Chinese Astrology has many basic principles common to western astrology, although the deep details are quite different..
The Yin and YangIn the west as the Zodiac signs are divided into negative and positive, the signs in the Chinese Zodiac are also divided into Yin and Yang. In the Western Astrology the elements fire and air are regarded as positive whereas earth and water as negative. In the Chinese Astrology its twelve zodiac signs are not divided into its elements, rather each sign is classified as either Yin or Yang.
Each sign in the Western Zodiac is associated with one of the four elements- air, fire, water and earth. There is a link and interaction among these elements. Fire exists because of Air. Water is required to extinguish Fire. And Water is found on Earth.
The Chinese Zodiac has five elements - fire, earth, wood, water and metal. These also have a link and interaction among themselves. When wood burns we get fire, leaving ash, which forms a part of earth, metal is found inside this earth, also water
is found on the earth. Water extinguishes fire by which metal can be melted, which in turn can chop wood. It is believed that two people belonging to neighbouring elements can bond quite nicely. In Chinese Zodiac Air is not considered an element as it is said to be a life force.
SignsChinese Zodiac also has twelve signs. These signs are given the names of animals. According to the legends, the animals whose names have been given to the signs attended Buddha while he was dying. Buddha thanked those animals by assigning each a year, thus each sign has a year. The animals or the signs in the Chinese Zodiac are dog, pig, rat, ox, tiger, snake, rabbit, dragon, horse, lamb, monkey and rooster.