The traditional Chinese zodiac cycle contains 12 animals.
The animals represent a repeating sequence of years: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal is linked to one of the 12 Earthly Branches, an ancient Chinese system used to organize time. After the Pig, the sequence returns to the Rat.
The 12-year animal cycle is also combined with the 10 Heavenly Stems, producing a larger 60-year cycle. This is why a person’s zodiac animal repeats every 12 years, while the same animal paired with the same elemental designation returns only every 60 years. The system is part of traditional Chinese calendrical and astrological culture, not the same thing as the 12 signs of the Western zodiac.
Folklore offers several explanations for the order and membership of the animals, including the famous race organized by the Jade Emperor. Historical accounts, however, connect the animals with the older Earthly Branch system rather than treating the race story as a literal historical origin. Regional versions can differ: Vietnam, for example, traditionally uses a cat where China uses a rabbit.