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Chinese zodiac · Chinese zodiac 2

Ox

Ox · 牛 niú

The Ox (牛 niú), sign 2 of the Chinese zodiac: earthly branch Chou 丑, fixed element earth, yin.

The Ox is the patient worker of the farm, and the sign is associated with diligence, reliability and strength. Ox-born people are traditionally described as steady and dependable, slow to change but hard to stop.

In Chinese astrology the year animal is only one part of a horoscope: the element of the year's heavenly stem, the month, day and hour of birth (the Four Pillars) and their interactions are read together. The traditional characterisations of each animal belong to folk belief and popular almanacs rather than to a single authoritative text.

Personality

diligent · dependable · patient · strong · methodical · honest · stubborn

In Chinese popular astrology the Ox is described as the patient, dependable worker of the zodiac, steady and strong, slow to change but very hard to stop. Linked with the earthly branch Chou, yin and the element earth, it takes its character from the farm animal that ploughs the fields season after season and makes the harvest possible.

Almanac portraits credit Ox-born people with diligence, honesty, endurance and a methodical approach that carries tasks through to completion. They are said to be calm in a crisis, to keep their word and to earn respect through results rather than show. The weaknesses traditionally named are stubbornness, inflexibility, difficulty expressing feelings and a tendency to hold grudges or to work to exhaustion.

In love the Ox is portrayed as faithful and protective, slow to commit but steadfast once it has, preferring quiet loyalty to romance; the traditional triad places it in harmony with the Snake and the Rooster. At work it is linked with agriculture, engineering, building, finance, medicine and any career that rewards persistence and reliability. Chinese astrologers add that the element of the birth year, such as a Metal Ox or a Water Ox, and the full Four Pillars modify this basic picture.

Sources and further reading