Chinese zodiac · culture
Chinese zodiac and Western zodiac
The Chinese animal year changes at Chinese New Year and repeats every twelve years. A tropical Western Sun sign follows the Sun’s longitude through twelve thirty-degree signs over one year.
What each sign identifies
A Chinese year sign combines a year animal with a Heavenly Stem element. A Western Sun sign identifies the Sun’s tropical zodiac sector at a birth instant. Neither is a replacement for the other coordinate.
Why a full date matters
January or February Chinese-zodiac births can belong to the preceding animal year. Western births close to a sign ingress need a birth time and time zone to distinguish the neighbouring Sun signs.
Compare the larger charts
Four Pillars uses year, month, day and hour stem–branch pairs. A Western natal chart includes planets, houses and aspects. A birth-year animal and a Sun sign are entry points into these different systems.