I am a quite chinese typical minded person who would spend some of his free time reading on chinese astrologies, that is the compatibility of the 12 animals in the chinese calendar. Coincidently, a friend of mine (her name is Ka Ka) and I have discussed about this topic based on her understanding from the 'Tong Seng' (a book that provide thorough understanding of every aspects related to the chinese astrology). Here is what we found:


Caption: the 12 animals and its elements in the chinese calendar

The zodiac sign and birth time: I was told that the order of the zodiac sign were originated in the Han Dynasty (206 - 220 B. C.) based on the 12 animal-time periods in a day. The birth time is of important in the chinese culture where it determine the person's futuristic life (this is what I understand so far). On the other hand, some people would even match their birth time to choose their life-time partner. If it is not matching, then they are considered as not compatible.

1. If you were born between 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.: the time rats actively seek food;
2. If you were born between 1 to 3 a.m.: a time that oxen regurgitate;
3. If you were born between 3 to 5 a.m.: tiger hunt prey and display their fiercest nature;
4. If you were born between 5 to 7 a.m.: based on tales, the jade rabbit on the moon was busy pounding medicinal herb with a pestle;
5. If you were born between 7 to 9 a.m.: dragons were said to hover in the sky to give people rainfall;
6. If you were born between 9 to 11 a.m.: snakes start to leave their burrows;
7. If you were born between 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.: the day is flourishing, as vigorous as an unconstrained horse;
8. If you were born between 1 to 3 p.m.: it was said that if sheep ate grass at this time, they would grow stronger;
9. If you were born between 3 to 5 p.m.: monkeys become lively;
10. If you were born between 5 to 7 p.m.: roosters return to their roost as it is dark;
11. If you were born between 7 to 9 p.m.: dogs begin to carry out their duty to guard entrances;
12. If you were born between 9 to 11 p.m.: all is quiet and pigs are sleeping soundly.


Caption: the chinese astrology chart for animals

I am also going to note the compatibility of different animal based on the chinese calendar. Of course, I would not know how much should we believe on the astrology below, but based on Ka Ka and my observation, this is relatively accurate and should be used as a general guideline in our live when necessary.

The characteristic and compatibility of each and every animal in the chinese astrology:

1. Year of the Rat – (year of birth) 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032, 2044

Best match for the rat : dragon, monkey, ox
Worst match for the rat : sheep, horse, rabbit, rooster

2. Year of the Ox - (year of birth) 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021, 2033, 2045

Best match for the ox: rat, snake, rooster
Worst match for the ox: dragon, horse, sheep, dog, rabbit

3. Year of the Tiger - (year of birth) 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022, 2034, 2046

Best match for the tiger: horse, dog
Worst match for the tiger: snake, monkey

4. Year of the Rabbit - (year of birth) 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023, 2036, 2047

Best match for the rabbit: sheep, dog, pig
Worst match for the rabbit: rat, ox, dragon, rooster, horse

5. Year of the Dragon - (year of birth) 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024, 2036, 2048

Best match for the dragon: rat, monkey, rooster
Worst match for the dragon: dog, ox, dragon, rabbit

6. Year of the Snake - (year of birth) 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025, 2037, 2049

Best match for the snake: ox, rooster
Worst match for the snake: tiger, monkey, pig

7. Year of Horse - (year of birth) 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954,1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026, 2038, 2050

Best match for the horse: tiger, sheep, dog
Worst match for the horse: rat, ox, rabbit, horse

8.Year of the Sheep - (year of birth) 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, 2039, 2051

Best match for the sheep: rabbit, horse, pig
Worst match for the animal: rat, ox, dog

9. Year of the Monkey - (year of birth) 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040, 2052

Best match for the monkey: rat, dragon
Worst match for the monkey: tiger, snake, pig

10. Year of the Rooster - (year of birth) 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029, 2041, 2053

Best match for the rooster: ox, dragon, snake
Worst match for the rooster: rooster, dog, rabbit

11. Year of the Dog - (year of birth) 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030, 2042, 2054

Best match for the dog: tiger, rabbit, horse
Worst match for the dog: ox, dragon, sheep, rooster

12. Year of the Pig - (year of birth) 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2020, 2031, 2043

Best match for the pig: sheep, rabbit
Worst match for the pig: snake, pig, monkey

Look like it is a difficult task to look for a life-time partner if you were to look for one based on the justification from the chinese astrology, lol. For me, I think I should better trust the chinese astrology based on the depiction of some relatives' life, and have proven that the compatibility of animals may seriously influence their future :)