Zodiac Year of Birth / Animal Year / Ben Ming Nian
Because the Chinese animal zodiac is a rotating cycle of 12 year, for every 12 years a certain year of animal recurs. For example, if a person was born in the year of 1990, which was the year of the horse, then his animal sign is horse. In every 12 years, so to say when this person is 12, 24, 48, 60, 72 and 84 years old, the year of horse recurs, which is this person’s year of birth, or Ben Ming Nian.
According to Chinese ancient superstition, in one’s year of birth, he will offend "Tai Sui", the god of age in Chinese mythology, and will have bad luck during that year. The best way to avoid bad luck during this year is wearing something red given by other people, such as socks, ribbon, clothes, underwear, waistband or bracelet.
The twelve animal signs each represent different types of personalities. The following are the twelve signs in order and their characteristics. Find the year you were born to determine your own sign.
十二动物属相各自代表了不同类型的特点。下面就是十二生肖的排序和它们的特点。找出你出生的年份来确定你自己的标志。
Rat Charm 鼠的魅力
Year of Birth: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
Personality: Quick-witted, clever, clairvoyant, short-tempered, ambitious and manipulative. They are charming and attractive to the opposite sex, loyal and generous to people that he considers part of his pack. They are resourceful and eager to seek knowledge.
Ox Patient 牛耐心
Year of Birth: 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
Personality: Calm, diligent, modest, honest, straight-forward, easy-going but sometimes can be stubborn. A born leader, ox has a tendency to inspire confidence in others. They hate failure and dislikes to be challenged.
个性：冷静，勤奋，谦虚，诚实，直率，随和，但有时很倔强。一个天生的领袖，属牛的人有一种激励别人信心的倾向。他们痛恨失败，不喜欢接受挑战。
Tiger Sensitive 老虎敏感
Year of Birth: 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
Personality: Thoughtful, rebellious, sensitive, success-oriented, humanitarian, impatient and aggressive. Tigers are embodiment of lordliness and power. They are respected by other people, though they sometimes act antiauthoritarian and get into conflict with authority or elder people.
Rabbit Articulate 口才好的兔子
Year of Birth: 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
Personality: Popular, amiable, affectionate, sincere, and opportunistic. Rabbits enjoy being surrounded by family and friends. Sometimes they tend to get sentimental but rarely lose temper. Being cautious and conservative, they are said to be financially lucky and will be successful in business.
个性：受欢迎，随和，亲切，诚恳，和善于利用机会。兔子喜欢被亲人和朋友包围着。有时，他们容易多愁善感但很少发脾气。他们说谨慎和保守能狗在经济上很幸运和在事业上获得成功。
Dragon Healthy 健康的龙
Year of Birth: 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
Personality: Energetic, intelligent, gifted, healthy, charismatic, noble and brave. Dragon is a popular and respected individual. A natural born leader, he tends to inspire trust and confidence, and is good at giving orders, though sometimes they can be tactless and brash.
个性：精力充沛，聪明，有天赋，健康，魅力，高贵和勇敢。属龙的是受到欢迎并尊重的人。天生的领袖，他往往引起别人信任和信心，尽管有时他们很笨和性子急但擅长发号施令。
Snake Deep 高深莫测的蛇
Year of Birth: 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025
Personality: Smart, intuitive, sympathetic, analytical, cautious, introverted and insecure. Snakes prefer to be a loner, relying strongly on their own intuition and judgment, and have little faith in other’s judgment. They hold stingy attitude towards money. Being financially lucky, they seldom worry about money.
Horse Popular 受欢迎的马
Year of Birth: 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026
Personality: Sharp-witted, cheerful, agile, open-minded, talkative and talented. Horses enjoy traveling, entertainment and large crowds. An independent thinker, he does not like to other people’s suggestion. They sometimes tend to talk too much and become impatient.
个性：机敏，开朗，敏捷，开放，健谈和富有才华。属马的人喜欢旅游，娱乐和热闹。一个独立的思想家，他不喜欢别人的建议。他们有时往往因说得太多而变得不耐烦。
Goat Elegant 优雅的山羊
Year of Birth: 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027
Personality: Gentle, calm, shy, creative, understanding, insecure and pessimistic. They worry a lot and like to complaint. Appearance and material comfort are very important to them. They need lots of support, love, care, and reassurance.
Monkey Clever 聪明的猴子
Year of Birth: 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028
Personality: Upbeat, clever, inquisitive, sociable and flexible. They are good at solving problems and making decisions. Monkeys can be loose cannon because they lack self-control and give up easily.
个性：乐观，聪明，好奇，善于社交和灵活。他们善于解决问题和作出决定。属猴的人比较松懈，因为他们缺乏自我控制和很容易放弃。
Rooster Deep Thinkers 公鸡高深的思想家
Year of Birth: 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029
Personality: practical, meticulous, conservative, alert, shrewd and opinionated. Roosters do not get along very well with others because they seem boastful and emotionally cold. They like dreaming and bravado. Firm in sticking to his own decisions and often speak his mind.
个性：务实，严谨，保守，警戒，精明和自以为是。公鸡与人相处得不是很融洽，因为他们看起来很自大高傲，情感上冷漠。他们喜欢做梦和虚张声势。固执己见，经常表达自己的观点。
Dog Loyalty 狗忠诚
Year of Birth: 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030
Personality: Loyal, trustworthy, faithful, amicable and unpretentious. They excel in business, but have trouble finding mates. Dogs have a sharp tongue and tend to find faults with many things. Dogs often feel guilty of telling white lies, and sometimes are too sensitive and moody.
Pig Chivalrous 猪具有骑士风度
Year of Birth: 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031
Personality: Polite, obliging, tolerant, sociable, naïve and perfectionist. Pigs make a wonderful companion. Though they tend not to make lots of friends, they keep a few real and loyal friends. They like helping others but also expect the same from others. Pigs have good taste and enjoy fine things. When they face a problem, they solve it with fortitude and honesty.
个性：懂礼貌，乐于助人，宽容，善于交际，天真和完美主义者。猪可以做极好的伴侣。虽然他们交的朋友不多，但是他们有几个实在和忠实的朋友。他们喜欢帮助别人，也期待别人的帮助。属猪的人品味很好，喜欢美好的事物。当他们面临问题时，他们以毅力和诚实解决。
