Year of the Ox in the Chinese Zodiac

Second in the cycle

The Ox comes second among the twelve zodiac animals, after the Rat.

In a V&A blog post, Ming Wilson explains that a traditional Chinese year had two parts: a heavenly stem, of which there are ten, and an earthly branch, of which there are twelve. The cycle repeated every sixty years. A page on chinaculture.org names the Ox’s branch: Ox corresponded to chou, the second Earthly Branch.

China Daily says “ox” here is a translation of the Chinese character niu, which covers diverse breeds of the bovine group, both domestic and feral. National Geographic notes that in Vietnam the water buffalo replaces the ox.

The race legend

The National Palace Museum writes that, according to legend, the Jade Emperor held a contest of the zodiac animals. They were ranked in the order of their placement in the race, and each was assigned one of the twelve years. National Geographic adds that the race is credited to either the Buddha or the Jade Emperor.

The National Palace Museum also mentions one telling: the rat could not wake a sleeping cat and chose an ox as its partner instead. Just before the finish line the rat jumped off the ox’s back and came in first, to the anger of the cat, who became its enemy. National Geographic also reports that myths state the rat hitched a ride on the back of the next animal, the ox.

What the ox stands for

China Daily calls the ox a symbol of toil and determination, inclined to be steadfast and trustworthy. The V&A post says that to the Chinese farmer the ox was a best friend, without which the farmer would have to toil a lot more in the field.

A second page on chinaculture.org says China’s traditional agricultural society holds cattle in high esteem. It describes people born in the Year of the Ox as enterprising, cautious and sure-footed by nature, and adds that they can be bull-headed and stubborn.

The V&A post adds that, with the Rabbit as its example, saying someone born in a zodiac year has a certain character is a fairly recent development, and that old Chinese texts do not mention such a belief.

The ox in art

Wilson’s post says a boy on the back of an ox is a romanticized way to represent a diligent yet contented population going about their business in a peaceful time.

China Daily describes a similar picture: an idyllic Chinese painting often shows a small child sitting on an ox’s back, playing a wooden flute beside a paddy with mist-shrouded mountains in the distance.