The Chinese zodiac is a traditional
Some scholars suggest the twelve animals were chosen for their symbolic traits, based on their revered status in traditional Chinese culture. The choice varied regionally before being standardized in the Han Dynasty, when the Chinese zodiac, as an essential part of Chinese culture, started to take shape. This era formalizes a twelve-year cycle, where each year is associated with a specific animal, as part of a timekeeping system. This system, known as the zodiac cycle, combined the twelve Earthly Branches with the ten Heavenly Stems to create a 60-year cycle, a cyclical timekeeping system seen as embodying both personality traits and the broader society. Each Earthly Branch was linked to one of the twelve zodiac signs and to an animal: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.