Chinese Zodiac Tattoo Symbols

Chinese zodiac tattoos are gaining attentionRabbit - 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987,
among tattoo buffs - Westerners and Easterners1999
alike - worldwide. While all are primarily used forDragon - 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976,
divination, zodiac signs are distinctly unique and1988, 2000
vary from one culture to another. What setsSnake - 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989,
Chinese zodiac symbols apart from the others is2001
that they do not match up to cycles within theHorse - 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990,
year; neither do they correspond to constellations.2002
Instead, Chinese zodiac signs correspond to aGoat - 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991,
longer cycle of twelve years.2003
Furthermore, Chinese zodiac signs integrate theMonkey - 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980,
elements of metal, wood, fire, earth, and water.1992, 2004
These five elements are associated with a zodiacRooster - 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981,
sign, and as such, provide sixty possible1993, 2005
personality variations for interpretation. This,Dog - 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994,
above other reasons, makes Chinese zodiac2006
tattoos more individualized and just the right thingPig - 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995,
for a very personal tattoo.2007
Aside from having elements and animals, theHowever, very interestingly, some web sites
Chinese zodiac also assigns a different color forassert that there is only one character for the
each year. The colors are sorted by the stemsterm zodiac. This symbol is modified by the
and relate to the elements. Metal is white, Waterproper birth month of the person who wears it to
is black, Wood is green, Fire is red, and earth isreflect the true zodiac sign. The variation is likened
brown.to how an English pronoun is modified by a
Another distinguishing characteristic of the Chinesepronoun.
zodiac is that it refers to the lunar calendar cycle.Choosing a Chinese zodiac tattoo gears more
It takes into account the monthly phases of thetowards identity symbolism and expression, rather
moon and incorporates them to further typifythan a manifestation of what we value in life
zodiac personalities, daily horoscope, and predictionbecause it caters closely to an individual, leaving
of events. The only aspect that makes it similarvery little room for generalization. As a tattoo
with the more widely known Roman zodiac is itsdesign choice, a Chinese zodiac symbol would
use of twelve animals as signs. They are,represent your birth year, your element, and can
however, illustrated as Chinese characters.mean nothing else. It does not matter if you are
The following are the twelve Chinese zodiacChinese, Asian, or Caucasian. It also does not
animals:matter whether or not Chinese astrology is part
Rat: 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984,of a personal belief system. All the same,
1996, 2008choosing Chinese zodiac signs as tattoo designs
Ox - 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985,can oftentimes be surprisingly revealing - it
1997provides a vivid glimpse of how the bearer of the
Tiger - 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986,tattoo views his own personality.
1998