your zodiac sign
Moreover, there are far more other Chinese Astrology apart from these 12 zodiacs. This includes the Four Pillars of Destiny – which still uses the Chinese zodiac, but goes much further. The Four Pillars of destiny use your birth year "and" the month, day and time (hour) of your birth as well. This is similar to the natal chart used in Western Astrology. The Four Pillars of Destiny are believed to be more accurate, and tell more about your personal life than your zodiac sign as a whole.
Step 2. The four pillars of destiny have four factors in their composition
It is also combined with yin and yang and the 5 elements (water, earth, wood, metal, fire). It is believed to determine your luck, prosperity, age, happiness and health year after year.
Step 3. Chinese astrology works in 60-year cycles
If you're a mathematician with some spare time, you can break the pattern from all of these ideas to the sexagesimal cycle (sexagesimal is a number system that uses the number 60 as a base)
Step 4. Know the “core” of your animal symbol
Let's take a closer look at the animal your year of birth. Your zodiac sign is believed to be from the month in which you were born. This is believed to determine your life in later years or information about your parents. This is where it relates to the Western calendar:
Step 5. Understand how the Pillars of your day work
This is the third pillar, believed to provide information about your adulthood or life after marriage. One thing that is quite important! Again, this is a sexagesimal cycle that begins when the sun reaches 315° longitude and ends when it reaches 330° longitude. Therefore, between years there are only slight differences.
Since it can be cumbersome to list the entire 60 day cycle, it's a good idea to use an online calculator to find the element and zodiac sign for your day. If you feel very bored, record the whole cycle
Step 6. Know your pet's secret
In the Four Pillars of Destiny, the time you were born represents your ultimate and most important personal pillar – and also determines your “animal secret.” This idea first becomes the truest depiction of yourself, the person who has been covered by the layers and influences of growth and the natural environment. It is also useful for describing information about your children or your seniors. Here's how it's written:
- 1:00 - 03:00 AM: Buffalo
- 3:00 - 5:00 AM: Tiger
- 5:00 - 7:00 AM: Rabbit
- 7:00 - 9:00 AM: Dragon
- 9:00 - 11:00 AM: Snake
- 11:00 - 1:00 PM: Horse
- 1:00 - 3:00 PM: Goat
- 3:00 - 5:00 PM: Ape
- 5:00 - 7:00 PM: Chicken
- 7:00 - 9:00 PM: Dog
- 9:00 - 11:00 PM: Pig
- 11:00 - 1:00 AM: Rat
Step 7. Identify whether you are yin or yang
Here are some considerations:
- One of each year is yin or yang. “Odd” years are yin and “even” years are yang. Whatever the year is now, that is the side of the spectrum that tends to be depressing.
- Each zodiac sign is either yin or yang. Take a look at the section above to find out what your zodiac sign is. This is the side of your personality that naturally has more power – though anything can change in the star lineup.
- Yin is associated with indifference, coldness, femininity, obedience, and dark energy. While Yang describes liveliness, warmth, masculinity, aggressiveness, and bright energy. Before you assume anything bad, understand that everyone has both sides. – it's just a cycle. Say you will start with Yin, until you develop and turn into yang. And also take into account the year Yin or Yang!
Step 8. Know your element
Almost complete! Now you will recognize your element. From the outside, this is very simple. Just use the last digit in your year of birth!
- 0 or 1: Metal
- 2 or 3: Water
- 4 or 5: Wood
- 6 or 7: Fire
- 8 or 9: Land
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What does this mean? Again, this is a cycle, this section emphasizes movement and change. Whatever the element you will naturally be suppressed, but how does that mix with the elements of the current year? It is believed that the element of the year is the dominant one – some years will work “with” your element, while others will “contradict”, creating harmony and dissonance.
- This is believed to be two cycles: a cycle of creativity and a cycle of destructiveness.
- For example, water extinguishes fire but ignites wood and so on. Each element affects the other things in a different way, the ideal is to create the perfect balance.
- It is also believed that the elements are depicted with the 4 seasons. Wood is the strongest thing in spring, fire in summer, Earth during the change of seasons, and so on.
- Each element reigns for 2 years in a row. The cycle will repeat every 10 years (this becomes 5 elements and everything)
Step 9. Know the 10 celestial trunks and the 12 earthly branches
You have your own complicated zodiac, but years know more about that too; one of the stems connected to a branch. For example, the year 2002 had a “Water Yang Trunk” in “Horse Twig”. The horse's branch not only had Yin Flame behind it, but also Yin Land. It shows how your pillars adjust to each year that determines the cycle of your destiny.
Step 10. The ten heavenly rods are a combination of yin and yang and the five elements of the world
Therefore, your choices are Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water, Yin Water.
Step 11. This refers to the 60 year cycle as discussed above
Year 1 is the year of the Wood Rat; would be the same as year 61, cycled though not with a repetition before that.
Step 12. The Twelve Branches of worldliness are the zodiac we discussed earlier
As you know, the one you find in the Chinese zodiac list.
Step 13. Work with your cycle
Remember that this is a plan or a map. This cannot be changed. Nothing to worry about! The Chinese believe that it is a science to make you very strong – you will become better at overcoming obstacles and seizing opportunities when you need them. In other words, you can always do the right thing at the right time.
Remember that luck and all positive things don't just happen. This chart tells you, at any given moment, it has “potential”. You have to go and get it! By getting to know this chart, you will know when it is and when you should move with the stars
Step 14. Talk to an astrologer or someone who is a Feng Shui expert
To find out which season (part of the cycle, not winter) or what year is better or worse, talk to someone who specializes in Chinese Astrology,. They'll be able to pinpoint things when you're lucky and be candid when you're unlucky. Some seasons(days, even) will be better than others (especially in taking action) and they can describe the cycle for you.
Step 15. Bring your lucky symbol
Let's say that you are a goat and this year is your unlucky year, but a good year for the Ox. Bring a small accessory from the buffalo around you to reduce the negative aura around you.
Step 16. Use an online calculator if you want to understand your zodiac sign easily
Remember Chinese calculations -- if you enter your time of birth, some calculators can do it for you. And don't forget the new year!
Tips
- Put yourself in the right frame of mind. It emphasizes the Buddhist principle, which says that you should be able to accept life's destiny happily. This will all come in time!
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Chinese forecasts are now available online, but they won't be as precise as if you calculate a “birth chart”.
Always compare your birthday to the Chinese calendar month which indicates the Chinese star in spring. This date is about 6 weeks before the Vernal Equinox (mid-March) and ranges from late January to the first week of February. So your zodiac forecast is always based on the lunar calendar. For example, 1985 was the year of the ox, and the beginning of spring in 1985 was February 4th. So you were born on February 3, 1985, and your zodiac sign is a rat; If you were born the day after on February 4, 1985 your Chinese zodiac sign is Ox
