2023

The year of the Water Rabbit. The Chinese zodiac is a traditional classification scheme based on the Chinese calendar that assigns an animal and its reputed attributes to each year in a repeating twelve-year cycle. Originating from China, the zodiac and its variations remain popular in many East Asian and Southeast Asian countries.

Identifying this scheme using the generic term “zodiac” reflects several superficial similarities to the Western zodiac: both have time cycles divided into twelve parts, each labels at least the majority of those parts with names of animals, and each is widely associated with a culture of ascribing a person’s personality or events in their life to the supposed influence of the person’s particular relationship to the cycle.

However, the animals of the Chinese zodiac are not associated with constellations spanned by the ecliptic plane. The Chinese twelve-part cycle corresponds to years, rather than months. The Chinese zodiac is represented by twelve animals, and depending on the cycle year can be one of then following elements: Earth, Water, Wood, Fire, Metal.