year-animal-symbolism

Beyond common fortune-telling, the Chinese zodiac is a sophisticated chronometric and symbolic framework. This article explores its internal structure, examining how it organizes experience through astronomy, philosophy, and social psychology. It functions as a cognitive tool, mapping time and human nature through zoomorphic metaphors and the Sexagenary Cycle.

The Chinese zodiac, or Shengxiao, is a sophisticated cognitive framework for categorizing time, character, and social relations. This article analyzes the twelve-animal cycle as a cultural taxonomy, exploring its historical development, systemic framework of Stems and Branches, and its enduring social and psychological utility.