Chinese New Year: What Do Those Zodiac Animals Really Mean?

Happy Lunar New Year! 

The Year of the Snake is five days away, so now is the time to brush up on your Chinese zodiac, and no, I'm not referring to the horribly fabulous Jackie Chan movie. 

1. Rat 

(1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008): Ambitious, wary, honest, magnanimous, angered easily, spendthrift, and overly critical. Rats get well along with Dragons and Monkeys, but should avoid Horses.

2. Ox 

(1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009):

3. Tiger 

(1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010): Sensitive yet aggressive, daring, unpredictable, charming, openly emotional, courageous, and great lovers. Tigers get along with a Horse or a Dog but never a Monkey.

4. Rabbit 

(1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011): Caring, talented, gracious, value peace, sentimental, cautious and conservative. Their best life partners are Sheep or Pigs but not Roosters.

5. Dragon 

(1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012): Intelligent, talented, imaginative, bossy, garish, and enthusiastic. Most compatible with a Snake or Rooster, and least with a Sheep.

6. Snake 

(1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013): Clever, animated, determined, romantic, intense, charming, intuitive, prone to procrastination, vain and penny-pinchers. Most compatible with a Rooster or Ox, not a Pig.

7. Horse 

(1918, 1930, 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014): Hardworking, intelligent, gregarious, cheerful, popular, impatient, selfish, cunning, energetic. They get along with Tigers and Dogs, but not Rats.

8. Sheep 

(1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015): Creative, passionate, elegant, kind, honest, apprehensive, scattered, and vulnerable. They are compatible with Rabbits or Pigs, but never with an Ox.

9. Monkey 

(1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016): Intelligent, innovative, clever, entertaining, alluring, opportunist. The best matches are Dragons or Rats while the worst are Tigers.

10. Rooster 

(1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017): Brave, diligent, shrewd, arrogant, reckless, selfish, boastful and eccentric. Harmonious with Snakes and Oxen but Rabbits cause trouble.

11. Dog 

(1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018): Honest, intelligent, generous, stubborn, loyal, introverted, diligent, anxious, and critical. Tigers and Horses are most compatible, and Dragons should be kept at bay.

12. Pig 

(1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019): Curious, reliable, sincere, patient, demure, affectionate, kind, impulsive, and naive. Pigs are wary of other Pigs but compatible with Sheep and Rabbits.