# The Chinese Zodiac



## Tetsuo Shima (Nov 24, 2014)

You may have heard of the story about the animals running in the race to determine the order of the Chinese zodiac, where the rat came first because he sneaked onto the ox's shoulder and the cat is excluded because the rat told him the race would be on a different day. But, I recently had a dream about the Chinese zodiac that began with the dragon rising out of the sea and shapeshifting into the other different animals in order to get through situations that he would find himself in. When I woke from my dream, I realized that each sign has traits that the sign before it longs to have but is prevented by its own traits from having.

(I used only male pronouns in the paragraph, not because I am sexist, but because all of the animals that I mentioned happened to be those associated with thinking personality types and 3/4 people with a T in their personality type are male. Also note that if you are nothing like what your sign is supposed to be like, it's probably because the western zodiac has a stronger influence on personality than the Chinese zodiac.)

*Dragon
Traits: Confident, Analytical
Temperament: Choleric/Sanguine
Enneagram: 8, especially 8w7
MBTI: TP, especially ENTP
Western Equivalent: Aries

Snake
Traits: Quiet, Studious
Temperament: Melancholic/Phlegmatic
Enneagram: 6, especially 6w5
MBTI: IJ, especially ISTJ
Western Equivalent: Taurus

Horse
Traits: Courageous, Charismatic
Temperament: Sanguine/Choleric
Enneagram: 3, especially 3w2
MBTI: ES, especially ESFP
Western Equivalent: Gemini

Sheep
Traits: Generous, Peaceful
Temperament: Phlegmatic/Sanguine
Enneagram: 2, especially 2w1
MBTI: FJ, especially ENFJ
Western Equivalent: Cancer

Monkey
Traits: Playful, Passionate
Temperament: Sanguine/Phlegmatic
Enneagram: 7, especially 7w6
MBTI: FP, especially ESFP
Western Equivalent: Leo

Rooster
Traits: Pragmatic, Vain
Temperament: Melancholic/Sanguine
Enneagram: 1, especially 1w2
MBTI: SJ, especially ESTJ
Western Equivalent: Virgo

Dog
Traits: Honest, Chivalrous
Temperament: Choleric/Phlegmatic
Enneagram: 6, especially 6w7
MBTI: IF, especially ISFP
Western Equivalent: Libra

Pig
Traits: Indulgent, Lax
Temperament: Phlegmatic/Melancholic
Enneagram: 9, especially 9w1
MBTI: SP, especially ISFP
Western Equivalent: Scorpio

Rat
Traits: Ambitious, Capitalistic
Temperament: Sanguine/Melancholic
Enneagram: 3, espeically 3w4
MBTI: SP, especially ISTP
Western Equivalent: Sagittarius

Ox
Traits: Serious, Driven
Temperament: Melancholic/Choleric
Enneagram: 1, especially 1w9
MBTI: TJ, especially ISTJ
Western Equivalent: Capricorn

Tiger
Traits: Strategic, Militant
Temperament: Choleric/Melancholic
Enneagram: 5, especially 5w4
MBTI: IT, especially INTP
Western Equivalent: Aquarius

Rabbit
Traits: Sensitive, Precognitive
Temperament: Phlegmatic/Choleric
Enneagram: 4, especially 4w5
MBTI: NF, especially INFP
Western Equivalent: Pisces

Cat*
Traits: Rebellious, Prophetic
Temperament: Choleric/???
Enneagram: 8, especially 8w9
MBTI: NT, especially ENTJ
Western Equivalent: Ophiuchus*

*I included the cat with hope that as we come into a new age and more intuitive people are born, the sign will eventually be added to the system.


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## probablyINFP (Aug 6, 2016)

Doesn't fit to me at all.


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## kittenmogu (Jun 19, 2014)

Interesting. I've never personally seen Chinese and Western equivalents put together before. Some of them fit quite well.


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

Quick question about the Tiger one:



> Tiger
> Traits: Strategic, Militant
> Temperament: Choleric/Melancholic
> Enneagram: 5, especially 5w4
> ...


If the Tiger's traits are Strategic and Militant, then why is it more INTP? Wouldn't ISTJ, INTJ, ENTJ, ESTJ be a better fit.
Meaning I think you should say Tiger's are TJ types.

I thought Tigers were Gemini? Or we talking about personality here, since I think Virgo works best here too.

Enneagram type would be better fit of 8, 6, 1.

These seem like better traits for a Tiger: Tolerant, *loyal*, *valiant*, courageous, trustworthy, intelligent, virtuous.

So I think a better version would be:



> Tiger
> Traits: Loyal, Valiant.
> Temperament: Choleric/Melancholic
> Enneagram: 8
> ...


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## delicatefrench (Aug 7, 2016)

> Rabbit
> Traits: Sensitive, Precognitive
> Temperament: Phlegmatic/Choleric
> Enneagram: 4, especially 4w5
> ...


I'm a Rabbit, INFP, and 4w5. Actually accurate for me.


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## psyche (Jan 5, 2011)

narcissistic said:


> I thought Tigers were Gemini? Or we talking about personality here, since I think Virgo works best here too.


Well... Whatever Chinese sign you are, that sign lasts an entire year, so if you want to put Chinese and Western together the easiest way might be to see where you have Jupiter in your natal chart, as that planet stays in one sign about a year.

For example, I'm a Tiger myself and I have Jupiter in Pisces, as do most Tiger people. However, when the year of the Tiger begins Jupiter is usually in Aquarius, which is...I think...why the year of the Tiger is linked to the sign Aquarius in these lists.


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

psyche said:


> Well... Whatever Chinese sign you are, that sign lasts an entire year, so if you want to put Chinese and Western together the easiest way might be to see where you have Jupiter in your natal chart, as that planet stays in one sign about a year.
> 
> For example, I'm a Tiger myself and I have Jupiter in Pisces, as do most Tiger people. However, when the year of the Tiger begins Jupiter is usually in Aquarius, which is...I think...why the year of the Tiger is linked to the sign Aquarius in these lists.


Fair enough on that part then,
Still think the MBTI and Enneagram typing in relation to the Chinese signs are a little bit murky from the list.
And that the key traits could be a bit better.


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## Tetsuo Shima (Nov 24, 2014)

narcissistic said:


> And that the key traits could be a bit better.


I'm sorry. I have problems with being too blunt, but I put my thoughts into words as well as I could.


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

Tetsuo Shima said:


> I'm sorry. I have problems with being too blunt, but I put my thoughts into words as well as I could.


Wouldn't say they were *blunt*, more so not the *key* traits or ones that *associate better* with the sign.


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## Tetsuo Shima (Nov 24, 2014)

narcissistic said:


> Wouldn't say they were *blunt*, more so not the *key* traits or ones that *associate better* with the sign.


I tried to avoid saying things that would be _too_ obvious. For example, as one of the dog zodiac, I've been hearing the keyword "loyal" all my life to describe my sign. And while I can be loyal, albeit never to the right crowd, I decided to experiment with words that are more like borderline synonyms. I also recall hearing dragons described as "graceful", but to me, that isn't a personality trait, so I decided that it must be their reflexive ability to analyze a situation that makes them appear graceful. There are some signs that I really don't know the defining traits of at all, but I know that each one aligns with a western sign, so I figure they must have somewhat similar traits to their western equivalents. That and I've always enjoyed studying animal symbolism, so I've also added some traits that are just associated with some of the animals in general.


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

This is my opinion/judgement on the Chinese Zodiac signs, using this site as my reference.

*Rat* 
* *





Traits: Quick-Witted, Versatile.
Enneagram: 7/8
MBTI: TP




*Ox* 
* *





Traits: Diligent, Reliable.
Enneagram: 9/1
MBTI: NF




*Tiger* 
* *





Traits: Competitive, Confident.
Enneagram: 3/8
MBTI: EJ (TJ)




*Rabbit* 
* *





Traits: Elegant, Patient.
Enneagram: 2/6
MBTI: FJ




*Dragon* 
* *





Traits: Tenacity, Enthusiastic.
Enneagram: 5/8 
MBTI: SJ




*Snake* 
* *





Traits: Wise, Intuitive.
Enneagram: 5/1
MBTI: NJ




*Horse* 
* *





Traits: Energetic, Optimistic.
Enneagram: 3/2
MBTI: EF (SF)




*Goat* 
* *





Traits: Frank, Creative.
Enneagram: 1/4 
MBTI: TP




*Monkey* 
* *





Traits: Quick-witted, Fearless
Enneagram: 7/3
MBTI: ET (NT)




*Rooster* 
* *





Traits: Observant, Hardworking.
Enneagram: 3/5
MBTI: TJ




*Dog* 
* *





Traits: Loyal, Prudent.
Enneagram: 6/1
MBTI: FP




*Pig* 
* *





Traits: Compassionate, Easy-going.
Enneagram: 2/9
MBTI: ES (SF)


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## coconut sharks (Apr 26, 2015)

I'm a Tiger and an INFP... seems like they don't match.


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## ENIGMA2019 (Jun 1, 2015)

Enneagram was close : )


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

Lutece said:


> I'm a Tiger and an INFP... seems like they don't match.


My/his judgement/opinion relates to the sign.
It's about the personality of the sign rather than who's born where.

Obviously any type can be born a Tiger.


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## Tetsuo Shima (Nov 24, 2014)

@narcissistic I could have said "Solitary, Intellectual" for the tiger, but I felt like that would have just been a reiteration of IxTx. I also chose INTP over either IxTJ because INTJs are extremely rare, and while ISTJs are common, I already had ISTJ as the main type for the snake and the ox, and besides, INTP is what I consider to be the main type for Aquarius. Also, "diligent" was the word that I was really looking for for the ox, but I just couldn't think of it, so I went with "driven" instead.


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## meaningless (Jul 9, 2016)

> Horse
> Traits: Courageous, Charismatic
> Temperament: Sanguine/Choleric
> Enneagram: 3, especially 3w2
> ...


I act nothing like a standard horse lol. Also there are different elemental signs. For example there would be a Fire Dragon, Water Dragon, Metal Dragon, Wood Dragon, and Earth Dragon signs depending on the 12 year cycle. So would the different elements give the signs different personalities and therefore, different MBTI? (Like a Metal Monkey being ESFP and Water Monkey being INFJ)


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

@Tetsuo Shima 



> I could have said "Solitary, Intellectual" for the tiger, but I felt like that would have just been a reiteration of IxTx.


I feel/think that using "Intellectual" for any zodiac sign is too vague and misleading since anyone can be Intellectual, whereas yes I can agree with "Solitary". However Tigers seem to direct more to be outgoing due their competitive and aggressive nature so I would say they were more Extroverted. 



> I also chose INTP over either IxTJ because INTJs are extremely rare, and while ISTJs are common


INTPs are just as rare as INTJs, would say INTPs are slightly rarer the older the person since society makes people more J types and even E types. So deciding on the typing due to rarity I don't think is sound.



> INTP is what I consider to be the main type for Aquarius.


Sure, if you were to consider both the Chinese and Western zodiac signs then perhaps INTPs may be a better fit if it also has to relate to Aquarius aswell.

Overall for my version to be more accurate, I would need to conclude my judgment from various sites/variants rather than just the sole one I did.


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

meaningless said:


> I act nothing like a standard horse lol. Also there are different elemental signs. For example there would be a Fire Dragon, Water Dragon, Metal Dragon, Wood Dragon, and Earth Dragon signs depending on the 12 year cycle. So would the different elements give the signs different personalities and therefore, different MBTI? (Like a Metal Monkey being ESFP and Water Monkey being INFJ)


Yes the elements alter the Sign differently.
You should probably look up your element type to go along with your horse.
Here for you element


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## Tetsuo Shima (Nov 24, 2014)

meaningless said:


> I act nothing like a standard horse lol. Also there are different elemental signs. For example there would be a Fire Dragon, Water Dragon, Metal Dragon, Wood Dragon, and Earth Dragon signs depending on the 12 year cycle. So would the different elements give the signs different personalities and therefore, different MBTI? (Like a Metal Monkey being ESFP and Water Monkey being INFJ)


Yes, and also your western zodiac has a stronger influence. The western signs are similar to their Chinese equivalents, but some of them are slightly different.
Aries= TP
Taurus= IJ
Gemini= ES/ITJ
Cancer= FJ
Leo= FP
Virgo= SJ
Libra= IP/IFJ
Scorpio= SF/STP
Sagittarius= SP
Capricorn= TJ
Aquarius= IN
Pisces= NF

For example, an Aquarius Horse would be more likely to be an IN than an ES.


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## meaningless (Jul 9, 2016)

narcissistic said:


> Yes the elements alter the Sign differently.
> You should probably look up your element type to go along with your horse.
> Here for you element


I already know my element which is water, so that makes me a Water Horse , so that matches my personality much more.



> Yes, and also your western zodiac has a stronger influence. The western signs are similar to their Chinese equivalents, but some of them are slightly different.
> Aries= TP
> Taurus= IJ
> Gemini= ES/ITJ
> ...


Cancer Water Horse... interesting . I think the rising sign/moon sign would also take into accountability and influence the sign even more, so Sagittarius rising/moon, Cancer Sun, Water Horse would be my mix.


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## Eset (Jun 7, 2016)

Gemini Sun, Leo Moon, Earth Tiger.



> Cancer Water Horse... interesting . I think the rising sign/moon sign would also take into accountability and influence the sign even more, so Sagittarius rising/moon, Cancer Sun, Water Horse would be my mix.


I think having too many variants would make it too hard to decide what the Enneagram and MBTI would be or anything else.


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## meaningless (Jul 9, 2016)

narcissistic said:


> Gemini Sun, Leo Moon, Earth Tiger.
> 
> 
> I think having too many variants would make it too hard to decide what the Enneagram and MBTI would be or anything else.


Yes true, but just determining your personality with _only _your Western sign or _only _your Chinese sign is very vague and ambiguous.


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## Tetsuo Shima (Nov 24, 2014)

meaningless said:


> I already know my element which is water, so that makes me a Water Horse , so that matches my personality much more
> 
> 
> 
> Cancer Water Horse... interesting . I think the rising sign/moon sign would also take into accountability and influence the sign even more, so Sagittarius rising/moon, Cancer Sun, Water Horse would be my mix.


While Cancer (FJ) + Horse (ES) = ESFJ, which is the exact opposite of INTP, it is also notable that Cancer (along with Pisces and Aquarius) is one of the three signs known to be the most intuitive. Also, Sagittarius (ISTP) + Water (INFJ) could = INTP.

As for my personality type,
Pisces Sun (INFP)
+Taurus Moon (ISFJ)
+Aquarius Rising (INTP)
+Wood Dog (ISFP)
= Clearly introverted, even chance of being intuitive or sensing (leaning towards intuitive because the sun sign is the priority), probably feeling, probably perceiving. So, it makes perfect sense that I'm an INFP.


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## 318138 (Oct 1, 2015)

Very interesting... though I have to say that I see even less logic in the chinese zodiac than the western version, and I'm Chinese! Seriously... that zodiac system makes it look like everyone born in the same year as the same personality (which is just as BS as the western version). Who came up with this zodiac sh*t? 

As someone born and raised in China, I grew up with the story of the origins of the Chinese zodiac animals but tbh I never even knew there was a 'personality' side to it until I came to Australia. In China we only use it to separate generations.

Also (not exactly related but whatever) since the Chinese zodiac uses the lunar calendar, a year does not start on the 1st of January but rather on Chinese New Year (aka lunar new year), which is usually somewhere between late January and early February. For example, if a person was born in mid-Jan 1998 (year of the Tiger) they are actually born in the year of the ox.


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## ai.tran.75 (Feb 26, 2014)

Find Chinese zodiac even more ridiculous than Astrology but I guess they're fun to read . I'm an Ox which is pretty much the opposite of an Ne Dom lol


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## The red spirit (Sep 29, 2015)

I'm earth rabbit type 4w3 and ISFP, doesn't fit at all.


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