The earthly branch paired with the Dragon in the traditional Chinese zodiac is Chen.
Each of the 12 zodiac animals is paired with one of the 12 earthly branches, a traditional Chinese calendrical set. The Dragon corresponds to Chen, which is commonly written 辰 in Chinese. The pair is often described as Chenlong when referring to the Dragon sign in this framework.
The branch-animal pairings are fixed: Zi is Rat, Chou is Ox, Yin is Tiger, Mao is Rabbit, Chen is Dragon, Si is Snake, Wu is Horse, Wei is Goat, Shen is Monkey, You is Rooster, Xu is Dog, and Hai is Pig.
The earthly branches also participate in systems for naming hours, days, months, and years. They are not the same as the five elements, which form a separate cycle and combine with the branches to produce the 60-year sexagenary cycle.