According to traditional Chinese legend, ages ago Buddha summoned all of the animals and honored those who came by naming a year for them; each animal in turn gave its characteristics to people born in its year. (Read a children's version of this story.)

The Chinese Zodiac is based on a twelve year cycle. Each year is represented by an animal.

Find the year you were born to determine your own sign. If you know your sign, click above.

There are also five elements (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) which also determine the characteristics and the fate of people. These five elements are represented by the five planets (respectively Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn, with the same names in Chinese). The 12 Chinese signs are governed by the five elements. Individually each element's sign appears only once every 60 years Ð calculated by multiplying 12 signs by five elements. Thus, the Chinese calendar is based on a 60-year cycle.

Metal Personality
• Success-driven, with confidence and determination
• Will achieve their objectives regardless of any setbacks, failures or hardships
• Sometimes unreasonable, inflexible and stubborn
• Self-reliant and are will solve problems on their own
• Like to choose their own destinies and will persist towards this end
• Don't like others to interfere in their affairs
• Have strong impulses on the people around them
• Possess the strength and the energy to change in their way
• Strong monetary instincts
• Tastes for luxury and power

Wood Personality
• High morals and great confidence
• Know the intrinsic value of things and appreciate what they have
• Wide and varied interest makes them interesting company
• Systematic in their thinking
• Executive personalities
• Expansive and cooperative natures
• Like to diversify to as many areas as possible
• Always looking for renewal and growth
• Unselfish and will share recognition or rewards with their team
• Will find support and finances whenever in need because others have faith in their business acumen and abilities
• Tend to take on more than they can handle
• May not finish what they start if they spread themselves out too
• Tend to be too conciliatory and will look for the easiest way out
• Can be inconstant and passive
• Can also lean too much on others for support

Water Personality
• Have above average skills in interpersonal relations and persuasion
• Communicate well and are able to wear away any opposition from others through their firm, constant but unobtrusive efforts
• Have the capability to advance their ideas by influencing the thoughts of others
• Flexible, intuitive, diplomatic and unimposing
• Have an eye for spotting things that have and are naturals at getting the project rolling
• Flair lies in recognizing and using the talents and resources at their fingertips but never make others feel that they are being made used of
• Tend to be too conciliatory and will look for the easiest way out. At their worst, they can be inconstant and passive.
• Tend to lean too much on others for support.

Fire Personality
• Born-leaders Decisive, confident and aggressive
• Love adventure and innovation Constantly on the move and like to explore new horizons
• True to their element and usually attract others through their brilliance and warmth
• With dynamic speech and action, always dominate others with their originality and clever thinking
• Must be sympathetic to the views of others before taking action. The more fire people may try to achieve their goals by force, the more they will encounter obstacles.
• Emotional. Their selfishness make them inconsiderate and impatient
• Need more patience and compassion to curb their impulsive tendencies.

Earth Personality
• Serious, logical and methodical
• Possess foresight and excellent deductive powers
• Intelligent and objective, and know where to direct their resources for the best results
• Good planners and administrators
• Wise and prudent in financial matters
• Like to keep things in perspective
• Conservative by nature and they rarely blow things out of proportion
• Too governed by their own interests
• Lack imagination and have too secure an outlook of life
• Will impress others with their sound reasoning, reliability, discipline and steadiness.


For Sign Compatibility: click here