Though perhaps less well-known here than its Western counterpart, Chinese astrology is every bit as illuminating and provides an equally valuable shortcut to self-knowledge. Jonathan Dee, the well-respected author of several books on astrology, tarot, and fortune-telling, reveals all the mysteries of the art in this informative volume. Filled with legends, charts, and history, it contains all of the essentials for working out your Chinese horoscope including the animal signs for each birthday year, month, and hour. Each sign receives a richly detailed and enlightening explanation.  Among the amusing and informative tidbits here: The rat is considered to be the sign of charm and is noted for its shrewdness, enterprise, and wealth. Rats are also prosperous, entrepreneurial, obsessive, anxious, bossy, and mean. - The ox is the sign of tenacity and prosperity and a symbol of fertility and muscular strength. People born under the ox are patient, contemplative, eloquent, chauvinistic, petty, and grumpy. - The monkey is lively, complex, charming, diplomatic, and agile. Monkeys are also dishonest, sarcastic, lacking respect, and restless. Chinese Astrology, Plain and Simple is an accessible introduction that enlightens, entertains, and informs. Jonathan Dee (deceased 2010) wrote a vast number of books, covering Egyptology, mythology, astrology, tarot, and history. Published internationally, his books have sold over 5 million copies to date. Chinese Astrology Plain & Simple By Jonathan Dee Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc. Copyright © 2017 Jonathan Dee All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-57174-756-3 Contents An Introduction to the 12 Animals, 1 Your Chinese Horoscope, 2 Yang and Yin, 3 The Elements, 4 The Rat, 5 The Ox, 6 The Tiger, 7 The Hare, 8 The Dragon, 9 The Snake, 10 The Horse, 11 The Goat, 12 The Monkey, 13 The Rooster, 14 The Dog, 15 The Pig, CHAPTER 1 Your Chinese Horoscope A question that many people ask is "how can Chinese astrology be relevant if one sign lasts a whole year?" The answer, of course, is that there is more to it than that. Like any other form of astrology, Chinese astrology operates on different levels, and the most basic of these is the study of the animal that rules your year of birth. A slightly more complex feature involves the Yang/Yin polarity of the year and the element that rules it. Apart from that, there is the question of which animal governs one's birth moon and the animal that influences one's hour of birth. Professional astrologers in China take into account a great deal more than this, including the day of birth and the lunar cycle that one was born in, but in this book we'll keep things simple. The good news is that Chinese astrology does not require any complicated calculations. It can provide a shortcut to a greater understanding of yourself, your inner nature, and your destiny. The Chinese Year The first thing you will need to do is to look up your sign according to your year of birth. The Chinese use a lunar calendar, so the start of the Chinese year changes from one year to the next. If you were born in January or February, you must pay special attention to the calendar, because you were born around the time when one sign ends and the next begins. If you were born right on the cusp of two signs, read both descriptions, and see which fits you best. Many Chinese people are so tuned in to the Chinese calendar, that if you say, "I was born under the sign of the Tiger," they would immediately know the year of your birth. They would not remember the actual start date for that year, so they would fall back on a generalized date of February 4, which is sometimes called the "Imperial New Year." Some Chinese astrologers actually prefer using February 4, and that is fine in most instances, but when someone is born around the time of the New Year, they like to know exactly which sign is really theirs, and with the aid of this book, you can do the job properly. The chart on pages 4–7 gives the start dates of the Chinese years, each year's polarity (Yang or Yin, active or passive), its ruling element and its animal sign. Look at your year of birth in the table and note down your polarity, element, and animal. For example, someone born in 1977 would be a Yin Fire Snake. The Animal Moon The next thing to do is to work out your animal moon, which links to your month of birth. This is even easier because it links with our familiar Western zodiac. Consult the chart on page 8 to find your animal moon. For example, if you happen to be a Virgo then you were born in the Moon of the Rooster, and if you are a Sagittarius then you were born in the Moon of the Rat. Putting the Chinese year and animal moon together: someone who was born on June 2, 1982 was born in the year of the Yang-Water-Dog in the Moon of the Horse. A person born on November 25th in 2001 is born in the year of the Yin-Metal-Snake in the Moon of the Rat. The An