Chinese zodiac Actions Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-zodiac Share Share Share to social media Facebook X URL https://www.britannica.com/topic/Chinese-zodiac Also known as: Sheng Xiao, Shu Xiang Written by Frannie Comstock Frannie Comstock is a writer based in Chicago. Frannie Comstock Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica Last Updated: Jun 14, 2024 • Article History Table of Contents Chinese: Sheng Xiao or Shu Xiang (Show more) Chinese zodiac, annual classification system in Chinese culture following the Chinese lunar calendar yingyang li (literally, “heaven-earth”) in which each year in a 12-year cycle is assigned an animal and each animal is associated with a personality that typifies the year and those born during that year. The cycle changes to a new animal each year at the Chinese New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20 on the Gregorian calendar, and the order of animals restarts after going through the cycle of 12 animals. Unlike the Western zodiac system, which is based on months named for constellations, ...(100 of 1048 words)

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