Chinese zodiac

Chinese New Year 2016 falls on Feb. 8, marking the auspicious beginning of the Year of the Monkey.

According to the cycle of the five elements in the Chinese Zodiac, 2014 is the Year of the Wooden Horse, which is regarded as a year of quick victories, unexpected adventures, and surprising romances.

The Chinese New Year in 2014 is celebrated on Friday, Jan. 31, marking the beginning of the Year of the Horse in the Chinese zodiac.

The Chinese idiom 快馬加鞭 (kuài mǎ jiā biān), which means to spur on a swift horse, originates from a story about Geng Zhu, a favorite disciple of the great Chinese thinker on peace and love, Mo Zi (墨子) (470–391 B.C.).

In the Chinese zodiac, each year in every 12-year cycle is represented by a zodiac animal, and 2013 is the year of the snake. Over the past century, every year of the snake has been marked by at least one event that has significantly affected the course of history.

In China, as well as in East Asia, people born in the Year of the Snake are considered to have great talent, be particularly insightful, and have keen powers of observation.

The snake is one of the 12 animals in the cycle of the Chinese Zodiac, which uses the Chinese calendar. It is the most mysterious animal and symbolizes wisdom and the power of awesome dignity.

Legends and mythology are a big part of Chinese culture, especially in relation to the Chinese calendar.

If you were born in 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999 or 2011, then you might share these admirable traits of the rabbit.

A legendary look at how the animals from the Chinese Zodiac got assigned their months of the year.