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Chinese Zodiac

General

Sheng Xiao (12 Earthly Branch Animals)

A 12-year cycle assigning one of 12 animals to each birth year, combined with a 10-year element cycle and a Yin/Yang polarity based on odd or even years.

Definition

The Chinese zodiac (Sheng Xiao) is a repeating 12-year cycle that assigns one of 12 animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig — to each birth year. Unlike the Western zodiac sign, which is based on birth date within a single year, the Chinese zodiac animal is based entirely on the birth year.

Layered on top of the 12-animal cycle is a 10-year, 5-element cycle (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth) and a Yin/Yang polarity that alternates every year. Together, the animal, element, and polarity combine into a full 60-year cycle before an identical combination — such as "Metal Yang Rat" — repeats.

Formula

Animal = position of the birth year within the 12-year cycle (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, repeating)

Element, from the last digit of the birth year:

Last Digit of Year Element
0 or 1 Metal
2 or 3 Water
4 or 5 Wood
6 or 7 Fire
8 or 9 Earth

Yin/Yang, from whether the birth year is even or odd:

Birth Year Polarity
Even Yang
Odd Yin

Worked Example

Someone born in 2024 falls in the Dragon year of the 12-animal cycle. The last digit of 2024 is 4, which maps to the Wood element. Since 2024 is an even year, the polarity is Yang. Combined, this person is a Wood Yang Dragon — matching the widely referenced "Year of the Wood Dragon" for 2024.

Someone born in 2021 falls in the Ox year. The last digit 1 maps to Metal, and since 2021 is odd, the polarity is Yin — making them a Metal Yin Ox.

Use the Chinese Zodiac Calculator to find your animal, element, and polarity from your birth year, and the Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Calculator to compare two animals.

Key Things to Know

  • The cycle is based on birth year, not birth date: This is the key structural difference from a Western zodiac sign, which changes roughly monthly rather than yearly.
  • Trine groups share natural harmony: The four trines — (Rat, Dragon, Monkey), (Ox, Snake, Rooster), (Tiger, Horse, Dog), and (Rabbit, Goat, Pig) — are traditionally considered the most naturally compatible animal groupings.
  • "Secret friends" offer strong two-way support: Six specific animal pairs — Rat–Ox, Tiger–Pig, Rabbit–Dog, Dragon–Rooster, Snake–Monkey, and Horse–Goat — are seen as especially complementary matches outside the trine structure.
  • Opposite animals (6 positions apart) can clash: Animals directly across the 12-year cycle from each other, such as Rat and Horse, are traditionally seen as a more challenging — though not impossible — pairing.
  • The full animal-element-polarity combination repeats every 60 years: Because the 12-year animal cycle and 10-year element cycle have a lowest common multiple of 60, the exact same combination (e.g., "Wood Yang Dragon") only recurs once every 60 years.
  • Lunar New Year affects strict traditional dating: This platform's calculator uses the calendar birth year directly; purists who follow the lunar calendar may attribute an early-year birthday (in January or early February) to the previous animal instead.

Related Calculators

Chinese Zodiac Calculator →Find your Chinese zodiac animal, element, and yin-yang polarity instantly from your birth year. Covers the full 12-year and 60-year cycles.
Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Calculator →Check compatibility between any two Chinese zodiac animals instantly. See your match score, trine and secret-friend bonds, or zodiac clashes.

Related Terms

Zodiac SignSun Sign

Frequently Asked Questions

The 12 animals, in their repeating cycle order, are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal governs one calendar year before the cycle repeats, so a full cycle takes exactly 12 years to return to the same animal. For example, someone born in 2020 and someone born in 2032 both fall under the Rat.
Alongside the 12-animal cycle, Chinese astrology layers a 5-element cycle (Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, Earth) that repeats every 10 years, with each element spanning two consecutive years. The element is derived from the last digit of the birth year: 0 or 1 = Metal, 2 or 3 = Water, 4 or 5 = Wood, 6 or 7 = Fire, and 8 or 9 = Earth. Combining the 12-year animal cycle with the 10-year element cycle produces a full 60-year cycle before the exact same animal-element pairing repeats.
Every Chinese zodiac year is also classified as Yin or Yang based on whether the birth year is odd or even — even years are Yang, odd years are Yin. Yang years are traditionally associated with more assertive, active energy, while Yin years lean toward more receptive, reflective energy. This polarity is fixed and alternates every single year regardless of which animal or element is active.
In traditional Chinese astrology, the zodiac year begins on Chinese New Year (a date on the lunar calendar that typically falls between late January and mid-February), not on January 1. This means someone born in early January could technically still belong to the previous year's animal under strict lunar-calendar rules. Simplified calculators, including this platform's, use the birth year as entered rather than adjusting for the exact lunar New Year cutoff date.
Chinese zodiac compatibility is traditionally assessed through three patterns: trine groups of three animals each that share natural harmony (e.g., Rat, Dragon, and Monkey), 'secret friend' pairs that offer strong two-way support (e.g., Rat and Ox), and opposite-cycle clashes between animals six positions apart (e.g., Rat and Horse), which can create more friction. Pairings outside these categories are generally considered average compatibility, depending more on individual effort than inherent alignment.