The Chinese zodiac, shengxiao (生肖), is a cycle of twelve animals, one for each year. Your sign is the animal of the year you were born, and it comes back every twelve years.
The twelve animals in order
The order is Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. The eighth sign is one Chinese word, yang, which covers sheep, goats and rams, so you will see it translated all three ways.
The Great Race
A well-known legend explains the order. The Jade Emperor, or in another telling the Buddha, called the animals to a race across a river, and the first twelve to finish each won a year. The Rat rode over on the Ox's back and jumped ahead at the last moment to win. The Dragon came fifth because it stopped to help villagers. The Snake startled the Horse and slipped in just before it. The Goat, Monkey and Rooster crossed together on a raft. The Dog stopped to play in the water, and the Pig came last after a snack and a nap.
This is one telling among several. Some versions explain why the Cat missed out, and others swap the race for a banquet.
When the zodiac year begins
In everyday use the animal changes at Lunar New Year, not on January 1. Some Chinese astrologers start the year at Lichun, the start of spring, around February 4. Lunar New Year starts with the new moon that falls between January 21 and February 20. The Year of the Horse began on February 17, 2026, and the Year of the Goat begins on February 6, 2027. If you were born between January 1 and February 20, check the Lunar New Year date for your birth year before you settle on your sign.
Five elements and the 60-year cycle
Chinese years are also counted in a cycle of 60. Each year joins one of ten heavenly stems with one of twelve earthly branches, and each branch belongs to an animal. The stems are tied to the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. Each element has two stems in a row, so it holds for two years. 2026 is a Fire Horse year and 2027 a Fire Goat year. The last Fire Horse year was 1966.
Benmingnian: the year of your own animal
Benmingnian (本命年) is the year your own animal returns, at ages 12, 24, 36 and so on. In Chinese folk belief it is a risky year. Each year is presided over by Tai Sui, a star god linked to Jupiter's roughly 12-year circuit of the sky, and people in their own year are said to clash with him. In Taiwan and other Chinese communities, people visit temples early in the year to pacify Tai Sui.
The folk remedy is red, the color of luck: red underwear, a red belt or a red bracelet, worn every day of the year. Custom says the red should be a gift, because red you buy for yourself is thought to work less well. Our guide to the 2027 Year of the Goat covers the next zodiac year, and red string bracelet meaning explains the cord itself.
