Chinese Zodiac Goat

The Goat (or Sheep) occupies the eighth position among the animals of the Chinese zodiac, after the Horse and before the Monkey. The Chinese zodiac is a 12-year cycle, with an animal representing each year. In order, the 12 zodiac animals are Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

Chinese people believe that a person’s personality is closely related to his/her Chinese zodiac sign. People born under the Chinese zodiac animal Goat are said to be polite, calm, gentle, sympathetic, creative, and reserved.

The last year of the Goat was 2015. The next year of the Goat will be 2027, to be more specific, a Fire Goat year. Chinese Lunar New Year starts from February 6, 2027, and lasts until January 25, 2028.

However, is it the Year of the Goat, Sheep, Ram? The confusion relates to the Chinese character "羊" (yáng) which is defined as a ruminant mammal generally with horns on its head. Yang covers goat, sheep, antelope, gazelle, etc. Therefore, both of the Year of the Goat and the Year of the Sheep are correct.

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Chinese Zodiac Goat Years – Am I a Goat?

The Chinese zodiac is part of a complex system of Chinese astrology. The twelve zodiac animal signs cycle year by year. For those born under the Goat zodiac sign, your Chinese zodiac year comes when you are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84...

Chinese zodiac Goat years include 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027, and 2050. People born in the years above are most often born in a Goat year. But anyone born in early February of 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, etc. Should pay close attention. Your Chinese zodiac animal sign can be Goat or Monkey.

According to traditional Chinese culture, the starting date of a Chinese zodiac year is set by Lichun instead of the Chinese New Year. Lichun (立春), the start of spring, is the first solar term of the 24 Solar Terms of the Chinese lunar calendar, which usually falls on February 3, 4, or 5 of the Gregorian calendar. For example, if you were born on February 3, 1979, your Chinese zodiac sign is Horse instead of Goat, even though the Chinese New Year 1979 fell on January 28, 1979.

As you may know, the Gregorian calendar usually does not line up with the Chinese lunisolar calendar. If you were born on February 3, 4, or 5, you need to confirm your Chinese zodiac animal by checking the date of Lichun of the year you were born. Or just check out the following table of Chinese zodiac years of Goat to determine your correct zodiac sign.

Recent Chinese Zodiac Goat Years

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Chinese Zodiac Goat in Chinese Culture

In the Chinese zodiac, the Goat is not a favorite zodiac. It’s been said that people born in the year of the Goat will have a hard life, especially for females. So many Chinese people avoid delivering a baby in a Goat year. This theory has been controversial because some Chinese folk experts say there’s a misunderstanding during the spreading in history.

The year of the Goat is actually a good year as the goat itself represents very good and lucky meanings in Chinese culture since ancient times. In addition, the Goat year is the eighth of the Chinese zodiac years. We all know how many Chinese people love the number eight. Read on to learn more symbolic meanings of the Chinese zodiac animal Goat in Chinese culture.

1. Symbol of Good Luck

In ancient China, the Chinese character for goat "羊" (yáng) equaled to character for auspicious "祥" (xiáng). The term for auspicious "吉祥" was also written as "吉羊" (auspicious goat). Goat is a symbol of good luck in traditional Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese people hung goat heads on the door lintels at the beginning of the Chinese Lunar New Year. They also sent goats as gifts to one another. Moreover, goats were served as betrothal gifts for the bride to symbolize good luck.

"羊" was also related to the character "阳" in ancient times. Three goats under the sunshine is a favorite subject of traditional Chinese brush painting, implying the auspicious Chinese term "三阳开泰". Three goats (三羊) represents three suns (三阳).

The term "三阳开泰" is derived from the hexagrams of the Yijing (易经, The Book of Changes). The hexagram Tai ䷊ (泰卦) has three yin lines on the top and three yang lines on the bottom, symbolizing good luck is coming. Chinese people greet one another with "三阳开泰" during the Chinese New Year festival to wish each other good fortune and prosperity in the new year.

2. Symbol of Beauty

The goat is naturally beautiful. Ancient Chinese regarded the goat as a symbol of purity and preciousness. In China, the original meaning and aesthetic consciousness of beauty originated from eating delicious food. The written Chinese character for beauty "美" (měi) is composed of "羊" on the upper part and "大" (dà, meaning big) on the lower. It means the big goat is beautiful. The initial sense of beauty was from the taste of goat meat. Taste aesthetics is a precedent for other aesthetics of human beings.

3. Symbol of Filial Piety

When a baby goat goes to drink milk from its mother, it will kneel beneath its mother. Ancient Chinese thought the gesture shows the gratitude of the baby goat, which is explained as 孝 (xiào, filial peity). In Chinese traditions, filial piety is the most important moral tenet.

4. City of the Goat

In China, Guangzhou is also called "Goat City" and "City of Five Goats". Legend says that five immortals rode five heavenly goats to the ancient Guangzhou city. They brought rice, grain, wheat, etc. to local people and saved the city in a time of famine. The five immortals were gone by clouds, and the five goats turned into stone goats, standing at the foot of the hill. This is how Guangzhou got its nicknames. In 2007, the legend was collected into the first batch of the representative list of Guangzhou's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Lucky and Unlucky Things for People Born in the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Goat

Things to Bring Goat Good Luck

Things to Bring Goat Bad Luck

Chinese Zodiac Goat Traits: Gentle, Calm, Kind...

Occupying the 8th position in the Chinese zodiac, the Goat is a docile animal like the Rabbit. It symbolizes calmness, kindness, harmony, and creativity. Like how the western zodiac works, it’s believed that those born in a Goat year take on the particular characteristics of the Goat.

Among all Chinese zodiac animals, Goats are the most affectionate. Goat people are righteous, kind, and empathetic. They are also good-natured and even shy. They tend to be elegant artists or creative workers at their best, while they easily become passive and pessimistic in adversity.

People born in the Chinese zodiac year of Goat are naturally gentle, amiable, generous, and compassionate. They like interacting with people and treating others with sincerity. They also can easily forgive others by understanding other people's difficulties. Because of their elegant and kind personalities, Goat people are well connected and liked by others.

In terms of work, Goat people are great hands. Under the mild surface are their persevere and resilient traits. They can stand hard work and complete tasks successfully. But Goats don’t like strict restrictions and cannot be strict with themselves.

At the same time, people born in the Year of the Goat are easy to feel inferior and pessimistic. Their understanding of themselves is confusing. They need emotional support from friends very much. Another negative trait of Goats is that they are indecisive when encountering difficulties and likely to be guided by destiny.

Strengths of Goat

Weakness of Goat

Male Goat Characteristics

In Chinese zodiac signs, male Goats are typical gentlemen. They are gentle, kind-hearted, generous, and family-oriented. They don’t hold grudges. People under the Goat zodiac sign also like to interact with others and make new friends. They have a unique aesthetic vision too.

Their shortcoming is that male Goats are too pessimistic to see the positive side of things. At work, they are often hesitant when facing choices. Their indecision and lack of opinions make them hard to show their advantages. They also put too much importance on their relationship with others. Even if they are hurt, they are not willing to destroy it easily.

Female Goat Characteristics

Women born under the Goat zodiac sign are warm-hearted, easygoing, and very caring. They appear to be gentle on the surface, but they are very tough inside. They are strong in perseverance and insist on self-pursuit. Female Goats don’t like to argue with others. When they disagree with others, they will insist on their own opinions.

At the same time, Goat women are subjective, stubborn, and paranoid. They pay too much attention to the first impression, making them unable to fully and objectively understand a person. They show extreme personalities at times, sometimes happy, sometimes pessimistic.

Chinese Zodiac Goat Five Elements for Five Personalities

Zodiac Goat Love Compatibility – Your Most Compatible Zodiacs

Chinese astrology is a complex system. By reading an individual’s Bazi (Four Pillars of Destiny) chart, an astrologer can read a person’s destiny, personality, and compatibility with others. 

The compatibility of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals is derived from the inter-promotion and interaction of twelve Dizhi (地支, Earthly Branches). Zodiac animal Goats are most compatible with Pig, Rabbits, and Horse, and least compatible with Ox and Rat. 

Best Matches: Pig, Rabbit, Horse

The zodiac sign Goat is associated with the Earthly Branch wei (未, wèi). According to Chinese astrology, the Pig, the Rabbit, and the Goat are one of the four trines of the San He (三合, Three Harmonies) groups. People under the Goat zodiac sign usually do best with people born in the year of the Pig and Rabbit. The Goat and the Horse are one pair of the Liu He (六合, Six Harmonies) groups. So Goat people are also very compatible with Horse people. 

Normally, Three Harmonies is better than Six Harmonies. As such, the Goat best matches the Rabbit and the Pig, while the Horse is the second-best compatibility for the Goat.

Least Matches: Ox, Rat

The Goat and the Ox are in the same group of the Earthly Branches Liu Chong (六冲, Six Conflicting) groups. They are not suitable for a long-term relationship with each other. Both of them are too stubborn to take a step back. 

The Goat and the Rat are in the same group of the Liu Hai (六害, Six Harming) groups. So Goat Rat compatibility is also challenging. Goat people and Rat people have very different personalities. If they want to get along with each other, major compromise is required.

Moreover, the Goat, the Dog, and the Ox are in the samle group of the San Xing (三刑, Three Punishment) groups. This punishment group is called “ungrateful punishment”. Though all of their Wuxing (五行, Five Elements) are earth (土), they are not naturally suited.

Goat’s Compatibility with 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals

Guide for Goats’ Career

Goat people are not dominant, so they prefer to work in a team. The most suitable jobs for people born in a year of the Goat are those that are thoughtful, considerate and optimistic. They are talented and sensitive with a good sense of aesthetics, they are also fit for the arts. Good career options for Goat people include artist, actor, interior, designer, illustrator, publishing editor, writer, hairstylist, and teacher.

Zodiac Goats’ Horoscope in 2023 the Year of Rabbit

Health

In the year of the Rabbit (Gui Mao) in 2023, the health of the Sheep people is relatively average. Due to the good career fortune this year, they are usually busy in their work. Goats need to create a time management plan in daily life, it is important to know how to balance the work and rest. After work, they can work out more to restore your stamina, but don’t do excessive exercises which may deplete your strength and even cause some damage to the body in a long run. The physical activities like yoga or jogging are recommended. It should be noted that the goat people will possibly be affected by Zai Sha Evil Spirit in 2023. Therefore, they should avoid going to places with heavy negative energy such as crematoriums, otherwise, the evil spirits can be enhanced, which will affect the health of goat people.

Career

In 2023, the goat people will be influenced by Tian Yi and Kui Gang lucky stars in their careers, so that they have good luck in work or businesses. With the blessing of Tian Yi star, the office workers will possibly be appreciated by their superiors and boss. Those goat entrepreneurs will meet the people who can help them in this year, which may be the suppliers or customers. In short, they will bring a lot of good news and happy surprises. For those who have helped them, the goat people must know how to give back to them, establishing a long-term cooperative relationship.

In addition, the goats will also benefit from the patronage of Kui Gang star, which will help them improve their efficiency. This year the goat people need to attach great importance to the efficiency in the work. Don’t be sloppy and sluggish. Especially for the leader/boss goats, they are expected to win many business opportunities for the company during the critical time. Office workers can make full use of the blessing from Kui Gang. If there is a business trip plan in your company, you need to take the initiative to strive for it. You must cherish every chance to make a good impression on the boss and superiors, so that you can get the opportunity for promotion and salary increase. For those goat entrepreneurs, they will become very strong mentally with the help of the Kui Gang star this year, and they will find business opportunities and seize them in time.

It is worth noting that the goat people may be affected by an evil spirit in their careers. And they may be swayed easily by villains, so they need to be practical and realistic in doing things this year, and they should keep low-key, instead of flamboyant.

Love & Relationship

In 2023, the love fortune of the goat people in this year is relatively average. As they will receive the help of Tian Yi star, the dating chances are quite abundant, but due to the influence of the evil spirit, these opportunities may turn into bad luck, which requires constant attention.

For single goat people, they may be surrounded by seemingly good chances in this year, but actually there are hidden dangers. Therefore, when getting along with the opposite sex, don’t judge people by their appearance, and you can date for a period of time, and pay more attention to his/her character, values, and even the friends around him/her. Don't get into a close relationship so quickly.

For married goat people, there can be many quarrels with their spouses this year. Because of the influence of the evil spirit, they will become impetuous and vent their dissatisfaction on their spouses. Therefore, you need to restrain your emotions more. When you find that your temper is up, you need to take a deep breath or do other things to divert your attention. For some married men, please keep a distance from the younger or attractive ladies on various occasions. This may affect your work and family later.

Wealth

In 2023, the wealth fortune of the goat people is relatively turbulent. With the assistance of Tian Yi and Kui Gang stars, their career will go smooth. Since their working ability is outstanding, which can easily be spotted by the boss or superiors, they will get the opportunity for promotion and salary increase this year. At work, as long as you keep a low profile and avoid being plotted by villains, your mainstream income can be improved.

While for other income, don’t invest your money in high-risk projects or capital markets. In this case, don’t put your trust in others easily, and choose a conservative financial management method. In addition, due to the influence of the evil spirit, goat people are prone to the risk of bankruptcy, so they need to be more careful and make plans for their money. Don't carry a lot of cash when they go out, and they need to put away your bank cards and ID card.

Zodiac Goat Famous People

Chinese Zodiac Goat Vocabulary & Idioms