Zodiac Signs (生肖) and Earthly Branches in Bazi
See how the twelve zodiac animals label Earthly Branches, why Bazi uses four branches rather than one birth animal, and what zodiac signs cannot predict.
Overview
Zodiac Signs (生肖) are the twelve animal labels associated with the Earthly Branch sequence: Rat through Pig. Bazi calculations use the underlying branches in the year, month, day and hour pillars, including their phase, season, hidden stems and interactions. The year animal is therefore only one public-facing label for one branch, not a complete Bazi chart. A person born near the solar-year boundary can also receive a different Bazi year branch from a simple lunar-new-year lookup, depending on the stated convention.
At a glance
- Underlying cycle
- Twelve Earthly Branches
- Public labels
- Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig
- Bazi scope
- Year, month, day and hour branches
- Year boundary
- State the calendar convention explicitly
- Product priority
- Branch data, not animal stereotypes
- Boundary
- Not a complete personality or compatibility model
Each animal is a readable label for an Earthly Branch
The animal cycle follows 子 Rat, 丑 Ox, 寅 Tiger, 卯 Rabbit, 辰 Dragon, 巳 Snake, 午 Horse, 未 Goat, 申 Monkey, 酉 Rooster, 戌 Dog and 亥 Pig.
Bazi logic operates on the branches themselves. The animal name does not replace phase, polarity, hidden stems, season or branch relations.
- Show the animal and source branch together.
- Keep the branch as the canonical calculation symbol.
A year animal requires a declared year-boundary convention
Popular zodiac charts often change at Lunar New Year. Many Four-Pillars systems use the solar-term year boundary at Li Chun when calculating the year pillar.
People born around either boundary need date, time, place and convention recorded. A generic birth-year table can otherwise disagree with the computed Bazi pillar.
- Declare Lunar New Year or Li Chun explicitly.
- Use the chart engine for boundary dates.
One year animal cannot summarize four pillars
A full Bazi chart contains four branches, and the Day Stem remains the reference for Ten Gods. Month season and all stem–branch interactions add information that a year sign omits.
OpenFate may display animals for accessibility while preserving the canonical branch values beneath them. The display label never becomes an extra score.
- Do not replace the chart with the year branch.
- Treat animal names as presentation metadata.
Zodiac signs cannot rank personality, relationships or opportunity
A zodiac animal does not prove temperament, intelligence, loyalty, wealth, health, fertility, career fit or compatibility with another sign.
Relationships, hiring, health and money decisions require direct evidence. Animal stereotypes should not be used to exclude, pressure or stigmatize a person.
- No personality profile from one animal.
- No compatibility or life decision from zodiac labels alone.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《御定星曆考原》卷一《御定星曆考原》卷一：十二支、歲次與節氣曆法配屬，支援年柱與節令界線須按明示曆法計算A historical source for stem and branch Yin-Yang, Five Phase, direction, seasonal, and calendrical correspondences.
- Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches香港天文台天干地支說明：十二地支與六十甲子為曆法標準序列，動物名稱不取代干支計算An official modern reference for the canonical stem and branch orders, the sexagenary cycle, and calendrical use.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology產品以四柱地支為資料核心，生肖僅作年支易讀標籤；立春與農曆新年界線分開聲明，並排除人格、聘僱與合婚保證OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.