Chinese astrology provides another way to look at some of the karmic imprints you come into life with, affecting personality, challenges, and more. You'll find similarities between the two, but Chinese astrology looks at birth year, while Western astrology looks at birth month.
Chinese astrology also differs from Western astrology in the fact that there are five elements in the Chinese system, and they emphasize different positions in life rather than a specific set of characteristics. However, these Chinese zodiac elements can still indicate the characteristics a person bears, and which traits someone from one element shares with others from the same element. Here's everything you need to know about your Chinese astrology element.
Five Chinese Astrology Elements
| Element | Color | Symbol | Season | Day | Planet |
| Wood | Blue | Dragon | Spring | Thursday | Jupiter |
| Fire | Red | Phoenix | Summer | Tuesday | Mars |
| Earth | Yellow | Cauldron | Late Summer | Saturday | Saturn |
| Metal | White | Tiger | Autumn | Friday | Venus |
| Water | Black | Turtle | Winter | Wednesday | Mercury |
There are five Chinese elements: wood, fire, earth, metal, and water. Each element is strongly related to one another.
- Wood feeds a fire.
- Fire makes ash (earth).
- Earth contains metal.
- Metal holds water (as in a pail or bucket).
- Water breeds wood.
A few examples of how to interpret this include:
- Creation: Water gives life to wood. wood gives life to fire. Fire gives life to earth (ash). Earth gives life to metal. Metal gives life to water.
- Destruction: Wood's roots separate and break open the earth. Earth absorbs water. Water smothers fire. Fire melts metal. Metal penetrates wood.
Much like the popular yin-yang symbol of Chinese astrology uses opposing forces to promote the flow of energy, the five Chinese elements act in tandem, relate to one another, dance with one another, and have specific attributes that separate one from the other, yet each depends on all the others to give it life.
What Is My Chinese Astrology Element?
Your Chinese zodiac element is determined by the year of your birth. Therefore, it's easy to figure out your element. Just look at the last number in your birth year and match it to the element listed for that number.
- If the last number in your birth year is 0 or 1, your element is metal.
- If the last number in your birth year is 2 or 3, your element is water.
- If the last number in your birth year is 4 or 5, your element is wood.
- If the last number in your birth year is 6 or 7, your element is fire.
- If the last number in your birth year is 8 or 9, your element is earth.
As an example, if you were born in 1989, your element would be earth.
Exploring Each Element
Each element has its own characteristics and associations with a different aspect of nature. These elements have a loose correlation with the classic elements you'll find in Western astrology, but there are differences.
Wood
Wood is associated with the following.
- Color: Blue
- Symbol: Dragon
- Season: Spring
- Day: Thursday
- Planet: Jupiter
If you have wood as your element, you're sensual, patient, understanding, warm, sociable, and compassionate. You're a stable and practical individual who can also be competitive and intrusive because you may lack a firm grasp of boundaries or limits.
Fire
Fire is associated with the following.
- Color: Red
- Symbol: Phoenix
- Season: Summer
- Day: Tuesday
- Planet: Mars
If fire is your element, you're persistent and intense. You're warm and passionate about life, bore quickly, tend to be a thrill seeker, roam from one adventure to the next, and can quickly and easily switch from one interest to another.
Earth
Earth is associated with the following.
- Color: Yellow
- Symbol: Cauldron
- Season: Between summer and autumn
- Day: Saturday
- Planet: Saturn
If earth is your element, you are friends and family-oriented. You're a responsible, fair-minded, cautious person who's a natural-born peacekeeper and agreat problem solver. However, you can also be helpful to a fault or self-centered and controlling.
Metal
Metal is associated with the following.
- Color: White
- Symbol: Tiger
- Season: Autumn
- Day: Friday
- Planet: Venus
If metal is your element, you tend to be unyielding, rigid, determined, and regimented. You're a rational person who's prone to thought and contemplation, and you tend to be a minimalist. You're disciplined with high morals and standards, but you can also be judgmental, emotionally cold, sharp as a knife, forceful, and controlling.
Water
Water is associated with the following.
- Color: Black
- Symbol: Turtle
- Season: Winter
- Day: Wednesday
- Planet: Mercury
If water is your element, you enjoy your own company and need time for inner reflection. You're diplomatic, observant, and empathetic. You are also gentle but strong, quiet, and peaceful but can be indecisive, self-indulgent, passive, and have a great capacity to overwhelm others.
Related: 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs
Finding Your Chinese Zodiac Animal
Much like the five Chinese elements, each Chinese Zodiac animal is assigned to a year. If you were born after 1931, you can find your Chinese animal zodiac sign by looking up your birth year in the list below.
- Rat: 2008, 1996, 1984, 1972, 1960, 1948, 1936
- Ox: 2009, 1997, 1985, 1973, 1961, 1949, 1937
- Tiger: 2010, 1998, 1986, 1974, 1962, 1950, 1938
- Rabbit: 2011, 1999, 1987, 1975, 1963, 1951, 1939
- Dragon: 2012, 2000, 1988, 1976, 1964, 1952, 1940
- Snake: 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, 1941
- Horse: 2014, 2002, 1990, 1978, 1966, 1954, 1942
- Goat: 2015, 2003, 1991, 1979, 1967, 1955, 1943, 1931
- Monkey: 2015, 2004, 1992, 1980, 1968, 1956, 1944, 1932
- Rooster: 2017, 2005, 1993, 1981, 1969, 1957, 1945, 1933
- Dog: 2018, 2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1934
- Pig: 2019, 2007, 1995, 1983, 1971, 1959, 1947, 1935
As an example, if you were born in 1989, your Chinese element would be earth and your Chinese zodiac animal would be snake. You're an earth snake.
It's the combination of your element and animal that gives definition to your most distinguishing personality traits.
Understanding Your Chinese Zodiac Element
A desire for the ebb and flow of life to be harmonious and balanced is the strong focus of Eastern philosophies. Asian cultures believe the five elements describe the creative flow of the symbiotic relationship between all things, and the five-element theory is applied to almost everything, from astrology, Feng Shui, and Chinese medicine to martial arts.
