CIO Factory · Powered by APIVerve

Chinese Zodiac 生肖

Find the animal that governs a birth date, or trace every year an animal has ruled — reckoned by the true lunar calendar, not January 1st.

Sheng Xiao (生肖) — the twelve-year cycle of animal signs, each once bound to a two-hour shichen (时辰) of the traditional Chinese day. Rat rules the midnight hour at the top of the wheel; the rest follow clockwise.

Select a date or an animal to see it marked on the wheel

The zodiac year turns over on Chinese New Year, not January 1st — a date in early January or February may belong to the previous year's animal.

Choose a date above to reveal its zodiac animal.

Every animal returns every 12 years, cycling through the five elements over a 60-year sexagenary cycle.

Choose an animal above to see the years it has ruled.

CIO Factory · Chinese Zodiac data via APIVerve