Chinese Zodiac

Chinese zodiac (中國十二生肖; zhōng guó shí èr shēng xiāo) is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes， according to a 12-year cycle. It has wide currency in several East Asian countries. Identifying this scheme using the term “zodiac” reflects several similarities to the Western zodiac: both have time cycles divided into 12 parts， each labels at least the majority of those parts with names of animals， and each is widely associated with a culture of attributing influence of a person’s relationship to the cycle upon their personality and/or events in their life. Nevertheless， there are major differences: the “Chinese” 12-part cycle is divided into years rather than months; the animals of the Chinese zodiac are not associated with constellations， let alone those spanned by the ecliptic plane.In China， we have Tiger year in 2010， and will embrace Rabbit year soon after Chinese Spring Festival， which is on February 3， 2011.Chinese zodiac signs represent twelve different types of personalities. The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat. The following are the twelve zodiac signs in order and their characteristics.鼠 sh?Rat: Forthright， tenacious， systematic， meticulous， charismatic， sensitive， hardworking， industrious， charming， eloquent， sociable， artistic， shrewd. Can be manipulative， vindictive， mendacious， venal， selfish， obstinate， critical， over-ambitious， ruthless， intolerant， scheming.兔 tùRabbit: Gracious， good friend， kind， sensitive， softspoken， amiable， elegant， reserved， cautious， artistic， thorough， tender， selfassured， astute， compassionate， flexible. Can be moody， detached， superficial， selfindulgent， opportunistic， stubborn.馬 mǎHorse:Cheerful， popular， quick-witted， changeable， earthy， perceptive， talkative， agile - mentally and physically， magnetic， intelligent， astute， flexible， open-minded. Can be fickle， arrogant， childish， anxious， rude， gullible， stubborn.雞 jīRooster:Acute， neat， meticulous， organized， self-assured， decisive， conservative， critical， perfectionist， alert， zealous， practical， scientific， responsible. Can be over zealous and critical， puritanical， egotistical， abrasive， opinionated， given to empty bravado.牛 niúOx: Dependable， calm， methodical， born leader， patient， hardworking， ambitious， conventional， steady， modest， logical， resolute， tenacious. Can be stubborn， narrowminded， materialistic， rigid， demanding.龍 lóngDragon: Magnanimous， stately， vigorous， strong， self-assured， proud， noble， direct， dignified， zealous， eccentric， intellectual， fiery， passionate， decisive， pioneering， ambitious， artistic， generous， loyal. Can be tactless， arrogant， imperious， tyrannical， demanding， intolerant， dogmatic， violent， impetuous， brash.羊 yángRam: Righteous， sincere， sympathetic， mild-mannered， shy， artistic， creative， gentle， compassionate， understanding， mothering， determined， peaceful， generous， seeks security. Can be moody， indecisive， over-passive， worrier， pessimistic， over-sensitive， complainer， weak-willed.狗 gǒuDog: Honest， intelligent， straightforward， loyal， sense of justice and fair play， attractive， amicable， unpretentious， sociable， open-minded， idealistic， moralistic， practical， affectionate， sensitive， easy going. Can be cynical， lazy， cold， judgmental， pessimistic， worrier， stubborn， quarrelsome.虎 h?Tiger: Unpredictable， rebellious， colorful， powerful， passionate， daring， impulsive， vigorous， stimulating， sincere， affectionate， humanitarian， generous. Can be restless， reckless， impatient， quick-tempered， obstinate， selfish， aggressive， unpredictable.蛇 shéSnake: Deep thinker， wise， mystic， graceful， soft-spoken， sensual， creative， prudent， shrewd， ambitious， elegant， cautious， responsible， calm， strong， constant， purposeful. Can be loner， bad communicator， possessive， hedonistic， self-doubting， distrustful， mendacious， suffocating， cold.猴 hóuMonkey: Inventor， motivator， improviser， quick-witted， inquisitive， flexible， innovative， problem solver， self-assured， sociable， artistic， polite， dignified， competitive， objective， factual， intellectual. Can be egotistical， vain， selfish， reckless， snobbish， deceptive， manipulative， cunning， jealous， suspicious.豬 zhūPig: Honest， gallant， sturdy， sociable， peace-loving， patient， loyal， hard-working， trusting， sincere， calm， understanding， thoughtful， scrupulous， passionate， intelligent. Can be na?ve， over-reliant， self-indulgent， gullible， fatalistic， materialistic.