By Master Wei Lin · Updated August 3, 2026
Chinese Metaphysics Scholar
What are the twelve Chinese Zodiac animals?
The twelve animals of 生肖 (Shēngxiào), Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig, repeat in a twelve-year cycle, each carrying a fixed element from the Wu Xing (五行) system. In classical Chinese astrology this is the Year Pillar of a BaZi (八字) chart.
Key Takeaways
- Twelve animals, one cycle of 12 years, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.
- Each animal carries a fixed element from the Wu Xing (五行 Wǔ Xíng): Water, Earth, Wood, Fire, or Metal, distinct from the rolling element of the year.
- Year boundaries follow Li Chun (立春 ≈ Feb 4) in classical BaZi (子平 Zi Ping method), not January 1 or Lunar New Year.
- San He (三合 Three Harmonies) and Liu He (六合 Six Harmonies) describe traditional compatibility patterns, resonance, not fate.
- Citations: 子平真詮 (Zǐ Píng Zhēn Quán, c. 1739), 滴天髓 (Dī Tiān Suǐ, Song dynasty); modern lineages: Joey Yap, Master Raymond Lo, Lillian Too.
2026 Year-Ahead Reading
Year of the Fire Horse 2026 (丙午 Bing Wu)
The pure Yang-Fire year begins at Li Chun on February 4, 2026. Wei Lin's complete BaZi guide covers Tai Sui relationships for each of the twelve animals, monthly forecasts, sector activations, and the classical remedies from Yuan Hai Zi Ping and Lillian Too's flying-star tradition.
Read the 2026 guide →The twelve animals
Each animal below opens its full classical profile: personality, fixed element, Yin/Yang, San He and Liu He partners, lucky direction, crystal pairings from Crystal Cassandra's lineage, and FAQs answering the most-asked questions about that animal.
Where this fits in the larger system
In classical Chinese astrology, the zodiac animal is one of four pillars in a BaZi (八字) chart, specifically the Year Pillar (年柱). The Month, Day, and Hour pillars carry the rest of the structural reading. To see all four pillars, the Day Master (日主), and the Yong Shen (用神), run the free BaZi calculator.
The zodiac also interacts with the Wu Xing (五行 Five Elements) system. To find your dominant and deficient elements, and the crystals that traditionally balance them, try the Five Elements Quiz. For compatibility between two zodiac animals (San He, Liu He, Chong, Hai), see Chinese Zodiac Compatibility, with all 144 individual pair pages available, for example Dragon and Rat or Tiger and Horse.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Chinese Zodiac (生肖)?
The Chinese Zodiac, 生肖 (Shēngxiào, literally 'birth likeness'), is a twelve-year cycle in which each year is associated with one of twelve animals, Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. Each animal carries a fixed element from the Wu Xing (五行) system and a Yin or Yang polarity. The system has been used for over two thousand years in classical Chinese astrology, BaZi (八字), and folk practice.
How is the year boundary determined?
Strict classical BaZi (八字) uses the Li Chun (立春) solar term, around February 4, not January 1 and not the Lunar New Year. People born in late January or early February of a Western year may belong to the previous animal year, for the canonical year boundary, run the BaZi calculator instead of looking up the Western year alone.
What is the difference between Chinese Zodiac and BaZi?
The Chinese Zodiac is one of four pillars in a BaZi chart, the Year Pillar (年柱). A full BaZi reading also analyzes the Month, Day, and Hour pillars, the Day Master (日主), the Yong Shen (用神 the favorable element), and the Luck Pillars (大運). The zodiac animal alone is a starting point; the full chart is the canonical reading in the Zi Ping (子平) tradition Joey Yap and Master Raymond Lo work in.
What are San He and Liu He compatibility?
San He (三合, Three Harmonies) are three-animal alliances that share the same elemental trine, Rat-Dragon-Monkey, Ox-Snake-Rooster, Tiger-Horse-Dog, Rabbit-Goat-Pig. Liu He (六合, Six Harmonies) are six paired affinities, Rat-Ox, Tiger-Pig, Rabbit-Dog, Dragon-Rooster, Snake-Monkey, Horse-Goat. These describe patterns of resonance, not romantic fate.
Is this fortune-telling?
No. In Master Wei Lin's framing, and in the classical sources 子平真詮 Zǐ Píng Zhēn Quán and 滴天髓 Dī Tiān Suǐ, the chart describes patterns, not verdicts. The zodiac animal is a pattern-recognition framework for temperament, compatibility resonance, and elemental balance. It is not a forecast.
Occasional notes on BaZi and feng shui
Master Wei Lin writes when a new free tool ships or a chart pattern is worth explaining properly. No schedule, no spam, one reply removes you.
We respect your inbox. Unsubscribe anytime.
Explore More Tools
BaZi Calculator (Four Pillars)
The full Year-Month-Day-Hour BaZi chart with Day Master, Yong Shen, and Luck Pillar.
Open →Chinese Name Analysis
Does your Chinese name suit your chart? $68 written analysis.
Open →Chinese Zodiac Compatibility
Compare two animals, San He, Liu He, Chong, and Hai relationships.
Open →Five Elements (Wu Xing) Quiz
Find your dominant and deficient element with crystal balancing.
Open →Kua Number Calculator
Personal lucky directions for sleep, work, and meditation.
Open →I-Ching (Wilhelm-Baynes lineage)
Consult the 64 hexagrams of the Book of Changes.
Open →