What does each sign in the Chinese zodiac mean?

Answer 1

In Chinese Astrology, each individual personality is associated with an animal sign that represents it. It is a common misconception that there are only the singular animals assigned by year. Many western descriptions of Chinese astrology descriptions draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month and hours of the day.

The animal signs assigned by year represent what others perceive you as being or how you present yourself. The full 60 year cycle is a combination of the 12 animals with each of five possible elements, which distinctively vary the base animal's personality (12 x 5 = 60). The inner animal speaks directly to what motivates a person and is assigned by the month of birth. Since this dictates your love life and inner persona it is critical to a proper understanding of your compatibility with other signs. The secret animal is assigned by the hour of birth and so it is important to know the exact time of birth to determine it correctly. It is your own true sign which your personality is based on. It is important to compensate for daylight saving time or any clock adjustment performed by your country in determining this sign, as it is mapped according to the sun's location and not the local time.

To sum it up, while a person might appear to be a dragon they might actually be a snake internally and an ox secretively. Combined with the five elements, this makes for 8 640 possible combinations (five elements, 12 animals, 12 months, 12 times of day) that a person might be. These are all are critical for the proper use of Chinese astrology. Many Western displays of the Chinese zodiac omit these, as well as the elements, for easier consumption and understanding.

The 12 zodiac animals

The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order. é¼ (shu3) Rat

�(niu2) Ox

� (hu3) Tiger

� (tu4) Rabbit

�(long2) Dragon

� (se2) Snake

马 (ma3) Horse

� (yang2) Sheep

� (hou2) Monkey

鸡 (ji1) Rooster

� (gou3) Dog

� (zhu1) Pig

Legend describes the order of the zodiac was determined through a race, in which the rat cheated by standing on the ox's head and jumping ahead of him when they reached the finish line. A link is provided to the Wikipedia article on Chinese astrology.

The following animal sign descriptions are provided by gypsystop.com: Rat

Yang, water, hard work, self-discipline, charm, social, industrious, loyal to family and friends, sophisticated, underworld, selfish, cruel, critical, ruthless and over ambitious.

Ox

Yin, water, dependable, calm, steady, methodical, conventional, modest, logical, stubborn, materialistic, easy on everyone else, hard on themselves.

Tiger

Yang, wood, unpredictable, rebellious, colorful, passionate, brave, impulsive, sincere, affectionate, humanitarian, giving, restless, reckless, impatient, hot tempered, selfish.

Rabbit

Yin, wood, kind, gracious, sensitive, soft, cautious, artistic, musical, tender, compassionate, flexible, moody, detached, self indulgent, self involved, lazy.

Dragon

Yang, wood, magnificent, self-assured, strong, leader, full of life, proud, direct, eager, firey, pioneering, generous, loyal, arrogant, tyrannical, eccentric, impetuous, brash.

Snake

Yin, fire, deep, wise, mystical, soft, sensual, creative, shrewd, cautious, responsible, calm, constant, purposeful. can be a bad communicator, possessive, a loner, doubtful, distrustful.

Horse

Yang, fire, popular, cheerful, changeable, talkative, perceptive, agile, magnetic, intelligent, open minded, fickle, rude, gullible, anxious, lacks stability and diligence.

Sheep

Yin, Fire, righteous, shy, sincere, compassionate, artistic, creative, gentle, motherly, determined, peaceful, longs for security, moody, indecisive, passive, sensitive.

Monkey

Yang, medal, inventive, improviser, motivating, witty, inquisitive, flexible, confident, problem solving, dignified, social, objective, competitive, egotistic, vein, jealous, suspicious, cunning.

Rooster

Yin, medal, self assured, organized, meticulous, conservative, decisive, critical, perfectionist, alert, zealous, practical, responsible, judgmental, abrasive, opinionated, cocky.

Dog

Yang, medal, honest, intelligent, loyal, just, fair, attractive, social, open minded, moral, idealistic, affectionate, cynical, loves home, quarrelsome, worrisome, pessimistic.

Pig

Yin, water, simple, sturdy, honest, courageous, social, peaceful, patient, loyal, trusting, sincere, thoughtful, passionate, naive, over reliant, self indulgent, gullible, materialistic, fatalistic.

Answer 2

THE Zodiacal Sign of Cancer commences on June 21st, but for days it does not come into full power until on or about June 28th. From this date onwards it is In full strength until July 20th, and is then for seven days gradually losing its strength on account of becoming overlapped by the "cusp" of the incoming sign Leo.

Such people are easily hurt by the slights of others. These are very complex people, sometimes appearing extremely strong and at other times to be as vulnerable as a child.

These people are remarkably good at accumulating things; indeed, they can be unwilling to throw anything out, even relationships that have passed their use-by date. They are generally over-anxious in financial matters, and make great efforts to gather in money; as a rule, they have unusual ups and downs in their early life and so they are compelled to work to keep ahead, but once they get on their feet they keep there. If channeled in the right direction, their enormous sensitivity can become a great source of strength. Once they overcome their touchiness and master their turbulent emotions, their intellect and imagination enable them to become a success in almost anything they undertake.

The main problem for them is to remember not to let the powerful, turbulent emotions of the moment crowd out their normally rational judgment. Their intuitions are reliable and should be trusted.

They are generally gifted with strong imaginations, and it is very easy for them to become excellent artists, writers, composers, or musicians. At heart they are romantic and of a very loving and affectionate disposition.

On the other hand these people are perhaps the most sensitive natures from any other class of people and if aren't recognized they quickly give up or get depressed and melancholy. Above all, they require encouragement and appreciation. Their deep sensitivity presents them with valuable and illuminating intuitions, especially regarding those they care for.

They often make excellent psychics, and usually have a yearning after the mysterious.

They should never marry young, for their nature seems to change at different stages of life.

People born in this part of the year often reach very high exalted positions. In their home lives, however, they usually go through a great deal of trouble, and are seldom surrounded by happiness, no matter how successful they may appear in the eye of the world.

Such people have deep love for what they call "their own people," for family customs and for tradition.

Answer 3

• Aries (The Ram)
• Taurus (The Bull)
• Gemini (The Twins)
• Cancer (The Crab)
• Leo (The Lion)
• Virgo (The Virgin)
• Libra (The Scales)
• Scorpio (The Scorpion)
• Sagittarius (The Archer)
• Capricorn (The Sea-goat)
• Aquarius (The Water)
• Pisces (The Two Fish)

Answer 4

ZODIAC SIGNS AND THEIR SYMBOLSThese are the ARIES (the Ram); TAURUS (the Bull); GEMINI (the Twins); CANCER (the Crab); LEO (the Lion); VIRGO (the Virgin); LIBRA (the Balance); SCORPIO (the Scorpion); SAGITTARIUS (the Archer); CAPRICORN (the Goat); AQUARIUS (the Water Carrier); and PISCES (the Fishes)

Answer 5

Wikipedia has a comprehensive overview of the various zodiac signs. Try the link below.