Chinese Zodiac Animal
Last time we’ve already given you some information about the Chinese Zodiac Animal – All in all 12 different animals with different attributes. Today we will continue with the next 4 zodiac animals: dragon (龙 / 龍 lóng), snake (蛇 shé), horse (马 / 馬 mǎ) and goat (羊 yáng).
Missed our last post and still don’t know what your Chinese Zodiac Animal is? Check our this link to find out more about your zodiac animal.
The dragon (the fifth order) 龙 / 龍 lóng
Chinese people consider themselves as “the descendants of the dragon”. According to this, you can know how dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Dragon is considered as “evil and vicious” in western countries. On the contrary, it is closely connected to the ancient royal family in China. It symbols intelligent and brave leader.
| Years | 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 … |
| Attributes | enterprising, powerful, strength |
| Personality | People born in the year of the dragon are usually powerful, enthusiastic, fearless, healthy, and passionate. They are dreamers and fond of imagining. Which means they are a risk-taker and fit well in occupations that need creativity and imagination, such as artists, or designers. What’s more, they also pay high concentration on works. |
| They don’t have much patience, which they might give up easily while working hard at the beginning but stopping to move forward once encounter difficulties. And they are also stiff, distrustful, and boastful. As mentioned before, they focus much on work and mostly neglect the importance of relationship and marriage. |
The snake (the sixth order) 蛇 shé
People might think of snakes as an insidious and sinister creature. However, in China, this agile animal is considered as “little dragon”, as it shares similar figure with the dragon. Ancient Chinese even thought that the snake could prolong life, and considered it to be a symbol of good luck, great harvest, and reproduction.
| Years | 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037 … |
| Attributes | flexibility, pliable |
| Personality | People under the sign of snake are mostly sensitive and humorous. They are warm-hearted, committable, and instinctive, which means they are willing to accept challenges and can devote themselves to difficult tasks and complete them well. Furthermore, they are gorgeous, attractive, and usually behave finely. |
| However, their weakness is suspicious. They ask about many things and become very paranoid. In the meantime, they are also material, narcissistic and eccentric. |
The horse (the seventh order) 马 / 馬 mǎ
Chinese people love horses, so it’s no surprise that most famous Chinese paintings and literature praises the beauty of horses. Ancient Chinese believe that horses have a close relation to dragons, due to a mythological creature called “Longma”, which is a horse covered in dragon scales that has the ability to fly.
| Years | 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 … |
| Attributes | endurance, forging ahead |
| Personality | People born in the year of the horse are clever, energetic, quick-witted, fashionable, and good at convincing others. Their easy-going personality attracts many friends flocking around them. They also have a positive attitude that always looks on the bright side of things. |
| On the other side, they might be a bit rash, selfish, and over-confident. Also, they are too frank and straightforward, so they might leak out the secrets easily. Joining social events often, prevent them from saving money. |
The goat (the eighth order) 羊 yáng
Young lamb kneels down to nurse, so Chinese people viewed sheep as a symbol of gratitude towards parents. Sheep offer human highly nutritious milk and meat, and it’s soft and warm wool make people warm. Therefore, in Chinese culture, the sheep is also considered as an omen of auspiciousness and good luck due to its many benefits to humankind.
| Years | 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 … |
| Attributes | cooperation, unity |
| Personality | Like the rabbits, sheep are tamed. So, people under the sign of the goat are tender, conservative, filial, and reliable. They take care of others, so they aren’t willing to handle things proactively, only when others press on them will they move forward. As a result, they might not fit right in the position of directors, but they are definitely good employees. Moreover, they cope with business circumspectly and are very trustworthy. |
| People born in the year of the goat usually lack independence ability, care too much about others, are indecisive, and pessimistic. They are also emotional while getting excited when they gain small achievements, but getting seriously depressed when they meet tiny setbacks. |
Missing your Zodiac Animal?
In our latest post about Chinese Zodiac Animals we’ve already introduced you to some animals, like rat (鼠 shǔ), ox (牛 niú), tiger (虎 hǔ) and rabbit (兔 tù). Interested in Chinese culture? Check out our blog about Understanding China to find out more.
Rat (鼠 shǔ)
Ox (牛 niú)
Tiger (虎 hǔ)
Rabbit (兔 tù)
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If your zodiac animal is monkey (猴 hóu), rooster (鸡 / 雞 jī), dog (狗 gǒu) or last but not least pig (猪 / 豬 zhū)? We will upload a new post about those animals in the upcoming days. Simply sign up for our newsletter at the bottom of this page to stay informed about our latest blog posts.
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