Eastern zodiac: the year, not the month
Twelve animals, five elements, and the four trines that explain compatibility.
The cycle
Twelve animals repeat in a fixed order: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. Each year belongs to one. The system is Chinese in origin and shared, with variations, across East and Southeast Asia — it is a calendar first, a personality map second.
The year changes at the Chinese New Year, which falls between 21 January and 20 February. Someone born on 3 February 1989 is not a Snake but a Dragon, because the Snake year did not start until 6 February. This is the single most common mistake, and it is why Celestine keeps a table of new-year dates instead of just reading the calendar year.
Five elements
Each year also carries an element — wood, fire, earth, metal or water — which changes every two years. So a Dragon born in 1988 is an Earth Dragon and one born in 2000 is a Metal Dragon: same animal, different weather. The full combination returns only every sixty years.
Temperament: the pace, the instincts, what a good day looks like.
Colouring: how that temperament is expressed — fiery, steady, precise, fluid, growing.
This diagram is drawn live in the app, on your own chart.
Compatibility
The twelve group into four trines of three. Rat, Dragon and Monkey share a quick, ambitious streak. Ox, Snake and Rooster are the planners. Tiger, Horse and Dog are the movers. Rabbit, Goat and Pig are the peacemakers. Same trine means easy understanding. Opposite on the wheel — six years apart — means friction, which is not the same as failure.
Someone is born on 25 January 1995. The Chinese New Year that year was 31 January. Which year do they belong to?
They were born before the new year began, so they belong to the previous animal, the Dog.