The zodiac （生肖 shēngxiào) assigns every birth year one of twelve animals in a fixed cycle. Knowing the order and the frame 你属什么？ is both small talk and culture.
The twelve, in order
| 鼠 shǔ rat | 牛 niú ox | 虎 hǔ tiger | 兔 tù rabbit |
| 龙 lóng dragon | 蛇 shé snake | 马 mǎ horse | 羊 yáng goat |
| 猴 hóu monkey | 鸡 jī rooster | 狗 gǒu dog | 猪 zhū pig |
The mnemonic is a folk story - the rat rode the ox and jumped off at the finish line. Dragon year is traditionally auspicious: birth rates measurably spike in 龙年.
Asking and answering
你属什么？ - "what's your sign?" The verb 属 takes the animal: 我属龙 (I'm a dragon), 她属虎. The year frame runs the other way: 今年是蛇年. A person's sign gives away their age modulo twelve - asking 你属什么？ is a famously indirect way to ask someone's age.
Beyond the horoscope
Zodiac vocabulary saturates idioms and words: 龙 everywhere lucky, 虎妈 "tiger mom" (literally in English now), 马马虎虎 "so-so" (literally "horse-horse-tiger-tiger"). The story library's folklore section carries the origin tale, and the folklore pills drill the festival and zodiac vocabulary around it.
Your benmingnian
Your own animal's year - 本命年 - is traditionally considered turbulent, not lucky: the folklore fix is wearing red (red socks, red underwear, a red bracelet) for the year. It is still observed - gifts of red items to someone in their benmingnian are common and appreciated. The next dragon year is 2036; rat follows in 2032.
Common questions
What are the 12 Chinese zodiac animals in order?
鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪 - rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, pig. The cycle repeats every 12 years.
How do you ask someone's zodiac sign in Chinese?
你属什么？ - literally "you belong-to what?" Answer with 属 + animal: 我属龙. It is also a polite indirect way to ask age.
Why is the dragon year special in China?
属龙 is considered the luckiest sign - birth rates spike in dragon years as families plan children for it.