Following our article Signs of the Zodiac Love Compatibility, today we are bringing you a follow-up article using the Chinese zodiac. Once again, this is a fun article, giving a very basic rundown of the compatibility between those born under each zodiac sign.

Chinese astrology originated around 1000 BC, during the Zhou dynasty. The elements of traditional Chinese culture - the Yin-Yang philosophy, theory of the 5 elements, Heaven and Earth, Confucian morality - were brought together to formalise the philosophical principles of Chinese medicine and divination, astrology and alchemy.

Here is a list of the signs of the Chinese zodiac and their corresponding years:

The Chinese zodiac follows the lunisolar calendar, therefore, the switch-over date is Chinese New Year, not January 1^st as with the Gregorian calendar, so a person born, for instance, on January 18^th 1984 will almost certainly be represented by the Pig, which is the Chinese zodiac symbol for 1983.

Here you will find the start date of each Chinese year between 1970 and 2012:

Compatibility Levels

Chinese Zodiac Compatibility

Rat

Ox

Tiger

Rabbit

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Sheep

Monkey

Rooster

Dog

Pig

Conclusion

I have compared the positive and negative characteristics given for both my Western Zodiac sign and my Chinese Zodiac sign - here they are:

Western Zodiac positive characteristics: honest, enthusiastic, inspiring, forgiving, and for the Chinese Zodiac sign: sincere, generous, friendly.

Western Zodiac negative characteristics: risk-taker, argumentative, fear of responsibility, and for the Chinese Zodiac sign: materialistic, superficial.

In my case, they are quite different, but it's a fun exercise - do yours match or do they conflict totally?