At the time, the Cat and the Rat were the best of friends. Neither was a good swimmer, so they hatched a clever plan to ask the kind, strong Ox for a ride across the river. The Ox, always generous, readily agreed and told them to hop onto his broad head.
As the race began, the Ox steadily navigated the strong currents, pulling far ahead of the other animals. For most of the journey, the Cat and the Rat sat comfortably together, watching the shore get closer. But as they neared the finish line, the Rat's ambition got the better of him. Wanting first place all to himself, the Rat snuck up behind the Cat and pushed him straight into the rushing river. The Cat, terrified of water and unable to swim, splashed wildly and was swept downstream by the current.
Meanwhile, the Ox reached the riverbank. Just as he was about to step ashore to claim victory, the Rat leapt forward off the Ox's head, crossing the finish line first. The Ox took second place.
After this, the rest of the animals fought through the rushing river, each using their own unique strengths, and facing their own distractions.
The powerful Tiger used heavy, exhausting strokes to fight the strong current. He crossed the line gasping for breath, explaining to the Emperor that the river's pull almost swept him away.
The clever Rabbit could not swim at all. Instead, he hopped nimbly from one stepping stone to another. Halfway across, he slipped, but luckily grabbed hold of a floating log that washed him safely to the shore. Little did the rabbit know that just behind him was the dragon. The dragon saw the little rabbit in need and graciously blew wind to carry the log all the way to shore.
The Jade emperor was curious and asked the dragon why it came in fifth place when it could fly. It turns out, the dragon had been distracted from the race by a village that was in drought. The dragon provided rain to save the village then continued the race and was declared fifth place by the emperor.
The Horse came sprinting toward the finish line, completely unaware that the clever Snake had wrapped itself around his front hoof. Just before the line, the Snake untangled itself and slithered ahead, startling the Horse into rearing back. The Snake stole sixth, leaving the Horse with seventh.
The Goat, the Monkey, and the Rooster found a wooden raft and worked together. The Rooster spotted the raft, the Monkey cleared away the thick river weeds, and the Goat used all his strength to pull it through the water. The Emperor was so pleased with their teamwork that he awarded them consecutive spots.
The Dog was one of the best swimmers in the kingdom, but he was incredibly playful. He found the river water so clean, fresh, and inviting that he spent most of his time splashing around and taking a bath instead of racing. When he realized he had lost track of time, he anxiously set out to finish the race, awarding himself eleventh place.
The Pig became hungry early in the race, stopped to eat a massive feast, offering helpings to the other animals as they passed. Then he promptly fell fast asleep. He woke up just in time to waddle across the finish line right before the Emperor closed the gates, securing the very last spot.
And the Cat? By the time he finally struggled out of the mud and crawled onto the shore, the race was long over. Because of the Rat's ultimate betrayal, the Cat missed his chance, cementing a bitter and eternal enmity between cats and rats that remains to this day.
And so the Chinese Zodiac was born.
The Chinese Zodiac
As we saw in the story, the Chinese Zodiac is made up of 12 animals, cycling through in a fixed order. Each animal is assigned a year, and those born within that year are thought to share the corresponding animal’s traits. This zodiac follows the lunar cycle, and begins on the Chinese New Year, a date that shifts annually, but usually falls sometime between January 21st and February 20th.
Each year is also assigned an element: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. Each element rules for 2 consecutive years before rotating. The traits of each animal sign is modified by the traits of the corresponding element of that year. These specific element-animal combinations repeat every 60 years.
- Metal - strength, independence, focus - rules years ending in 0 and 1
- Water - intuition, fluidity, diplomacy - rules years ending in 2 and 3
- Wood - growth, creativity, flexibility - rules years ending in 4 and 5
- Fire - passion, energy, dynamism - rules years ending in 6 and 7
- Earth - stability, patience, reliability - rules years ending in 8 and 9
Each year is also assigned either the energy of Yin or Yang.
- Yin - passive and cool energy - assigned every even year
- Yang - active and hot energy - assigned every odd year
The Animals
Rat
- Healed: quick-witted, resourceful, versatile, kind
- Toxic: can be timid, stubborn, overly critical
Ox
- Healed: diligent, dependable, strong, determined
- Toxic: can be stubborn, dogmatic, poor at communication
Tiger
- Healed: brave, confident, competitive, charming
- Toxic: can be irritable, reckless, overly sensitive
Rabbit
- Healed: quiet, elegant, kind, responsible
- Toxic: can be hesitant, melancholy, overly conservative
Dragon
- Healed: confident, intelligent, enthusiastic, powerful
- Toxic: can be arrogant, impatient, demanding
Snake
- Healed: enigmatic, intelligent, wise, intuitive
- Toxic: can be jealous, suspicious, cold
Horse
- Healed: animated, active, energetic, free-spirited
- Toxic: can be impatient, self-centered, hot-headed
Goat
- Healed: gentle, mild-mannered, sympathetic, creative
- Toxic: can be indecisive, timid, pessimistic
Monkey
- Healed: sharp, smart, curious, mischievous
- Toxic: can be arrogant, opportunistic, manipulative
Rooster
- Healed: observant, hardworking, courageous, proud
- Toxic: can be vain, boastful, hypersensitive
Dog
- Healed: honest, loyal, amicable, prudent
- Toxic: can be stubborn, anxious, prone to worry
Pig
- Healed: compassionate, generous, diligent, calm
- Toxic: can be naive, lazy, easily fooled
In Comparison
While both the Chinese Zodiac and the Western Zodiac stem from ancient systems, provide a framework for understanding personality and future predictions, they are built on entirely different foundations.
There are some obvious differences: the timeframe for each sign, how each sign is represented, and some different elements. Let's take a closer look.
The Elements
The Western Zodiac uses the familiar four elements, Fire, Earth, Air, and Water. In the zodiac, these elements represent the core psychological temperaments of the signs. The Chinese Elements, Wood, Fire, Ear, Metal, and Water represent seasonal phases of a changing natural energy. In Chinese philosophy, Air is not viewed as an element, but rather it is viewed as the invisible life force that breathes life into the other elements. The elements Wood and Metal are included as they were vital to daily survival and cosmic harmony in ancient agricultural China, giving them permanence among the other elements.
In the Western Zodiac, the assigned element is permanent. Each sign has a very specific and fixed element. Whereas in the Chinese Zodiac, the elements rotate, allowing for each animal sign to partner with each element, and while the same animal to element pairing only happens once every 60 years, it is still a fluid shift. This fluidity allows for a sign's corresponding traits to be shaped by the shifting, cyclical current of the universe.
The Ego & Community Bonds
The Western Zodiac focuses heavily on the individual, maping planetary placements to create a unique psychological fingerprint to identify a person at their core. Meanwhile, the Chinese Zodiac prioritizes generational traits, emphasizing how a person fits into society, family dynamics, and the destiny relative to the year's ruling energy.
The Symbols
The symbols of the Western Zodiac include mythological creatures, inanimate objects, humans, and animals, giving an abstract range of identification. Whereas the Chinese Zodiac includes animals that have real-world importance within Chinese culture, save the Dragon, who still holds great cultural importance.
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