The Chinese zodiac uses twelve earthly-branch animals in a repeating cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. In popular accounts an animal labels a lunar birth year, but a fuller reading also considers stems, elements, month, day and hour of birth.
The twelve animals in context
Animal symbolism is one layer of a cyclical calendrical system rather than a Western-style twelve-sign solar zodiac. Each animal corresponds to an Earthly Branch and carries conventional associations concerning temperament, relationships, timing and social roles. The branch interacts with other branches in combinations, clashes and harmonies; a simple animal description cannot represent an entire Chinese natal configuration.
Why the Chinese New Year matters
The lunar New Year falls on different Gregorian dates, commonly in January or February. Popular year-animal calculators use that boundary, while some Four Pillars schools switch the year pillar at the solar term Beginning of Spring (Li Chun). For births near either boundary, the chosen system must be stated explicitly.
Animals, elements and the sixty-year cycle
The cycle of twelve branches combines with ten Heavenly Stems to create a sixty-year sequence. The Five Phases—wood, fire, earth, metal and water—modify the interpretation of an animal year. A Fire Horse year and a Metal Horse year therefore share a branch but not the same complete stem–branch identity.
Read the wider Chinese astrology guide
See Chinese Astrology for how animals, elements and birth pillars fit into the wider system.