"10-year cycle of heavenly stems. Each of the ten heavenly stems is associated with one of the five elements of Chinese astrology, namely: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The elements are rotated every two years while a yin and yang association alternates every year. The elements are thus distinguished: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire, etc. These produce a combined cycle that repeats every 60 years. For example, the year of the Yang Fire Rat occurred in 1936 and in 1996, 60 years apart. Many people inaccurately calculate their Chinese birth-year by converting it from their Gregorian"
"Dragon (zodiac) The Dragon () is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. It is also the only zodiac sign represented by a mythical creature, rather than a real life animal. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 辰, pronounced ""chen"". It has been proposed by one academic researcher that the Earthly Branch character may have been associated with scorpions; it may have symbolized the Star Antares. In the Buddhist calendar used in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, the Dragon is"
"been born in the ""Year of the Rooster"", while also bearing the following elemental signs: In the sexagenary cycle, 2017 (28 January 2017–15 February 2018, and every 60-year multiple before and after), is the Celestial stem/Earthly Branch year indicated by the characters 丁酉. Rooster (zodiac) The Rooster () is the tenth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Rooster is represented by the Earthly Branch symbol 酉. The name is also translated into English as Chicken; the characters 雞/鷄/酉/鸡/丁酉/鳥 also refer to the Chicken in general,"
"Rooster (zodiac) The Rooster () is the tenth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Rooster is represented by the Earthly Branch symbol 酉. The name is also translated into English as Chicken; the characters 雞/鷄/酉/鸡/丁酉/鳥 also refer to the Chicken in general, both the males and the females. In the Tibetan zodiac and the Gurung zodiac, the bird is in place of the Rooster. Sometimes, the fenghuang will take the place of the Rooster. People born within these date ranges can be said to have"
"making the year beginning CE 2015 the ""Chinese year"" 4712, 4713, or 4652. According to tales and legends, the beginning of the Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called the Nian. Nian would eat villagers, especially children. One year, all the villagers decided to go hide from the beast. An old man appeared before the villagers went into hiding and said that he's going to stay the night, and decided to get revenge on the Nian. All the villagers thought he was insane. The old man put red papers up and set off firecrackers. The day after, the"
"known as Huli jing. There are various types, such as the nine-tailed fox. Various dogs appear in the mythology of China, featuring more prominently in some ethnic cultures more than others. The zodiacal dog is featured in the Chinese zodiac. The Bovidae appearing in the mythologies of China include the Ox (including the common cow, buffalo), and the yak), sheep and goats, and perhaps antelopes (some times ""unicorns"" are thought to be types of antelopes). Oxen may includingrefer to the common cow, the buffalo), and the yak. The zodiacal ox is one of the twelve zodiacal signs in the twelve-year"
"spirits, especially those who torment the dead, tigers are carved on tombs and monuments. The Chinese system of feng shui (geomancy) requires that a burial site be higher on the right side, the stronger side of the body, so that the White Tiger can guard it; the Azure Dragon guards the left side, the body's weaker side. The Tiger is the third animal in the 12-year animal Zodiac. People born in the Year of the Tiger are thought to be brave, strong, stubborn and sympathetic. The tiger represents the greatest earthly power, as well as protection over human life. It"
"Dog (zodiac) The Dog (狗) is eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dog is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 戌. The character 狗, also refers to the actual animal while 戌, also refers to the zodiac animal. People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the ""Year of the Dog"", while also bearing the following elemental sign: In the sexagenary cycle, 2018 (16 February 2018–4 February 2019, and every 60-year multiple before and after), is the Celestial"
"stem/Earthly Branch year indicated by the characters 戊戌. It is the current year, until 5 February 2019. Dog (zodiac) The Dog (狗) is eleventh of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dog is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 戌. The character 狗, also refers to the actual animal while 戌, also refers to the zodiac animal. People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the ""Year of the Dog"", while also bearing the following elemental sign: In the sexagenary"
"2006 is West-Northwest. Pixiu Pixiu (), is a Chinese mythical hybrid creature, commonly, but incorrectly referred to in the West by the Greek word ""chimera"", and considered a powerful protector of practitioners of Feng Shui. It resembles a strong, winged lion. Pixiu is an earth and sea variation, particularly an influential and auspicious creature for wealth. It is said to have a voracious appetite towards only gold, silver and jewels. Therefore, traditionally to the Chinese, Pixiu has always been regarded as an auspicious creature that possessed mystical powers capable of drawing ""Cai Qi"" (財氣 wealth) from all directions. Because of"
"4609 Huángdì year, assuming a year 0 of 2698 BC. The change was adopted by many overseas Chinese communities, such as San Francisco's Chinatown. During the 17th century, the Jesuits tried to determine the epochal year of the Han calendar. In his ""Sinicae historiae decas prima"" (published in Munich in 1658), Martino Martini (1614–1661) dated the ascension of the Yellow Emperor to 2697 BC and began the Chinese calendar with the reign of Fuxi (which, according to Martini, began in 2952 BC. Philippe Couplet's 1686 ""Chronological table of Chinese monarchs"" (""Tabula chronologica monarchiae sinicae"") gave the same date for the"
"born in the ""Year of the Ox"", while also bearing the following elemental sign: Ox (zodiac) The Ox (牛) is the second of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Ox is denoted by the Earthly Branch symbol 丑. The name is also translated into English as Cow; the characters 牛/丑 also refer to the Cow in general, both the males and the females. In the Vietnamese zodiac, the water buffalo occupies the position of the Ox. In the Gurung zodiac, the Ox is also replaced by"
"birth-year. As the Chinese New Year starts in late January to mid-February, the previous Chinese year dates through 1 January until that day in the new Gregorian year, remaining unchanged from the previous Gregorian year. For example, the 1989 year of the Snake began on 6 February 1989. The year 1989 is generally aligned with the year of the Snake. However, the 1988 year of the Dragon officially ended on 5 February 1989. This means that anyone born from 1 January to 5 February 1989 was actually born in the year of the Dragon rather than the year of the"
"to the Chinese zodiac. Twelve (12) animals represent the 12 years in sequential order with the rat/mouse representing the first year. Buddha is believed to have invited animals from all over the world to visit, to which only 12 visited. In return, he honored them by naming the years in the order that they arrived. Koreans believe that specific zodiac animals bring specific resources and qualities. For example, the year 2014 was the year of the horse, and it was considered a good year in the money and career aspect of life. It is said that a person born in"
"element would still be Yin Earth, not Yang Metal. Similarly, although 1990 was called the year of the Horse, anyone born from January 1 to January 26, 1990, was in fact born in the Year of the Snake (the sign of the previous year), because the 1990 Year of the Horse did not begin until January 27, 1990. For this reason, many online sign calculators (and Chinese restaurant place mats) may give a person the wrong sign if he/she was born in January or early February. The start of a new zodiac is also celebrated on Chinese New Year along"
"in China called ""Nine Dragons"", the most famous being Kowloon (in Cantonese) in Hong Kong. The part of the Mekong in Vietnam is known as ""Cửu Long"", with the same meaning. The Dragon is one of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac which is used to designate years in the Chinese calendar. It is thought that each animal is associated with certain personality traits. Dragon years are usually the most popular to have children. There are more people born in Dragon years than in any other animal years of the zodiac. The Azure Dragon (Qing Long, 青龍) is considered"
"poorly described: about 1200 CE the ""lin"" and the giraffe began to trade characteristics in their mythological conceptions (Sheppard 1930, 286 note 36). It is possible that the unicorns resulted from different descriptions of animals which later became extinct, or they no longer ranged in the area of China. Various cats appear in Chinese mythology, many of them large. Examples are Pixiu, resembled a winged lion, and Rui Shi (瑞獅, ""Ruì Shī""), guardian lions. Sometimes they are found pulling the chariot of Xiwangmu. The cat is one of the twelve annual zodiacal animals in Vietnamese and related cultural calendars, having"
"Ox (zodiac) The Ox (牛) is the second of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Ox is denoted by the Earthly Branch symbol 丑. The name is also translated into English as Cow; the characters 牛/丑 also refer to the Cow in general, both the males and the females. In the Vietnamese zodiac, the water buffalo occupies the position of the Ox. In the Gurung zodiac, the Ox is also replaced by the Cow. People born within these date ranges can be said to have been"
"Tiger (zodiac) The Tiger (寅) is the third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Tiger is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 寅. People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the ""Year of the Tiger"", while also bearing the following elemental sign: Among all the 12 mathematical animal signs, Tigers are also most compatible with the Dog as they are both straightfoward, honest, and free-spirited. Tigers are also most compatible with the energetic and jovial Horse. The Pig,"
"context with the other eleven zodiacal creatures shows how they have been imagined in the calendrical context. Snake (zodiac) The Snake (蛇) is the sixth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac and related to the Chinese calendar, as well as in related East asian zodiacal or calendrical systems. The Year of the Snake is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 巳. According to one legend, there is also a reason for the order of the 12 animals in the 12-year cycle. The story also goes that a race was held to cross a great"
"Nian According to Chinese mythology, a Nian () is a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains. The character ""Nian"" more usually means ""year"" or ""new year"". The earliest written sources that refer to the ""Nian"" as a creature date to early 20th century. As a result, it is unclear whether the ""Nian"" creature is an authentic part of traditional folk mythology, or a part of a local oral tradition which was recorded in the early 20th century. ""Nian"" is one of the key characters in the Chinese New Year, with scholars citing it as the reason"
"yin, and thus only the negative aspects of the elements can be attached to them, thus only 5 kinds of Pigs are found in the zodiac. They are the following: People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the ""Year of the Pig"", while also bearing the following elemental sign: Since the Chinese zodiac follows the Lunar calendar, it also does not coincide with the Gregorian calendar years or months. Thus, a person born on 9 February 1899 still belongs to the preceding zodiac (i.e. the Dog) while those born on 31 January 1900"
"of the Han dynasty, which claimed to rule with the protection of water and the north. Although the Black Warrior (Xuan Wu) is generally depicted as a snake entwining around a turtle, sometimes they are viewed as two separable generals. In Chinese culture mythologized snakes and snakelike beings have various roles, including the calendar system, poetry, and literature. In Chinese culture, years of the Snake are sixth in the cycle, following the Dragon Years, and recur every twelfth year. The Chinese New Year does not fall on a specific date, so it is essential to check the calendar to find"
"Huli jing Huli jing () or jiuweihu (九尾狐; ) are Chinese mythological creatures who can be either good or bad spirits. Nine-tailed foxes appear in Chinese folklore, literature, and mythology, in which, depending on the tale can be a good or a bad omen. During the Han dynasty, the development of ideas about interspecies transformation had taken place in Chinese culture. The idea that non-human creatures with advancing age could assume human form is presented in works such as the ""Lunheng"" by Wang Chong (27–91). As these traditions developed, the fox's capacity for transformation was shaped. The nine-tailed fox occurs"
"national flag from 1889-1912 is also called the ""Yellow Dragon Flag"" (). In East Asian culture, the Yellow Dragon is the fifth symbol completing the Sixiang (Four Symbols). This deity is the centre of the cosmos and it represents the element earth, the Chinese quintessence, as well as the changing of the seasons. The Yellow Dragon does not appear in Japanese mythology: the fifth element in the Japanese elemental system is the void, so there cannot be an animal representing it. However, some consider the ""Ōryū"" as the Japanese counterpart of the Yellow Dragon since they share some similarities. Yellow"
"Snake (zodiac) The Snake (蛇) is the sixth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac and related to the Chinese calendar, as well as in related East asian zodiacal or calendrical systems. The Year of the Snake is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 巳. According to one legend, there is also a reason for the order of the 12 animals in the 12-year cycle. The story also goes that a race was held to cross a great river, and the order of the animals in the cycle was based upon their order in finishing"
"call this holiday as ""Guo Nian"", which means ""pass over ""Nian"""" or ""overcome ""Nian""."" Nian According to Chinese mythology, a Nian () is a beast that lives under the sea or in the mountains. The character ""Nian"" more usually means ""year"" or ""new year"". The earliest written sources that refer to the ""Nian"" as a creature date to early 20th century. As a result, it is unclear whether the ""Nian"" creature is an authentic part of traditional folk mythology, or a part of a local oral tradition which was recorded in the early 20th century. ""Nian"" is one of the"
"their yin and yang forms), which combine with the 12 Earthly Branches (or Chinese signs of the zodiac), to form the 60 year cycle. Yang earth years end in 8 (e.g. 1988), while Yin earth years end in 9 (e.g. 1989). Earth is the central balance of the elements and therefore lends qualities to all 12 animals as well. The element earth is associated with the planet Saturn on account of its yellow color. However, some Western astrologers have suggested that the Western associations of Saturn give it greater affinity with the rigid, controlling Chinese element of Metal; while the"
"member""]."" The ""Bencao gangmu"" subsumes ""mengsong"" under the ""guoran"" ""monkey"" entry (tr. Luo 2003: 4127): ""Mengsong is also called Menggui. It is small Guoran. Purple and black, it is found in Jiaozhi. It is raised in houses. It catches mice even better than a cat or a leopard."" The simians (higher primates) include two families of Old World monkeys (""Cercopithecidae"") and lesser apes or gibbons (""Hylobatidae"", lit. ""wood walkers""), listed with modern Chinese nomenclature: The Monkey is the ninth of the twelve-year animal cycle in the ""Chinese zodiac"". The Year of the Monkey is associated with ninth Earthly Branch symbol"
"yet also to be clinging and of a nature resistant to change. People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the ""Year of the Goat"", while also bearing the following elemental sign: Goat (zodiac) The Goat () is the eighth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The sign is referred to as the ram and sheep sign, since the Chinese word ""yáng"" is more accurately translated as Caprinae, a taxonomic subfamily that includes both goats and sheep. The Year of the Goat is"
"is also an equid, generally smaller in stature: they are also typically less-esteemed in general Chinese culture. However, certain holy persons (and some eccentrics) were well known for choosing to ride on donkey, for example Immortal Zhang Guolao had a magic donkey (Eberhard: 82, ""sub"" ""Donkey""). The ""Chinese zodiac"" consists of a twelve-year cycle, each year being associated with a certain creature. The seventh in the cycle is the Horse. One account is that the order of the beings-of-the-year is due to their order in completing a contest of racing across a river, in the so-called Great Race: the race"
"the reserved and contemplative Snake. Some Chinese Muslims will say that they were born in the year of the hai 亥 to avoid saying the Pig. Pig (zodiac) The Pig (豬) is the twelfth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. In the continuous sexagenary cycle, every twelfth year corresponds to ""hai"", and is also commonly called the ""Year of the Pig"" 豬. There are also five types of Pigs, named after the Chinese elements. In order, they are: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, and Earth. In the Japanese zodiac and"
"Rabbit, Goat, Snake, Rooster, Ox, Dragon, and Rat are likely compatible with the Tiger, and they can build a harmonious relationship. Also, two Tigers can get along well with each other. Tigers are least compatible with the Monkey. Tiger (zodiac) The Tiger (寅) is the third of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Tiger is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 寅. People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the ""Year of the Tiger"", while also bearing the following"