Chinese zodiac
The Monkey in the Chinese zodiac
The Monkey is the 9th animal of the Chinese zodiac, a yang sign whose fixed element is Metal. Tradition associates it with being clever, curious and inventive — the problem-solver and the trickster. Monkey years include 1992 (Water), 2004 (Wood), 2016 (Fire), 2028 (Earth).
| Order | 9 of 12 |
|---|---|
| Earthly branch | Shen 申 |
| Chinese character | 猴 |
| Fixed element | Metal |
| Polarity | Yang |
| Best matches (San He trine) | Rat and Dragon |
| Secret friend (Liu He) | Snake |
| Clash (Chong) | Tiger |
| Harm (Liu Hai) | Pig |
| Solar month | about 8 August – 7 September |
| Double-hour | 15:00 – 17:00 |
Each year's element comes from its heavenly stem, so a Monkey year is Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water in turn and the same combination returns every sixty years. The start dates above are computed from the Sun's position: Li Chun is the moment it reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude.
A year does not begin on 1 January. The popular zodiac changes at Chinese New Year (between 21 January and 20 February); BaZi changes it at Li Chun, the start of spring, around 4 February. Anyone born in January or early February belongs to the previous year's animal.
In compatibility, the Monkey forms a San He trine with the Rat and Dragon, a Liu He pair ("secret friend") with the Snake, clashes (Chong) with the Tiger, the animal six places away, and harms (Liu Hai) the Pig.
The Monkey is also the Shen branch of the day, ruling the double-hour 15:00 – 17:00, and of the solar month that runs from about 8 August to 7 September. In a BaZi chart it can appear in any of the four pillars — year, month, day or hour — not only the year.
| Year | Element | Begins (Li Chun, Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | Yang Wood | 5 Feb, 06:23 |
| 1956 | Yang Fire | 5 Feb, 04:13 |
| 1968 | Yang Earth | 5 Feb, 02:07 |
| 1980 | Yang Metal | 5 Feb, 00:09 |
| 1992 | Yang Water | 4 Feb, 21:48 |
| 2004 | Yang Wood | 4 Feb, 19:56 |
| 2016 | Yang Fire | 4 Feb, 17:46 |
| 2028 | Yang Earth | 4 Feb, 15:31 |
Questions
What years are the Year of the Monkey?
1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028. Remember the year starts at Chinese New Year (or Li Chun, around 4 February, in BaZi), not on 1 January.
Who is the Monkey most compatible with?
The Rat and Dragon (its San He trine) and the Snake (its Liu He secret friend). Its traditional clash is with the Tiger, and it harms the Pig.
What element is the Monkey?
The Monkey's fixed element is Metal. Each Monkey year also has its own element from the heavenly stem — for example 2028 is a Earth Monkey.
What time is the hour of the Monkey?
15:00 – 17:00, the Shen hour. It gives the branch of the hour pillar in BaZi; many practitioners first correct clock time to local solar time.
In Plutto
Plutto reads all four of your animals — year, month, day and hour — in your BaZi chart. Background: Chinese astrology (BaZi).
Ask it something you actually want to know.