Someone asked me about shengxiao(chinese zodiac), but it’s not easy to explain in just a few words. So here’s a proper explanation—it might be a bit dry, but it can serve as a reference and should make things clearer. You can also check which shengxiao you belong to. I think some people might get it wrong, because shengxiao follows the traditional Chinese calendar aka nongli, not the Gregorian calendar (the person who asked me did make this mistake.)

The twelve shengxiao took shape in the Han Dynasty, a time when divination and astrology were thriving. They’re closely tied to China’s unique sexagenary cycle—each shengxiao animal has its own heavenly stem and earthly branch based on the year. Archaeological evidence from a Qin tomb (217 BCE) in Shuihudi, Yunmeng County, Hubei Province, supports this. The earliest complete record of the twelve shengxiao is found in Wang Chong’s Lunheng论衡 (1st century CE), which lists basically the same twelve animals and their earthly branch matches we use today. The system first emerged in the pre-Qin period, became largely fixed and widespread in the Eastern Han, and has stayed stable for over 2,000 years.

First, you need the core formula: A complete gan-zhi year = heavenly stem + earthly branch. Its five-element property = stem’s five-element + branch’s five-element.

The ten heavenly stems: 甲 (jiǎ), 乙 (yǐ), 丙 (bǐng), 丁 (dīng), 戊 (wù), 己 (jǐ), 庚 (gēng), 辛 (xīn), 壬 (rén), 癸 (guǐ).

The twelve earthly branches: 子 (zǐ), 丑 (chǒu), 寅 (yín), 卯 (mǎo), 辰 (chén), 巳 (sì), 午 (wǔ), 未 (wèi), 申 (shēn), 酉 (yǒu), 戌 (xū), 亥 (hài).

The five-element properties of the ten heavenly stems are divided into two types: Yang and Yin. This determines the strength or nature of the element’s energy.

Wood: 甲 (jiǎ)= Yang Wood, 乙 (yǐ)=Yin Wood
Fire: 丙 (bǐng)= Yang Fire, 丁 (dīng)=Yin Fire
Earth: 戊 (wù)= Yang Earth, 己 (jǐ) =Yin Earth
Metal: 庚 (gēng)=Yang Metal, 辛 (xīn) =Yin Metal
Water: 壬 (rén)= Yang Water, 癸 (guǐ) =Yin Water

The five-element properties of the earthly branches are more complex, because each branch, besides its main energy, also hides other heavenly stems. But when determining the main five-element property of a shengxiao year, we usually just look at its “main energy” (本气). The main energy of 午 (wǔ) Horse is Fire.

The main five-element energies of the twelve earthly branches are as follows:

Water: 子 (zǐ)=Yang Water, 亥 (hài)= Yin Water
Earth: 丑 (chǒu)=Yin Earth, 辰 (chén)=Yang Earth, 未 (wèi) =Yin Earth, 戌 (xū)=Yang Earth
Wood: 寅 (yín)=Yang Wood, 卯 (mǎo)=Yin Wood
Fire: 午 (wǔ)=Yang Fire, 巳 (sì) =Yin Fire
Metal: 申 (shēn)=Yang Metal, 酉 (yǒu) =Yin Metal

The correspondence between the Twelve Shengxiao and the Twelve Earthly Branches is like this:

子 (zǐ) = Rat
丑 (chǒu) = Ox
寅 (yín) = Tiger
卯 (mǎo) = Rabbit
辰 (chén) = Dragon
巳 (sì) = Snake
午 (wǔ) = Horse
未 (wèi) = Goat
申 (shēn) = Monkey
酉 (yǒu) = Rooster
戌 (xū) = Dog
亥 (hài) = Pig

(If you’re already confused at this point, just skip to the part below. These lists are only for your future reference and easy lookup.)

These are the major Horse years(manian马年) from the early 20th century to the late 21st century, based on the Gregorian calendar (starting from the Chinese New Year)(Note: The Gregorian calendar is used to make it easier for you to look up. These dates have been converted from the Chinese nongli calendar system):

20th Century

1906 (丙午bǐng wǔ year, 1906.1.25 – 1907.2.12)
1918 (戊午wù wǔ year, 1918.2.11 – 1919.1.31)
1930 (庚午gēng wǔ year, 1930.1.30 – 1931.2.16)
1942 (壬午rén wǔ year, 1942.2.15 – 1943.2.4)
1954 (甲午jiǎ wǔ year, 1954.2.3 – 1955.1.23)
1966 (丙午bǐng wǔ year, 1966.1.21 – 1967.2.8)
1978 (戊午wù wǔ year, 1978.2.7 – 1979.1.27)
1990 (庚午gēng wǔ year, 1990.1.27 – 1991.2.14)

21st Century

2002 (壬午rén wǔ year, 2002.2.12 – 2003.1.31)
2014 (甲午jiǎ wǔ year, 2014.1.31 – 2015.2.18)
2026 (丙午bǐng wǔ year, 2026.2.17 – 2027.2.5)
2038 (戊午wù wǔ year, 2038.2.4 – 2039.1.23)
2050 (庚午gēng wǔ year, 2050.2.1 – 2051.2.18)

Friendly reminder: Since the Chinese New Year usually falls between late January and mid-February in the Gregorian calendar, people born in early or late years must determine their shengxiao based on their exact Chinese calendar birth date, rather than simply by the Gregorian year. For example, those born between January 1, 2003 and January 31, 2003 are still in the Year of the Horse (Renwu 壬午 Year) according to the Chinese calendar. Only those born on or after February 1, 2003 (Chinese New Year) belong to the Year of the Goat. Chinese people refer to newborns born in a particular shengxiao year as “[Shengxiao Animal] + baby”. Many even plan their pregnancies and childbirth carefully to ensure their baby is born in a specific shengxiao year. For example, babies born in the Year of the Horse are called mabaobao(Horse babies), and those born in the Year of the Dragon are called longbaobao(Dragon babies). (So go figure out which baobao you are…

Now let’s look at the three closest Horse years, including 2026. First thing to be clear: every 午wu (Horse) year has the earthly branch element of Yang Fire. So the main difference comes from the heavenly stem’s five-element property.

First example: 2026 (2026.2.17 – 2027.2.5). According to the table above, it’s a bǐng wǔ (丙午) year. 丙bing= Yang Fire, 午wu = Yang Fire. So the five-element combo is heavenly stem Fire + earthly branch Fire. Both are Fire, both are Yang. That makes the energy very pure and strong. That’s why 2026 is called a “Fire Horse year.” Plus, we have entered the Nine Purple Li Fire period starting in 2024 (from February 4, 2024, Start of Spring, to before Start of Spring in 2043), making it fire on top of fire. Many feng shui commentators believe that starting this year, all pretense will be burned away, and a lot of truth will be revealed to the world.

2002 — rén wǔ year (2002.2.12 – 2003.1.31)
Heavenly stem “rén”: from the table above, rén = Yang Water.
Earthly branch “wǔ”: wǔ = Yang Fire.
Five-element combo: stem Water + branch Fire. This combination is known as “heaven overcoming earth”, indicating an inherent tension and conflict in the energy of the year. Since the earthly branch Wu Fire represents the core nature of the shengxiao, we generally still refer to this as a Water Horse year (led by the heavenly stem), while recognizing its internal characteristic of “Water and Fire in conflict”.

1990 — gēng wǔ year (1990.1.27 – 1991.2.14)
Heavenly stem “gēng”: from the table above, gēng = Yang Metal.
Earthly branch “wǔ”: wǔ = Yang Fire.
Five-element combo: stem Metal + branch Fire. The heavenly stem is Metal, and the earthly branch is Fire; Fire restrains Metal. This combination is called “earth overcoming heaven” or “refining true metal through fire”, meaning the environment (earthly branch) serves to temper and test the dominant energy of the year (heavenly stem). We refer to this as a Metal Horse year.

When people see terms like “Water and Fire conflict,” they might feel a bit apprehensive and wonder what about someone born in the 2002 Water Horse year? Is there something to be concerned about? Actually, no need to worry. According to traditional Chinese metaphysics, Ren Water is the ceaseless, rushing water of rivers, lakes, and seas (Yang Water), and Wu Fire is the blazing noonday sun (Yang Fire). This creates a balance and tug-of-war between two potential dynamics: “Water and Fire in harmony” (水火既济) and “Water and Fire in conflict” (水火相战). It gives Water Horse people a complex, tension-filled character and fate.

Personality-wise, Water Horse people are outwardly calm but inwardly active, outwardly gentle but inwardly strong. They’re quick-thinking: Water rules intelligence and flow, so they’re usually smart, flexible, adaptable, good at communicating and improvising. They’re not as flashy as Fire Horses in terms of shengxiao—instead, they might seem quiet and easygoing on the outside. But inside, they burn with the Horse’s natural passion, competitiveness, and impatience. They’re like “deep, still water with a strong current"—calm on the surface, but clear goals and strong drive underneath.

Water’s cool-headed planning combined with Fire’s action-oriented intuition means they tend to think before they act. Unlike pure Fire Horses (like Bing Wu), who act impulsively, or Earth Horses (Wu Wu), who are overly steady, they find a good balance between thought and action.

Also, in terms of temperament, Water’s inclusiveness and Fire’s infectious energy make them natural team lubricants and motivators. They understand different perspectives and use their passion to get others going.

The "Water and Fire conflict” dynamic also means they’re prone to inner contradictions—clashes between reason and emotion, long-term planning and urgent action. Their emotions may ebb and flow like the tide. They feel more internal pressure and tension than other shengxiao Horses, so they need to learn how to channel their emotional energy. If they can perfectly blend Water’s wisdom and Fire’s passion—achieving that state of “Water and Fire in harmony"—then they’ve really mastered their path in life, and things will go smoothly for them in just about every way.

If you want to know the traits of other Horse types, here’s a quick reference:

Fire Horse(huoma) – Image: blazing sun at noon / wildfire. Passionate leader type. Extremely energetic, confident, and dazzling, but may be too impulsive and blunt.

Earth Horse(tuma) – Image: volcano / fire brick. Practical and steady type. Fire produces Earth, so their actions are sustained—more grounded and enduring, but may lack the Water Horse’s flexibility.

Wood Horse(muma) – Image: forest fire / burning pillar. Pioneering and devoted type. Wood feeds Fire, so their energy has constant support. They’re generous and have leadership skills, but may burn themselves out.

Metal Horse(jinma) – Image: steel furnace / sword being forged. Achiever through tempering. Fire overcomes Metal, meaning they grow strong through pressure and forging—great perseverance, but the process is tough.

But none of this is absolute. Once you add in other factors—like your birth month, day, hour and minute, as well as your birth location and true solar time—the picture becomes pretty complex.

Many people believe in the compatibility and conflict of shengxiao, with sayings like "Rat and Dragon are compatible, Horse and Ox clash”. In fact, these are the results of traditional Chinese culture being simplified, symbolized, and even entertainmentized during its spread among the public. They are easy to remember and share, but are far removed from real metaphysical analysis. Put simply, it ignores many other variables, so the idea of shengxiao compatibility and conflict is open to debate.

In China, some superstitious people avoid those born in the Year of the Goat. This makes no sense at all in traditional Chinese metaphysics and is just a baseless rumor passed down through generations. Besides, countless people were born in the Year of the Goat, so avoiding them is totally pointless. On a side note, quite a few of my friends are Goat shengxiao—and I think they’re the GOAT.

Yet Chinese metaphysical systems such as Five Elements & Bazi, Plum Blossom Divination, Six Yao, Liu Ren, Qi Men Dun Jia, and Tai Yi are truly remarkable. They have been shown to resonate perfectly with cosmic energies. When you consult a genuine expert—someone who truly understands and can practice these arts—they can give you astonishingly accurate readings.

That said, Chinese tradition also advises against fortune-telling casually. It is acceptable to consult for major life events or to find lost items, but you should not do it constantly or obsessively. And all this only applies to Chinese metaphysical arts, because they’re on the level of heavy artillery—you wouldn’t use a cannon to kill a bug. Many bloggers think that with Tarot and similar tools, you can read as you please because tools like Tarot also align with cosmic energy, but they are relatively lighter in nature (of course, becoming too obsessed with anything is never healthy.

The difference is roughly this: tools like Tarot focus more on the present moment. They rarely give rigid outcomes such as “something will definitely happen on a specific month and day.” Instead, they act more like a mirror reflecting your current state, showing you the likely outcome if you take one path, and how things might change if you choose another. Strictly speaking, therefore, they do not predict a fixed future.

However, the internal logic of traditional Chinese metaphysics is completely different. It is a system of time patterns and life trajectory deduction, based on the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches calendar, Yin-Yang and Five Elements, and cyclical timing. It calculates fluctuations in fortune, types of events, and their timings corresponding to specific time periods. It can often determine things like: which years bring financial risks, which years bring major life changes, and which periods are suitable for marriage or business. It is closer to a cyclical projection of one’s life path, which is why many people experience it as actually “seeing the future.”

Tools like Tarot are light, gentle, and suitable for daily guidance. Chinese metaphysics is a vast, logically rigorous system for life analysis. Neither is inherently superior—they simply serve different purposes. Neither can lock in one’s life 100%, as a person’s mindset, choices, and environment always shape the final outcome.

Speaking of which, there is a Chinese blogger in New York who offers free fortune-telling, I think his name is Ni Haifan. You can check him out—he should be on YouTube. A friend shared his videos with me, and I found them quite interesting. Several times after he made an accurate prediction, external signs appeared in his surroundings. In Chinese metaphysics, this is called “yingzhao应兆 (responsive omens)”. In his most viewed video, he was warning someone that a certain way of making money might attract the attention of regulators, and right then a police siren blared in the background. That was no coincidence.