The Twelve Zodiac Animals, also known as "Shuxiang," are twelve animals associated with the twelve Earthly Branches (Dizhi) in Chinese culture, corresponding to the year of a person's birth. These animals are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.
The Twelve Zodiac Animals are the personified representations of the twelve Earthly Branches: Zi (Rat), Chou (Ox), Yin (Tiger), Mao (Rabbit), Chen (Dragon), Si (Snake), Wu (Horse), Wei (Goat), Shen (Monkey), You (Rooster), Xu (Dog), Hai (Pig). Over time, they have gradually merged into the folk belief system of mutual generation and restriction, reflecting aspects of marriage, life, and annual fortune. Each zodiac animal has a rich set of legends and forms a conceptual explanatory system, becoming a symbolic philosophy in folk culture, such as zodiac compatibility in marriage, temple fair prayers, and one's birth year. In modern times, more people regard the zodiac as a mascot for the Spring Festival, symbolizing entertainment and cultural activities.
In the context of Can Tian AI, to better represent the relationship between the zodiac and the Yin-Yang Five Elements, we use different colors to express the relationship among the zodiac, Day Master, Five Elements, and Yin-Yang.
| Day Master | Five Elements | Yin-Yang | Color |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia (甲) | Wood | Yang | Green |
| Yi (乙) | Wood | Yin | Jade |
| Bing (丙) | Fire | Yang | Red |
| Ding (丁) | Fire | Yin | Purple |
| Wu (戊) | Earth | Yang | Yellow |
| Ji (己) | Earth | Yin | Brown |
| Geng (庚) | Metal | Yang | Black |
| Xin (辛) | Metal | Yin | Blue |
For example, if the Day Master is Bing (丙) and the zodiac is Rat, it is the Rat of Bing Fire, belonging to the Fire element and Yang in Yin-Yang, corresponding to the color red.