Chinese astrology

Chinese astrology was elaborated during the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC) and flourished during the Han dynasty (2nd century BC to 2nd century AD). During the Han period, the familiar elements of traditional Chinese culture—the yin-yang philosophy, the theory and technology of the five elements (Wuxing), the concepts of heaven and earth, and Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian morality—were brought together to formalize the philosophical principles of Chinese medicine and divination, astrology and alchemy.^[2]

The five classical planets are associated with the wuxing:

• Venus—Metal (White Tiger)
• Jupiter—Wood (Azure Dragon)
• Mercury—Water (Black Tortoise)
• Mars—Fire (Vermilion Bird) (may be associated with the phoenix which was also an imperial symbol along with the Dragon)
• Saturn—Earth (Yellow Dragon)

According to Chinese astrology, a person's fate^[3] can be determined by the position of the major planets at the person's birth along with the positions of the Sun, Moon, comets, the person's time of birth, and zodiac sign. The system of the twelve-year cycle of animal signs was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter (the Year Star; simplified Chinese: 岁星; traditional Chinese: 歳星; pinyin: Suìxīng). Following the orbit of Jupiter around the Sun, Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections, and rounded it to 12 years (from 11.86). Jupiter is associated with the constellation Sheti (摄提; 攝提- Boötes) and is sometimes called Sheti.

A system of computing one's predestined fate is based on birthday, birth season, and birth hour, known as zi wei dou shu (紫微斗数; 紫微斗數; zǐwēidǒushù), or Purple Star Astrology, is still used regularly in modern-day Chinese astrology to divine one's fortune. The 28 Chinese constellations, Xiu (宿; xiù), are quite different from Western constellations. For example, the Big Bear (Ursa Major) is known as Dou (斗; dǒu); the belt of Orion is known as Shen (参; 參; shēn), or the "Happiness, Fortune, Longevity" trio of demigods. The seven northern constellations are referred to as Xuan Wu (玄武; xuánwǔ). Xuan Wu is also known as the spirit of the northern sky or the spirit of water in Taoist belief.

In addition to astrological readings of the heavenly bodies, the stars in the sky form the basis of many fairy tales. For example, the Summer Triangle is the trio of the cowherd (Altair), the weaving maiden fairy (Vega), and the "tai bai" fairy (Deneb). The two forbidden lovers were separated by the silvery river (the Milky Way). Each year on the seventh day of the seventh month in the Chinese calendar, the birds form a bridge across the Milky Way. The cowherd carries their two sons (the two stars on each side of Altair) across the bridge to reunite with their fairy mother. The tai bai fairy acts as the chaperone of these two immortal lovers.

Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy. The core values and concepts of Chinese philosophy originate from Taoism.^[4]

The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the Western calendar for the years 1924–2043 (see sexagenary cycle article for years 1924–1983). This is only applied to Chinese Lunar calendar. The sexagenary cycle begins at lichun.^[5] Each of the Chinese lunar years are associated with a combination of the ten Heavenly Stems (Chinese: 天干; pinyin: tiāngān) and the twelve Earthly Branches (Chinese: 地支; pinyin: dìzhī) which make up the 60 Stem-Branches (Chinese: 干支; pinyin: gānzhī) in a sexagenary cycle.

Although it is usually translated as 'element', the Chinese word xing literally means something like 'changing states of being', 'permutations' or 'metamorphoses of being'.^[6] In fact, Sinologists cannot agree on one single translation. The Chinese notion of 'element' is therefore quite different from the Western one. In the west, India Vedic, and Japanese Go dai elements were seen as the basic building blocks of matter and static or stationary. The Chinese 'elements', by contrast, were seen as ever changing, and the transliteration of xing is simply 'the five changes' and in traditional Chinese medicine are commonly referred to as phrases. Things seen as associated to each xing are listed below.

• The East (東)
• Springtime (春)
• Azure Dragon (青龍)
• The Planet Jupiter (木星)
• The Color Green (緑)
• Liver (肝) and Gall bladder (胆)

• The South (南)
• Summer (夏)
• Vermilion Bird/Vermilion Phoenix (朱雀)
• The Planet Mars (火星)
• The Color Red (赤)
• Circulatory system, Heart (心) and Small intestine (小肠)

• Center (中)
• Change of seasons (the last month of the season)
• The Yellow Dragon (黄龙)
• The Planet Saturn (土星)
• The Color Yellow (黄)
• Digestive system, Spleen (脾) and Stomach (胃)

• The West (西)
• Autumn (秋)
• White Tiger (白虎)
• The Planet Venus (金星)
• The Color White (白)
• Respiratory system, Lung (肺) and Large intestine (大肠)

• The North (北)
• Winter (冬)
• Black Tortoise (玄武)
• The Planet Mercury (水星)
• The Color Black/Blue (黑)
• Skeleton (骨), Urinary bladder and Kidney (肾)

(Inter-promoting, begetting, engendering, mothering or enhancing cycle) Generating: Wood fuels Fire to burn; Fire creates Earth (ash); Earth produces minerals, Metal; Metal creates Water from condensation; Water nourishes Wood to grow.^{[7][better source needed]}

The regulating cycle is important to create restraints in the whole system. For example, if Fire was allowed to burn out of control, it would be devastating and destructive as we see in nature in the form of bush fires or internally as high fevers, (Destructing, overcoming or inter-restraining or weakening cycle). Fire makes Metal flexible; Metal adds the minerals to Wood for there to be strong upward growth; Wood draws water from the Earth to create stability for building; Earth gives Water direction, like the banks of a river; Water controls Fire by cooling its heat.^[8]

• Wu, Shelly (2005). Chinese Astrology. The Career Press. ISBN 1-56414-796-7.