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Chinese Zodiacs: 4 Things to Discover about Yourself

In just a few short days, we’ll be celebrating what is probably the most important Chinese holiday of the year: the Lunar New Year!

2021 ushers in the Year of the Metal Ox, an animal known for its hard work, positivity, and honesty — characteristics that we must all embody if we are to face the aftermath of the previous challenging year. That said, the best way to move forward is to be open to a brighter future. For purposes pointed towards fun and fortune, let’s take a good look at the signs! 

(Disclaimer: Let this be a reminder to take this all with a grain of salt! There is absolutely no such thing as a personality, future, or fortune set in stone.)

 

What is the Chinese Zodiac?

The Chinese zodiac cycle, otherwise known as shengxiao (生肖), comprises twelve animals: the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. As you probably already know, each of these is meant to represent one year in a twelve-year cycle. But what you probably don’t know is that your fortune may not only be decided by the element assigned to that year but also by the season and the animal signs accorded to the month you were born into! 

We don’t make the rules. The Chinese zodiac is just that complicated.

Knowing what animal represents your year of birth is just one part of understanding your zodiac sign. Another aspect that you need to consider is wuxing (五行), which refers to these five elements: metal, wood, fire, water, and earth.

Taking the two together, each animal and each element denote specific traits that a person belonging to these signs is said to have. 

So now that you know your zodiac sign, what can you do with it? 

Well, as it turns out, there’s a lot

 

1. Get to know your own personality.

Though your zodiac sign may not accurately represent who you really are as a person, checking it out may lead to some observations about yourself that you’ve never noticed before! As listed in The Oprah Magazine, Sabrina Liao’s Chinese Astrology: Ancient Secrets for Modern Life shows some interesting personality traits that each animal and element are said to have: 

The Twelve Animals:

  • Rat: ambitious, talkative, charming, resourceful, private, frugal, and critical
  • Ox: diligent, gentle, hardworking, reliable, patient, materialistic, and stubborn
  • Tiger: confident, brave, magnetic, idealistic, thrill-seeking, arrogant, and selfish
  • Rabbit: kind, sensitive, artistic, romantic, judgmental, timid, and refined
  • Dragon: outspoken, energetic, generous, intelligent, perfectionistic, egocentric, and impatient
  • Snake: clever, curious, alluring, wise, anxious, calculating, and jealous
  • Horse: amusing, enthusiastic, independent, persuasive, irresponsible, moody, and opportunistic
  • Goat: easygoing, empathetic, creative, cheerful, disorganized, impulsive, and lazy
  • Monkey: entertaining, intelligent, optimistic, sociable, fickle, secretive, and unpredictable
  • Rooster: adventurous, charitable, funny, loyal, argumentative, boastful, and self-involved
  • Dog: helpful, honest, trustworthy, unselfish, pessimistic, anxious, and timid
  • Pig: caring, generous, smart, outgoing, fearful, impatient, and materialistic

 

The Five Elements:

  • Metal: solidity and willpower
  • Water: responsiveness and persuasion
  • Wood: imagination and creativity
  • Fire: passion and burst of dynamic energy
  • Earth: down-to-earth qualities that encourage focus and commitment to achieving goals

 

These are the broad characteristics, but for more nuance, be sure to look up the specifics of your zodiac, whether you’re a metal ox also, a water ox, fire ox, and so on.

 

2. Check out which jobs suit you best.

If your zodiac can determine your personality, then it makes perfect sense that it would also be able to predict what jobs you’re best at, right? According to Travel China Guide, here are the jobs you should try your hand at, if you haven’t already: 

  • Rat: performs well in the creative, charity, finance, and service industries (e.g. artist, doctor, teacher, fashion designer, and photographer)
  • Ox: best suited to stable jobs requiring specific expertise (e.g. lawyer, doctor, teacher, writer, government officer, policeman, technician, politician, and office clerk) 
  • Tiger: suitable to work for public service or in fields involving catering, outdoor sports, and culture (e.g. economist, politician, adventurer, and management officer)
  • Rabbit: inclined to jobs requiring a keen sense of art and care (e.g. chef, veterinarian, graphic designer, farmer, police officer, teacher, and priest)
  • Dragon: talented in languages and have a strong sense of matters in business and finance (e.g. writer, teacher, pharmacist, politician, priest, cashier, financier, and quality inspector)
  • Snake: excels in entertainment and the performing arts (e.g. singer, artist, idol, painters, designer, psychologist, teacher, and politician)
  • Horse: predicted to achieve in fields related to the arts, tourism, business, and politics; also inclined to charity work (e.g. writer, architect, performer, entrepreneur, scientist, critic, tour guide, artist, and politician)
  • Goat: excellent in fields related to domestic service, medicine, art, education, and publishing (e.g. musician, artist, teacher, editor, writer, beautician, doctor, and house cleaner)
  • Monkey: best fitted to highly logical and challenging jobs that require eloquence (e.g. linguist, diplomat, journalist, entertainer, businessman, athlete, stockbroker, lawyer, and programmer)
  • Rooster: can perform well in jobs focusing on social interactions and expression (e.g. politician, public speaker, diplomat, designer, beautician, tour guide, and actor)
  • Dog: excels in roles requiring outstanding creativity and planning skills (e.g. lawyer, judge, teacher, doctor, civil servant, programmer, advertising planner, and blogger)
  • Pig: best suited to the artistic and medical fields (e.g. veterinarian, breeder, teacher, civil servant, artist, doctor, professor, and forester)

 

3. Find out which fashion choices are lucky.

That’s right! Your Chinese zodiac can even predict what colors will be lucky and unlucky for you this year. In general, the Year of the Metal Ox shows great promise to silver, gray, and white! Because of the element assigned to this year, it is also an excellent fashion choice to wear more metallic accessories. 

On the other side, it is also recommended to not wear colors like green, black, red, and orange too often since they may interrupt one’s energy and fortune for the year. 

(We’ll be working on a feature for more specific zodiac-based lucky colors, so be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more updates on our zodiac series!)

 

4. Discover your ideal partner.

Have you ever wondered if your partner’s personality and destiny are compatible with your own? Yeah, your Chinese zodiac can apparently predict that too. With these fortune indicators, you can discover whether you and your potential partners — romantic or not — are compatible, complementary, better off as friends, or entirely mismatched! 

Check out this love compatibility calculator that we found right here. This can also apply to who you get along with in general, whether they be your friends, siblings, co-workers, and more.

(We’ll be working on a more detailed feature regarding zodiac-based love compatibility soon, so be sure to stay tuned to our website and Facebook page for more updates on our zodiac series!)

 

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