2 article for "Chinese"
Chinese Astrology [Astro*Index]The twelve signs of Chinese astrology differ from those used in Western astrology, as does their basis, which is not the Sun's transit through the sky but yearlong periods in a cycle of twelve years. Chinese astrology makes use of five elements: water, fire, earth (as in Western astrology), metal, and wood. The elements are given a cycle of ten years, two years to an element (following an order of metal, water, wood, fire, and earth). The elements are ruled by planets and have familiar Western interpretations: metal-Venus; water-Mercury; wood-Jupiter; fire-Mars; earth-Saturn.
The order of signs (or zodiac symbols) in Chinese astrology, given with recent year intervals and elements, is as follows. (Every 60 years, the same sign-element pairings repeat.)
Monkey | metal; | 1956, | 1968, | 1980, | 1992, | 2004, | 2016 | |
Rooster | metal; | 1957, | 1969, | 1981, | 1993, | 2005, | 2017 | |
Dog | water; | 1958, | 1970, | 1982, | 1994, | 2006, | 2018 | |
Pig | water; | 1959, | 1971, | 1983, | 1995, | 2007, | 2019 | |
Rat | wood; | 1960, | 1972, | 1984, | 1996, | 2008, | 2020 | |
Ox | wood; | 1961, | 1973, | 1985, | 1997, | 2009, | 2021 | |
Tiger | fire; | 1962, | 1974, | 1986, | 1998, | 2010, | 2022 | |
Cat | fire; | 1963, | 1975, | 1987, | 1999, | 2011, | 2023 | |
Dragon | earth; | 1964, | 1976, | 1988, | 2000, | 2012, | 2024 | |
Serpent | earth; | 1965, | 1977, | 1989, | 2001, | 2013, | 2025 | |
Horse | metal; | 1966, | 1978, | 1990, | 2002, | 2014, | 2026 | |
Goat | metal; | 1967, | 1979, | 1991, | 2003, | 2015, | 2027 |
See also:Chinese Calendar [Astro*Index]
♦ Astrology
Based on the lunar cycle, the time between two New Moons being a month. Astrologically, there are 28 lunar houses, one for each day's passage of the Moon. Since the time between New Moons (synodic period) is not exactly 28 days, some months are given a day or two more to keep the cycle in balance. There are twelve months in the Chinese year. Sometimes one intercalary month is added to the twelve to maintain a rough synchrony between the solar and lunar cycles. Chinese New Year is the second New Moon after the Winter Solstice.
See also:
♦ Synodic Period
Astro*Index Copyright © 1997 Michael Erlewine