A. Character and personality

Chinese astrology organises years into cycles of 12, and asserts that the year you are born in affects your character. Each year is named after an animal.

Animal	Year	Characteristics
	1972, 1984, 1996, 2008	imaginative, charming, generous, quick-tempered, opportunistic1
	1973, 1985, 1997, 2009	conservative, methodical2, conscientious, chauvinistic3, a born leader
	1974, 1986, 1998, 2010	sensitive, emotional, tends to get carried away4, stubborn, rebellious, courageous
	1975, 1987, 1999, 2011	affectionate, obliging5, sentimental, superficial6, often insecure7
	1976, 1988, 2000, 2012	fun-loving, popular, a perfectionist8, gifted, may sometimes be tactless9
	1977, 1989, 2001, 2013	charming, intuitive10, stingy
	1978, 1990, 2002, 2014	diligent11, independent, placid12, outgoing, can be selfish and cunning
	1979, 1991, 2003, 2015	elegant, artistic, always ready to complain, over-anxious
	1980, 1992, 2004, 2016	witty, magnetic personality13, good company, can be distrustful14
	1981, 1993, 2005, 2017	industrious, shrewd15, supportive16, decisive, extravagant17
	1982, 1994, 2006, 2018	down-to-earth18, altruistic19, morose20, sharp-tongued21
	1983, 1995, 2007, 2019	intellectual, tolerant, naive22, often materialistic

• ¹ using situations for own benefit
• ² systematic, careful
• ³ too patriotic
• ⁴ become too excited and lose control
• ⁵ ready to help
• ⁶ not caring about serious things
• ⁷ not confident, uncertain about your own abilities
• ⁸ someone who is not satisfied if things are not 100% perfect
• ⁹ inclined to say things that upset or offend people
• ¹⁰ understanding instinctively
• ¹¹ hard-working
• ¹² calm, does not easily become excited or angry
• ¹³ personality that attracts people to you
• ¹⁴ not trusting, suspicious of others
• ¹⁵ having good judgement
• ¹⁶ gives help or encouragement
• ¹⁷ spends too much money or uses too much of something
• ¹⁸ practical and sensible
• ¹⁹ thinking of others rather than yourself
• ²⁰ gloomy
• ²¹ inclined to speak in a severe and critical way
• ²² without enough experience of life, trusting too easily

B. Positive and negative associations

Charming, generous – is that how you think of yourself? Selfish, cunning – that can’t be me! Some words in the chart above have positive associations, others negative ones. Here are some words from the chart, together with other words that share some aspects of their meaning.