Chinese astrology
Chinese astrology happens to be one of the most ancient astrology systems that are acclaimed and reputed throughout the world. And, compatibility is one of the major aspects in the life of an individual that he/she must consider seriously. History of Chinese Astrology is as ancient as the Chinese civilization itself. Known for its rich mythology and fascination with animal, Chinese astrologers categorized the Chinese zodiac, symbolizing it with the 12 most popular animals. According to Chinese Astrology, the birth year of a person is represented by one of the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac and one of the 5 elements i.e. wood, fire, earth, metal and water.
As per the Chinese mythical belief, each of the animal symbols corresponds with a particular element which in turn has a polarity of 'Yin and Yang'. For example, you can be born in the year of the Horse with the element of Yang Fire. This calculation typically follows the Chinese system of counting the years known as the '60 year cycle'.
Chinese lunar calendar, the years are formed by the combination of the 10 celestial stems and 12 terrestrial branches, which are also known as the heavenly stems and earthly branches. The Chinese believes that human luck is partly dependant on the heaven's decree and partly governed by his/her action. The 60 year cycle is an integral part of Chinese Astrology popularly known as the 'Four Pillars of Destiny' that takes into account the year, month, day and hour of birth. There are 12 animal signs of the Chinese zodiac. All of these animals are familiar to us. We see them or refer to them almost everyday in our routine life. Here is the table of the Chinese Zodiac animal signs.
Like Western astrology, the question of compatibility does also prevail in Chinese astrology. It is the positions of the 12 animals of the zodiac in relation to one another on the face of a clock, which calculates their level of compatibility with each other.
For instance, a Rat person goes along well with the Dragon and the Monkey. It is known to all of us that a clock has 12 divisions based on the hour hand. If the Rat at 12 o'clock, the Dragon and the Monkey will automatically be placed in the 5th and 9th house based on the order of placement in the Chinese Zodiac. On the face of the clock, they formed a "triangle of compatibility" also known as 3 harmonies based on the Four Pillars of Destiny. Hence, these animals get along well with one another. By extension, all animal signs that are 4 numbers apart in the zodiac are considered most compatible with each other.
