Chinese Zodiac Animals

The Chinese zodiac, known as Shēngxiào (生肖), is a classification scheme based on the lunar calendar that assigns an animal and its attributes to each year in a 12-year cycle.

Important: The Chinese zodiac follows the lunar calendar, not the Gregorian calendar. Chinese New Year falls between January 21 and February 20 each year. If you were born in January or February, your animal sign may be from the previous year.

The system also incorporates five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water), creating a 60-year grand cycle. Each element adds nuance to the animal sign's characteristics.