THE TWELVE ANIMALS
Ox · 牛 (niú)
The Ox evokes patient, sustained work.
Go deeper: the full reference
The idea in context
The Ox follows the Rat with an image of cultivation and carrying a task through its ordinary stages. The symbol can frame a question about pace and care without assigning a personality to a birth year.
An example to picture
A long project may benefit from the Ox image of returning to the same useful step each day.
A question to sit with
Which steady practice supports something you value?
Native app reference
The original examples describe Synastry’s date-only native year reader. This web guide does not calculate a placement or a Four Pillars chart.
Keep the calendar convention in view
The website offers these educational readings. Synastry’s native year reader uses a civil date and Lunar New Year; it is separate from a full Four Pillars or BaZi chart. Begin with the convention before comparing year labels.
Sources and conventions
These references identify the calendar or historical method used in this guide. Keep the named convention in view when comparing other traditions.
Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Tables ↗ · Calendar reference covering 1901–2100, including leap months and cautions near midnight boundaries. The Synastry native reader uses its separately disclosed date-only Lunar New Year convention; this website provides the educational guide.