Most people do not know the Chinese zodiac. Their understanding rarely extends beyond the symbols on the tablemat of their favorite Chinese restaurant. However, there is much more to this two thousand year old doctrine than just dining table mat symbols.
Unlike western countries where the years are dated according to the birth of Jesus Christ, Chinese astronomy is based on the sexagenarian calendar cycle spanning a total of 60 years. There are 12 animal signs in Chinese astrology. According to a legend, Lord Buddha had invited all animals for dinner and only these 12 actually showed up. They were each awarded a year each. Another legend says that Lord Buddha had invited all the animals on his last day on the Earth and only these 12 showed up, making them an integral part of the Chinese calendar. They were awarded the years depending upon the order of their arrival, i.e. rat, ox, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, cock, dog, and boar.
However, there is a common misconception among people that the animals that are assigned by year are only discernible signs. There have been many western descriptions that have been led astray by relying solely on this fact. Hence, animal signs have also been assigned according to the month (inner animals) and hours of a day (secret animals). Thus a person may be a rat due to his birth in year of rat, but he may also be a dragon internally, and even a snake secretly. Thus, for a proper use of Chinese astrological symbols, one must be aware of all 8640 possible combinations.
Lastly, the Chinese horoscope is rarely used for fortune telling. Rather, it is used to provide more information about a person’s talents, character, and biases.
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