Chinese astrology has its basis in Taoism, which is a Chinese philosophical system founded by the philosopher Loa Zi, in 6th century B.C.

The ‘Tao” or the “way” denotes the hidden principal of the universe. Emphasis on the good deeds is not stressed too much, but it is the harmonious interaction with the environment which is supposed to ensure right behavior and general peace.

The magical side of Taoism is defined in the “I-Ching”, or “book of changes” which is a tome of divination.

The magical and ritualistic branch of Taoism spread its roots from the second century B.C.

The Chinese astrological system takes into consideration 12 animals Rat, Ox, Tiger, Hare, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig five elements and 5 directions.

With the exception of the earth the other four elements rule a set of three animals each in a general term

Water: rat, pig, ox.
Wood: dragon, hare, tiger.
Fire: snake, goat, horse.
Metal: monkey, rooster, dog.

While reading an animal sign one should also take into consideration that the five elements have a certain characteristic

Water: emotions, intuitions, communication.
Wood: creativity, growth, nurturing.
Fire: intelligence, passion.
Metal: trust, worthiness
Earth: balance, reliability.

Every year is ruled by one animal, each year is also either yin or yang and ruled by the elements.
In further division, every month is ruled by one of the animals and every two hours in a day belong to one of these animals. Since all animals have different characteristics and all elements represent certain facets, there are more than 8,000 combinations of Chinese horoscopes.

The animal that represents the year in which you are born in determines your personality and how others perceive you, quite like the sun sign in western astrology.

Your inner animal depicts your emotions and love life just like the moon signs. Your inner animal is the one that rules the month in which you are born.
Lastly, one also needs to consider the secret animal which is the one that presides over the time you were born. The secret animal is the true you, known only to yourself.

Rat
1900 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996
Ox
1901 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1998
Tiger
1902 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998
Rabbit
1903 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999
Dragon
1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000
Snake
1905 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001
Horse
1906 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002
Goat
1907 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003
Monkey
1908 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004
Rooster
1909 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005
Dog
1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006
Pig
1911 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007


Inner animal by the month:

MONTHS INNER ANIMALS

JANUARY - OX
FEBURARY - TIGER
MARCH - HARE
APRIL - DRAGON
MAY - SNAKE
JUNE - HORSE
JULY - GOAT
AUGUST - MONKEY
SEPTEMBER - ROOSTER
OCTOBER - DOG
NOVEMBER - PIG
DECEMBER - RAT



The secret animal by the time you are born:

RAT- 23:00 - 01:00
OX- 01:00 - 03:00
TIGER- 03:00 - 5:00
HARE - 05:00 - 07:00
DRAGON- 07:00 - 09:00
SNAKE- 09:00 -11:00
HORSE- 11:00 - 13:00
GOAT- 13:00 - 15:00
MONKEY- 15:00 - 17:00
ROOSTER- 17:00 -19:00
DOG 19:00 21:00
PIG 21:00 23:00