Ox (zodiac)
Encyclopedia
The Ox is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac
related to the Chinese calendar
. The Year of the Ox
is denoted by the earthly branch
character 丑. In the Vietnamese zodiac, the water buffalo
occupies the position of the ox.
Chinese zodiac
The Shēngxiào , better known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year mathematical cycle...
related to the Chinese calendar
Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...
. The Year of the Ox
Ox
An ox , also known as a bullock in Australia, New Zealand and India, is a bovine trained as a draft animal. Oxen are commonly castrated adult male cattle; castration makes the animals more tractable...
is denoted by the earthly branch
Earthly Branches
The Earthly Branches provide one Chinese system for reckoning time.This system was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter. Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections to follow the orbit of Suìxīng . Astronomers rounded the orbit of Suixing to 12 years...
character 丑. In the Vietnamese zodiac, the water buffalo
Water buffalo (zodiac)
The buffalo is the second animal symbol in the 12-year cycle of the Vietnamese zodiac, taking place of the ox in the Chinese zodiac. Water buffalo are industrious and patient. In general, the year is slow and steady, appropriate for scientists. The hours of the buffalo are from 1 to 3 am....
occupies the position of the ox.
Years and the Five Elements
People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the year of the Ox, while also bearing the following elemental sign:- 19 February 1901 – 7 February 1902: Metal Ox
- 6 February 1913 – 25 January 1914: Water OxWater (Wu Xing)Water , is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xing.Water is the most yin in character of the Five elements. Its motion is downward and inward and its energy is stillness and conserving...
- 25 January 1925 – 12 February 1926: Wood Ox
- 11 February 1937 – 30 January 1938: Fire OxFire (Wu Xing)Fire , is the prosper of the matter, or the matter's prosperity stage. Fire is the second phase of Wu Xing.Fire is yang in character. Its motion is upward and its energy is expansive...
- 29 January 1949 – 16 February 1950: Earth OxEarth (Wu Xing)Earth , is the changing point of the matter. Earth is the third one of Wu Xing.Earth is a balance of both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine together. Its motion is inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. It is associated with the color yellow and the planet...
- 15 February 1961 – 4 February 1962: Metal Ox
- 3 February 1973 – 22 January 1974: Water OxWater (Wu Xing)Water , is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xing.Water is the most yin in character of the Five elements. Its motion is downward and inward and its energy is stillness and conserving...
- 20 February 1985 – 8 February 1986: Wood Ox
- 7 February 1997 – 28 January 1998: Fire OxFire (Wu Xing)Fire , is the prosper of the matter, or the matter's prosperity stage. Fire is the second phase of Wu Xing.Fire is yang in character. Its motion is upward and its energy is expansive...
- 26 January 2009 – 14 February 2010: Earth OxEarth (Wu Xing)Earth , is the changing point of the matter. Earth is the third one of Wu Xing.Earth is a balance of both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine together. Its motion is inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. It is associated with the color yellow and the planet...
- 12 February 2021 – 31 January 2022: Metal Ox
- 31 January 2033 – 18 February 2034: Water OxWater (Wu Xing)Water , is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xing.Water is the most yin in character of the Five elements. Its motion is downward and inward and its energy is stillness and conserving...
Traditional Ox attributes and associations
| Attribute | |Associations |
|---|---|
| Zodiac Location | 2nd |
| Ruling hours | 1am-3am |
| Direction | North-northeast |
| Motto | "I Persevere" |
| Season and month | Winter, January |
| Fixed element | Water |
| Stem | Negative |
| Lunar Month Dates | January 7 – February 5 |
| Gemstone | Aquamarine Aquamarine Aquamarine may mean:* Aquamarine , a color, a shade between green and blue and clear* Aquamarine , a gemstone-quality blue berylAquamarine may also refer to:... |
| Colors | Violet |
| Roughly equivalent western sign | Capricorn |
| Polarity | Yin Yin and yang In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only... |
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