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Chinese astrology (as it is known today) is the divination of the future from the Chinese calendar, particularly its 12-year cycle of animals, referred to as the Chinese Zodiac. This fortune-telling system is derived from the principle characteristics of the system: the Zodiac, the five elements of Chinese thought, calendrical cycles based on astronomy, and ancient Chinese religion.
The Chinese Zodiac refers to a pure calendrical cycle: there are no equivalent constellations like those of the occidental zodiac. In imperial times there were astrologers who watched the sky for heavenly omens that would predict the future of the state, but this was a quite different practice of divination than the popular present-day methods.
The ancient Chinese astronomers called the five major planets by the names of the element they were associated with: Venus corresponds to Metal (gold); Jupiter to Wood; Mercury to Water; Mars to Fire; Saturn to Earth. It is said that the position of these planets, along with the positions of the Sun, Moon, any comets in the sky as well as time of birth and Zodiac Sign can determine a person's destiny according to Chinese Astrology.
A laborious system of computing one's fate and destiny based on one's birthday and birth hours (known as Zi Wei Dou Shu 紫微斗數 zǐwēidǒushù) is still used regularly in modern day Chinese astrology to divine one's fortune. The twenty-eight Chinese constellations (宿 xìu) are quite different from the eighty-eight Western constellations. For example, the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) is known as 斗 dǒu; the belt of Orion is known as 參 shen, or the "Happiness, Fortune, Longevity" trio of demigods. The seven northern constellations are referred to as xúanwǔ (玄武). Xuan Wu is also known as the spirit of the northern sky or the spirit of Water in Taoism belief.
In addition to astrological readings of the heavenly bodies, the stars in the sky form the basis of many fairy tales. For example, the Summer Triangle is the trio of the cowherd (Altair), the weaving maiden fairy (Vega) and the "tai bai" fairy (Deneb). The two forbidden lovers were separated by the silvery river (the Milky Way). Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, the birds form a bridge across the Milky Way. The cowherd carries their two sons (the two stars on each side of Altair) across the bridge to reunite with their fairy mother. The tai bai fairy acts as the chaperone of these two immortal lovers. See Qi Xi for more versions of this story.
The cycles of years that are in use nowadays are derived from the age-old sexagenary cycle of 60 days that has been documented at least since the time of the Shang Dynasty. This basic cycle has been constructed from two cycles: the 10 heavenly stems and the 12 earthly branches, and this has later been applied to years instead of days.
There is a binary Yin and Yang cycle, which enlarges the five elements cycle to a cycle of 10 (seen below). Even years are yang, odd years are yin. The cycle proceeds as follows:
* If the year ends in 0 it is Yang Metal.* If the year ends in 1 it is Yin Metal.
* If the year ends in 2 it is Yang Water.
* If the year ends in 3 it is Yin Water.
* If the year ends in 4 it is Yang Wood.
* If the year ends in 5 it is Yin Wood.
* If the year ends in 6 it is Yang Fire.
* If the year ends in 7 it is Yin Fire.
* If the Year ends in 8 it is Yang Earth.
* If the year ends in 9 it is Yin Earth.
Note however, that the cycle follows the same Chinese Lunar calendar as the Animal signs, not the Western year. So, for example, if a person was born in January 1970, his or her element would still be Yin Earth, not Yang Metal. Since the zodiac animal cycle of 12 is divisible by two, every zodiac sign can only occur in either yin or yang: the dragon is always yang, the snake is always yin, etc. This combination creates a 60-year cycle, starting with Wood Rat and ending with Water Pig. The current cycle began in the year 1984 (as shown in "Table of the lunar calendar and zodiac" below).
Five elements
The Yin or Yang is broken down into Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth) on top of the cycle of animals. These are modifiers and afflict the characteristics of each of the 12 animal signs. Each element has features that apply to both years and the animals. Each of the 12 animals are governed by an element plus a Yin Yang Direction. They are divided into 4 groups.
The balance of yin and yang and the five elements in a person's make-up has a major bearing on what is beneficial and effective for them in terms of feng shui, the Chinese form of geomancy. This is because each element is linked to a particular direction and season, and their different kinds of qì or life force.
Metal
* The West* Autumn
* The Planet Venus
* The Color White
* Respiratory system & Lungs
* Determined, Self-reliant
* Unyielding, Strong
* Persistent, Forceful
* Sophistication, Enjoys comforts, pleasure
* Reserved,Needs Personal Space
'Governs' Monkey, Rooster and Dog. These three signs form the Chinese Autumn season, between 7 or 8 of August and 6 or 7 of November, approximately. The major "gods" (heavenly stems) of these signs are geng (yang Metal), xin (yin Metal) and wei (yang Earth) respectively.
Wood
* The East* Spring
* The Planet Jupiter
* The Color Green
* Liver and gallbladder
* Generous, Warm
* Persuasive, Co-operative
* Seeks to Expand and Grow
* Idealistic, Ethical
* Enthusiastic, Seeks to Explore
'Governs' Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon
Water
* The North* Winter
* The Planet Mercury
* The Color Black
* Skeletal/Excretory System & Lungs
* Diplomatic, Charming
* Intuitive, Compassionate
* Communication, Intellectual
* Sensitivity, Creative
* Flexible, Compliant
'Governs' Pig, Rat, Ox
Fire
* The South* Summer
* The Planet Mars
* The Color Red
* Circulatory system & Heart
* Dynamic, Energetic
* Passion, Enterprise
* Adventurous, Restless
* Competitive, Leadership Skills
* Strong, Single-minded
'Governs' Snake, Horse, goat
Earth
* China* Center
* Three Enclosures, Change of seasons
* The Planet Saturn
* The Color Yellow
* Digestive system, Spleen and stomach
* Patient, Prudent
* Stable, Reliable
* Hard-working, Ambitious
* Disciplined, Logical
* Service and Duty to Others
'Governs' Dragon, Dog, Ram, and Ox. It is the central balance of the elements and can lend qualities to all 12 animals as well.
Some websites denote the years by the colour and zodiac sign as opposed to animal sign and element.
The twelve animals
Each individual personality is associated with an animal which represents it. This is where many Chinese Astrology descriptions in western society draw solely from. Each year in the 60 year cycle contains twelve animals, each with five possible elements, which distinctively vary the base animal's personality which equals to 90 possible combinations.
1. Rat2. Ox
3. Tiger
4. Rabbit
5. Dragon
6. Snake
7. Horse
8. Sheep
9. Monkey
10. Rooster
11. Dog
12. Pig
Inner animals and secret animals
It is a common misconception that there are only the singular animals assigned by year. These yearly cycles represent what others perceive you as being: while a person might appear to be a dragon they might actually be a snake internally and an ox secretively. Combined with 5 elements, this makes for 8640 combinations (5 elements, 12 animals, 12 months, 12 times of day). The inner animal is assigned by the month of birth. This dictates your love life and inner persona and is critical to a proper understanding of your compatibility with other signs. It may be considered what the individual wishes to become, or believes to be their true self. The secret animal is determined by exact time of birth and is your own true sign which your personality is based on. It is important to compensate for daylight savings or any clock adjustment performed by your country, as it is mapped according to the sun's location and not the local time.
These are said to be critical for the proper use of Chinese astrology. Many Western displays of the Chinese zodiac omit these, as well as the elements, for easier consumption and understanding.
The months
The twelve animals also apply to the lunar months. The month born affects a person's inner animal, as stated above. Remember, the Chinese Calendar is offset to start in the traditional February, or even in late January.
The hours
The Chinese zodiac is also used to label times of day, with each sign corresponding to a "large-hour" or shichen (時辰), which is a two-hour period. (24 divided by 12 animals) The large-hour in which a person is born is their secretive animal, as stated above.
* 23:00 - 01:00: rat* 01:00 - 03:00: ox
* 03:00 - 05:00: tiger
* 05:00 - 07:00: rabbit
* 07:00 - 09:00: dragon
* 09:00 - 11:00: snake
* 11:00 - 13:00: horse
* 13:00 - 15:00: sheep
* 15:00 - 17:00: monkey
* 17:00 - 19:00: rooster
* 19:00 - 21:00: dog
* 21:00 - 23:00: pig
Origin stories
The 12 Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac (see Origins of the Chinese Zodiac). One of the most popular reads, in summarized form, as follows:
The rat was given the task of inviting the animals to report to the Jade Emperor for a banquet to be selected for the zodiac signs. The cat was a good friend of the rat, but the rat tricked him into believing that the banquet was the next day. The cat slept through the banquet, thinking that it was the next day. When he found out, the cat vowed to be the rat's natural enemy for ages to come.
A variation of this describes the Jade Emperor holding a great banquet in his palace; the cat does not hear the initial announcement so the rat tells him that there is going to be a royal party but instead tells him it is on the day after the actual date. All the animals who arrived on the night were granted a special place as a zodiac animal - the cat arrived the next day only to find out that the banquet was over.
Another popular legend has it that a race was used to decide the animals to report to the Jade Emperor: (taken from www.thingsasian.com)
While we are all aware of the hatred between a cat and a rat, these two animals were actually very good friends once. Good friends they may be, but these two animals are the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river is to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, when there is a carrot dangling in front, it is sometimes difficult to stick to friendship and the crafty rat decides that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat had never forgiven the rat, and no doubt, hated the water too. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it cleverly claimed first place in the race!
Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox, came the tiger, panting away while explaining to the emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.
Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound and out pop the rabbit. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle. Coming in 5th place was the gallant dragon, flying and belching fire into the air. Of course the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, therefore he was held back a little. Then on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse's hoof is the slimy sneaky snake whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright thus making it fall back and gave the snake 6th spot whilst the horse took the 7th.
Not long after that, a little distance away, the ram, monkey and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.
The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to finish line. Just as the emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The term "lazy pig" is due here as the pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle. The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.
Some versions of the tale say that the cattle nominated a water buffalo to represent them because he was more proficient at water. The trade was acceptable because both animals are members of the family of bovines.
Another version of the tale expands the race. The route ran through a forest, over ranges of plains and grasslands, and along a stream, before finally crossing a lake to the destination town.
Yet another variation tells of two different races. The first involved all the animals, in two divisions to avoid the fast animals dominating the top, and the top six in each division would "make the cut" for a second round, which would then determine the order of placement of the animals in the zodiac.
In yet another variation, each animal was called before its peers and had to explain why it deserved a position at the top of the Zodiac. The Boar, at a loss, proceeded to claim that the meat on its bones 'tasted good.' This explanation was apparently considered unsatisfactory, because the Boar was placed at the very end of the Zodiac.
Another story is that all the animals were invited to a great feast, and God sent the Rat to tell the animals to come. However, the Rat decided to pull a prank on the Cat, and told the creature that it wasn't tonight, it was tomorrow. The Cat replied, "Thank you, Friend!" And went home to dream of a feast that would never come for him. The order of the animals were those that came, but it was told that the rat rode on the Ox(Bull)'s back and was the first one there, becoming the first in the Zodiac.
Interestingly, the cat does make it into the Vietnamese Zodiac, in place of the rabbit (see below).
The lunisolar calendar
Since the (traditional) Chinese zodiac follows the (lunisolar) Chinese calendar, the switch over date for the zodiac signs is the Chinese New Year, not 1 January as in the Gregorian calendar. Therefore, a person who was born in January or early February have the sign of the previous year. For example, 1990 was the year of the horse, but anyone born from January 1 to January 26, 1990 was born in the Year of the Snake (the sign of the previous year), because the 1990 Year of the Horse began on January 27, 1990. The start of a new Zodiac is also celebrated on Chinese New Year along with many other customs.
Many online sign calculators will give a person the wrong sign if he/she was born in January or early February.
There are some newer astrological texts which follow the Chinese Agricultural Calendar (the jie qi), and thus place the changeover of zodiac signs at the solar term li chun (beginning of Spring), at solar longitude 315 degrees. (See Chinese calendar)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
23.01.2007. 02:18
Comments
Great work on all the information. I was having trouble finding things on inner animals and secret animals. The only thing is I still don't know how the months and animals match up in the other two charts. Once again great job on the site.
No more s***. All posts of this qulatiy from now on
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