Chinese zodiac

The **Chinese zodiac** is a mathematical cycle of 12 animals. Each animal represents one year. People are associated with the zodiac animal for the year that they are born. The 12 animals in order are: Pig, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, and Dog. Although it is called the Chinese zodiac, this system is also used in several other countries in Asia such as Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. The animals in the zodiac vary in different cultures.

## Personality

Some Chinese people believe that each zodiac animal has a personality, and people born in the same year may have similar personalities. Theodora Lau, _The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes_, pp. 2–8, 30–5, 60–4, 88–94, 118–24, 148–53, 178–84, 208–13, 238–44, 270–78, 306–12, 338–44, Souvenir Press, New York, 2006

**Rat**
years: 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
Simple, hard working, strong, peace-loving, trusting. Can be naive, gullible, materialistic, clingy.

**Ox**
years: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
Honest, freedom, hard working, charming. Can be selfish, ruthless, controlling, scheming.

**Tiger**
years: 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
Smart, calm, patient, inspiring, modest. Can be stubborn, narrow-minded, demanding, rigid.

**Rabbit**
years: 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
Aggressive, rebellious, strong, daring, generous. Can be restless, clumsy, hot-temper, impatient.

**Dragon**
years: 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
Kind, sensitive, elegant, artistic, cautious. Can be moody, shy, lazy, opportunistic.

**Snake**
years: 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
Strong, proud, direct, eccentric, show off. Can be arrogant, violent, brash, controlling.

**Horse**
years: 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
Wise, graceful, calm, mystic, shrewd. Can be a loner, bad communicator, possessive, distrustful.

**Goat**
years:  1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
Cheerful, popular, talkative, witty, earthly, responsible. Can be fickle, rude, gullible, stubborn.

**Monkey**
years: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
Righteous, honest, shy, artistic, understanding. Can be moody, a worrier, a complainer, and soft.

**Rooster**
years: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
Witty, curious, flexible, sociable, smart. Can be vain, clumsy, trickster, snobbish.

**Dog**
years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
Neat, organized, alert, scientific, responsible. Can be critical, egotistical, rough, opinionated.

**Pig**
years: 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
Honest, smart, loyal, sense of justice, affectionate. Can be lazy, cold, stubborn, quarrelsome.

## Hours

In the old days, China, Korea, and Japan used a 12-hour system to tell the time of day and night (unlike the 24 hour system used today). The 12 hour system divides the day of 24 hours into 12 hours, each of which has a sign of the zodiac:
- 12:00 AM to 2:00 AM is the hour of the Pig.
- 2:00 AM to 4:00 AM is the hour of the Rat.
- 4:00 AM to 6:00 AM is the hour of the Ox.
- 6:00 AM to 8:00 AM is the hour of the Tiger.
- 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM is the hour of the Rabbit.
- 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM is the hour of the Dragon.
- 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM is the hour of the Snake.
- 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM is the hour of the Horse.
- 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM is the hour of the Goat.
- 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM is the hour of the Monkey.
- 8:00 PM to 10:00 PM is the hour of the Rooster.
- 10:00 PM to 12:00 AM is the hour of the Dog

## Directions

The Chinese and Japanese would call the different directions (North, Northwest, North, Northeast, East, South, Southeast, Southwest, West), based on the names of the zodiac animals.

1. Pig (Water, North-Northwest)
1. Rat (Water, North)
1. Ox (Earth, North-Northeast)
1. Tiger (Wood,  East-Northeast)
1. Rabbit (Wood, East)
1. Dragon (Earth, East-Southeast)
1. Snake (Fire, South-Southeast)
1. Horse (Fire, South)
1. Goat (Earth, South-Southwest)
1. Monkey (Metal, West-Southwest)
1. Rooster (Metal, West)
1. Dog (Earth, West-Northwest)