4 of 12 · branch Mao (卯) · element Wood · last Rabbit year 2023
The Rabbit is the only animal tied to the moon, said to be pounding the elixir of life there rather than living on earth. 卯 marks sunrise. The combination gives the Rabbit its reputation for taste and for avoiding confrontation — it is considered the animal least likely to force an outcome and most likely to be handed one.
The branch repeats every twelve years, but the stem in front of it moves by two each time, so the element cycles through all five. That is why two Rabbit years can feel quite different.
The table above treats a whole Gregorian year as one animal, which is true for most of it. January and early February are the exception: the zodiac turns at the Start of Spring (around 4 February, exact to the minute) in divination, and at the lunar new year in festival usage. Between those two dates the animal is still the previous one.
Pick the exact date in the zodiac lookup, or open this year’s New Year date to see where the line falls.