The one that does the work while the story is being told about somebody else.
The ox carries the rat across the river and comes second. That is the whole character, and the cycle has never pretended otherwise: patience, and work that takes as long as it takes.
The branch it holds is Chou, the deepest part of the night, when nothing is happening and something is still being done.
Is this your sign?
The Ox years are 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 and 2021.
But the zodiac year begins at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January, and that date moves between 21 January and 20 February. A birthday in January or the first half of February usually belongs to the animal before — 1985 is the extreme case, where the new year did not arrive until 20 February. The box on the product page does that sum for you.
The pendant
- Branch Chou 丑 · the double hour 01:00–03:00 · fixed element earth
- Set with natural African opal, picked by hand for your order
- Solid 925 sterling silver, gold plating on the animal and the mount
- White cubic zirconia accent stones — laboratory-made, not mined, and we say so
- Pendant roughly 25 mm across, on a box chain. No size to choose
- Made after you order it, up to 10 days. Free tracked delivery
Your own zodiac year
Every twelfth year is your own animal's year again — běnmìngnián. Traditionally it is the year people wear their own sign, and it is the usual reason one of these is bought as a gift. The next Ox year is 2033.
All twelve signs · How the Chinese zodiac became jewellery
Carried as a mark of when you started. Some people feel something when they put one on. Some don't. Either way it is an old idea, accurately made. We make no medical or health claims.