Chinese Zodiac [Ba Zi and Tzu Wei Tou Shu Astrology]

Definition: [Zodiacs] What we in the West usually call the "Chinese Zodiac" is a zodiac only in the sense that it is a 'Circle of the Animals'. It is a yearly sign system and does not correspond to a solar zodiac wheel as in the Western tradition. Neither do the animals of the "zodiac" correspond to any heavenly constellations.

Further details of the dates of this year cycle can be found below in the information on Ba Zi astrology.

Whilst the idea that an astrology can be based on the Chinese year sign [Ba Zi astrology] is increasingly common in the West, the development of Chinese astrology is far more complex. The Chinese do possess a zodiac system in some ways similar to the West, but it is based on the Moon rather than the Sun. It is known as the Tzu Wei Tou Shu, the Pole Star Astrology System. The Ancient Chinese identified some 28 "Xiu", or lunar stations/mansions, each based on an asterism, divided into four cardinal directions (and seasons): The Azure Dragon of the East (Spring); The Vermillion Bird of the South (Summer); The White Tiger of the West (Fall); "Genbu", The Black Tortoise of the North (Winter). There was also a fifth direction, "towards the centre", associated with the North Pole Star, which was considered the closest point to heaven. This lead the Chinese to consider that the wheel of the circumpolar constellations was of great importance and they used these and ecliptic asterisms to define the lunar mansions.

A sketch of a portion of an Edo era Japanese star chart by Harumi Yasui, dated 1699. The key star for each Moon station is circled in red. The key star for Station 1 is Spica, "The Ear of Wheat", Alpha Virginis, in Virgo, in the Western [Greek] constellation system. The vertical lines on the chart mark the start of the stations. It is apparent from the diagram that the stations vary in size. Presumably this is to accommodate the various sizes of asterisms seen by the Chinese along the ecliptic. However, there are always seven stations in each of the four heavenly regions. The Lunar stations are the closest equivalent to a zodiac wheel to be found in Chinese astrology.

Tzu Wei Tou Shu astrology is based on the movement of the Sun, Moon and five planets [Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, just as in the pre-telescope Western astrology] as seen against the background of these lunar stations. Its history is just as ancient as the Western Zodiac Wheels. Traditionally, the system is supposed to date back four and a half millennia, to the reign of the probably mythical Yellow Emperor, Huáng Dì. "Oracle bones" have survived from the Shang dynasty [ca. 1200-1045 BC], half a millennium before the lives of either Confucius (551-479 BC), or the Buddha [ca. 563 - ca 483 BC], which show this type of astrological divination being practiced. A set of astrological predictions are present in the Shih Chih ["Historical Record"] of the historian Sun-Ma Chien dating from the 1st century BC. By the time of the Han dynasty [206 BC - AD 220] solar and lunar eclipses, as well as planetary conjunctions, were part of the predictive astrological framework, though the Movement of the Ages was beginning to cause as many problems for Chinese astrology as it has done for the Western tradition.

Chinese Star-map, 1819. Print on thin paper of map showing Chinese names of stars and constellations made by John Reeves esq, Canton.

The Calendar Years of the Ba Zi Chinese "Zodiac": The Ba Zi is the Chinese system currently being popularized in the West. For quick reference, to find your Chinese year animal you can use the table given below. Look up your birth year in the right hand column to find your animal.

Where do the Twelve Yearly Animals Originate From?: From Buddhism. Traditionally, they are the twelve animals that responded when the Buddha called to them to hear him preach the Dharma [the Law]. The other animals, unsure of the purpose of the invitation did not turn up. The legend goes that the list of the animals is the order in which the animals arrived, the Buddha having ordained that each subsequent year, from then on, would be named for an animal.

The 60 Year Chinese Calendar and the Branches: The Chinese Calendar is a combined lunar/solar one, i.e. it is based on the cycles of the Moon and the Sun. Therefore, the beginning of the Chinese year does not keep exactly in step with the solar calendar used in the West: it can fall on any date between January 21st and February 21st in the Western calendar. Its date is based on second New Moon after the Winter Solstice, as seen from China, along with several other factors.

Unlike many other calendars, the Chinese calendar is not infinite but repeats every 60 years. This repetition is a combination of the 10 “heavenly stems”, tiān gān, [which correspond to one of five elements repeating in Yang/Yin pairs: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water] and the 12 “earthly branches”, dì zhī which correspond to the Buddhist animals. The 12 earthly branches [Rat through to Pig] repeat five times through the 60 year cycle, and the heavenly stems six times in the form of five pairs of Yang/Yin element doublets, also known as "Elder Brother" and "Younger Brother". An element only matches with an earthly branch once in the sixty year cycle e.g. 1928: Earth Dragon; 1940: Metal Dragon; 1952: Water Dragon; 1964: Wood Dragon; 1976: Fire Dragon. The twelve animals of the Chinese Zodiac are also used in the Japanese and Korean systems. However there are some variations as to the animals used, for example in the Vietnamese version the 4th earthly branch is a Cat not a Rabbit, and some systems replace the Ox with the Buffalo. Full Ba Zi applies this complete system to four segments of time: the year, month, day and hour of birth. These are called the "Four Pillars of Wisdom."

The heavenly branches each have special associations. Wood is associated with fur and bamboo, Fire with burning wood and lamp flame, Earth with hill and plain, Metal with weapons and kettle and Water with waves and streams. Yang is associated in Taoist duality with hot, dry, and male; Yin with cool, wet, and female.

The current Chinese calendar cycle started on 2nd February 1984. Coming dates for the Chinese New Year are: Jan 22 2004, Feb 9 2005, Jan 29 2006, Feb 18 2007. Below is a table of the dates of the Chinese New Year from 1920, just before the start of the most recent complete cycle, to 2007 the 24th year of the current cycle.

Chinese New Year, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches:

The Zodiac and Astrology:

© Dr Shepherd Simpson, Astrological Historian

Historical Astrology

See the new Astrological Index for the meaning of other astrological words and phrases

Galactic Zodiac