Chinese Zodiac Monkey

The Monkey (猴) ranks the ninth sign in the Chinese zodiac cycle, following the Goat and ahead of the Rooster. The Chinese zodiac, also known as Shengxiao, is a repeating 12-year cycle, with each year related to an animal: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.

According to traditional Chinese culture, it’s believed that a person takes on the same qualities as their symbolic Chinese zodiac animal. Anyone born in the Year of the Monkey is thought to be energetic, smart, creative, outgoing, curious, and optimistic.

The latest year of the Monkey was 2016, and the coming year of the Horse will be 2028, to be more specific, an Earth Monkey year. Chinese Zodiac Year of Monkey 2028 starts from February 4, 2028, and lasts until February 2, 2029.

Chinese Zodiac Monkey Years – Am I a Horse?

Are you a Monkey? If you were born in one of the following years, in most cases, you are probably a Monkey: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, and 2040. However, if you were born in early February, you should pay extra attention to figure out your China zodiac animal.

According to Chinese traditions, the Chinese zodiac signs are not set by the Chinese New Year but by Lichun. Lichun (立春), literally the start of spring, is the first solar term of the 24 Solar Terms in the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

Lichun Day usually falls on February 3, 4, or 5 of the Gregorian calendar. It could be before or after the date of the Chinese New Year for that year. For example, if you were born on February 5, 2016, your Chinese zodiac animal is the Monkey, not the Goat, even though the Chinese New Year 2016 fell on February 8, 2016.

As mentioned, the Chinese zodiac recurs in a repeating order every 12 years. For Monkey natives, your Chinese zodiac year comes when you are 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, 72, 84... Chinese people call the zodiac year Ben Ming Nian (本命年) in Chinese. In traditional Chinese culture, it's believed that Benmingnian is a year of bad luck for those born under the zodiac sign for that year.

If you want to find out whether your Chinese zodiac animal is the Monkey, the Goat, or the Rooster, you need to switch the Gregorian calendar to the Chinese lunar calendar. And then check the date of Lichun that year. Or simply check out the table below to determine whether you are a Monkey or not.

Recent Chinese Zodiac Monkey Years

Chinese Zodiac Calculator

Chinese Zodiac Monkey in Chinese Culture

Among the 12 Chinese zodiac signs, the Monkey is a favorite animal. Its smart, energetic, and playful characteristics are embellished, idealized, and worshiped by ancient Chinese people for their pursuit of a better life. The monkey has deep cultural significance in China. Read on to find some of their symbolism in Chinese culture.

1. Monkey King Sun Wukong

The most famous monkey in China is probably the “Monkey King” Sun Wukong (孙悟空), the main character in the well-known Chinese novel Journey to the West (西游记). Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh, and Dream of the Red Chamber are the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature.

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong is a monkey born from a magical rock. He got his incredible superhuman powers through Taoist practices. Sun Wukong protected the Buddhist monk Xuanzang from evil spirits along the way to India. Finally, they brought back Buddhist sutras successfully.

>> Related reading: Nezha, another famous figure in Chinese mythology

2. Monkey Kung Fu

Monkey Kung Fu, or known as Hou Quan (猴拳) in Chinese, is a Chinese martial art that utilizes the movement of monkeys and apes as part of its technique. In the animated film Kung Fu Panda, Master Monkey is one of the supporting characters. His archetype was inspired by the unique martial art Monkey Kung Fu.

You May Also Be Interested In:

Popular China Kung Fu Tours:

★ 8-day Authentic Kung Fu Experience for Real Fans
★ 14-day China Kung Fu Tour to Shaolin Temple & Mt. Wudang

3. Symbol of Success

The Chinese character for monkey "猴" sounds the same as the character for high official "候". So monkeys symbolize promising careers and prosperity in China since feudal times. In ancient China, it was an extremely honorable thing to be promoted to a high official position, become a minister, or be conferred a rank of nobility. If you see a Chinese painting of a monkey riding a horse, it represents the good wish of getting promoted quickly.

4. Symbol of Protection

According to the Compendium of Materia Medica (Bencao Gangmu, 本草纲目), raising female monkey in the stable can prevent horses from plague. Ancient Chinese people thought the monkey could ward off evil spirits. In the Song Dynasty, people born in the Year of the Monkey wore monkey-shaped coin mascots to drive out evil spirits.

In rural Shanxi, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia, people carve a monkey on the kang (heated sleeping platform built with bricks). It is specially used to tether toddlers who have just learned to crawl at six or seven months. The mother ties one end of a red thread to the monkey’s leg, and the other end to her baby by the waist. It’s believed that the monkey will bless the baby with peace.

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

Things to Bring Goat Good Luck

Things to Bring Goat Bad Luck

Chinese Zodiac Monkey Traits: Active, Smart, Humorous...

In the Chinese zodiac, each animal has particular characteristics. Chinese people believe that a person born in a certain year usually has the characteristics of the animal representing that year. Therefore, the Monkey zodiac affects the personality of those who were born in a Monkey year.

People under the Monkey zodiac sign are considered smart, alert, observant, ambitious, and versatile. They are also cool-headed, thoughtful, and think deeply about intricate problems. Monkeys are strategists. They never act blindly. They always make plans and prepare everything. They have the personality traits to be successful.

Monkey natives are generally lively, energetic, confident, humorous, charming, optimistic, and sociable. They are popular and loved by everyone for their humor and enthusiasm. Monkeys are good storytellers and can be very persuasive. Therefore, they are suitable for jobs like sales, lawyers, and politicians.

On the other side, people born under the zodiac sign of the Monkey tend to be overly confident and self-righteous at times. Monkey people are prone to instant mood swings and a short temper. They can also be fickle and impatient, making them hard to stick to one thing. It can seem like they are not reliable and irresponsible.

Strengths of Monkey

Weakness of Monkey

Male Monkey Characteristics

Men born in the year of Horse are intelligent, talented, enterprising, competitive, agile, and unfettered. They are also lively, romantic, humorous, witty, and sociable. They can get along very well with others and always bring joy to people around them.

Meanwhile, male Monkeys tend to be arrogant and exaggerated. They are also very stubborn and stick to their own opinions. Though efficient, Monkey men playful and lack of persistence. They crave for success, but they often focus on immediate interests and quick success.

Female Horse Characteristics

Like their zodiac sign, female Monkeys are clever, quick-witted, energetic, and flexible. They are also outgoing, friendly, and humorous. They are very good at dealing with people. Their charming personalities make them popular among friends.

In addition, Monkey women are impulsive and impatient. They often act immediately without careful consideration and preparation. They also have high self-esteem, a strong sense of superiority, and a little selfishness.

Chinese Zodiac Monkey Five Elements for Five Personalities

Zodiac Monkey Love Compatibility – Your Most Compatible Zodiacs

According to Chinese astrology, Chinese zodiac animals’ compatibility is mainly derived from the relations of twelve Dizhi (地支, Earthly Branches). As the 9th animal among the 12 animals in the Chinese Zodiac, the Monkey represents the Earthly Branch shen (申). 

Chinese zodiac Monkey compatibility is decided by the inter-promotion and interaction relations between shen and other Earthly Branches.

Best Matches: Rat, Dragon, Snake

The Monkey, the Rat, and the Dragon are in the same group of the four San He (三合, Three Harmonies) combinations. Generally speaking, people born in the year of the Monkey get along very well with those born in the year of the Rat and Dragon.

The Monkey and the Snake are in the same pair of the Liu He (六合, Six Harmonies) combinations. Accordingly, Monkey people and Snake people are also compatible with each other.

Generally, Three Harmonies is better than Six Harmonies. So Monkey natives best match the Rat and the Dragon, while the Snake is the second-best compatibility for the Monkey.

Least Matches: Tiger, Pig

The Monkey and the Tiger are in one pair of the Earthly Branches Liu Chong (六冲, Six Conflicting) groups. The Earthly Branches Six Conflicts indicates opposition between the Earth Branches. Therefore, Monkey people and Tiger people are not compatible with each other.

The Monkey and the Pig are in the same pair of the Liu Hai (六害, Six Harming) groups, so they don’t make a natural match either. Harming means being harmful to each other generally. There will be fights and quarrels between them at times. If they can solve their problems through calm talks, they can have a stable relationship for a long time.

Monkey’s Compatibility with 12 Chinese Zodiac Animals

Guide for Monkeys’ Career

According to Chinese zodiac signs, people born in a Monkey year are naturally curious, impatient, and want to try everything. They feel fulfilled only in work that is full of excitement and challenges. Otherwise, they will feel bored no matter how busy they are. Therefore, challenging jobs like professional athletes, stockbrokers, and journalists are good fits.

Monkey natives are also calm and cool-headed. They can deal with complicated problems in an orderly manner. So they are also suitable for jobs that require logical thinking, such as detectives, lawyers, and programmers.

They prefer to work alone without restraint. When Monkeys find a career that appeals to their interests, they are destined to be outstanding. Freelancers, writers, and actors/actresses are also good choices for Monkey people.

Zodiac Monkeys’ Horoscope in 2026 -- the Year of Horse

In the blink of an eye, the new year 2026 arrives. For those born in the Year of the Monkey, the overall horoscope remains relatively stable, bringing some upward momentum while simultaneously harboring numerous hidden crises. Throughout this year, maintaining a flexible and adaptable approach to handling matters is essential to firmly seize opportunities, turn danger into safety, and smoothly navigate through various crises.

According to Chinese astrology, the changing celestial stems and earthly branches in 2026 create an outwardly harmonious environment for the Monkey. Yet beneath the surface, turbulent crises lurk. Particularly in career and financial matters, significant shifts are anticipated, requiring mental preparation in advance.

Before making any big decisions, the Monkey should take into account the actual situation and make a reasonable distribution of wealth. Another important tips, the Monkey should also keep a sum of money in reserve for unexpected needs in 2026.

Career

People born in the Chinese Zodiac Year of the Monkey will encounter a rather complicated situation in their career in 2026. They are prone to being disturbed by the "Dog Star" and the "Death Gate Star", and may encounter unexpected disputes in interpersonal relationships. Therefore, they need to be extremely cautious. In various public occasions, they should not casually discuss others' affairs, as it may bring adverse effects to themselves.

However, they will be favored by the auspicious stars "Horse Star" and "Jade Star", and may be sent by the company's leadership to work or serve in a neighboring city, which brings a glimmer of hope to the Monkey people.

Wealth

By the year of the Horse in the Chinese lunar calendar of 2026, the financial fortune of those born under the sign of the Monkey will show a downward trend. Although the income from the main source is relatively stable, one must be extra cautious in the secondary income areas. Always maintain a high level of vigilance. When someone offers you a cooperation invitation, politely decline it.

When choosing investment products, try to consider long-term stable projects. Don't be blinded by immediate benefits. Also, don't lend your money out carelessly due to a momentary oversight. Otherwise, it will lead to serious financial losses and unnecessary expenses.

Love & Relationship

By 2026, the love horoscope for people born in the Year of the Monkey will see a significant increase. With the covert support of the Red Rooster auspicious star, single people born in the Year of the Monkey now have the hope of finding a partner. Therefore, when friends and relatives around you introduce someone to you, don't rush to reject them. You can approach the appointment with an open-minded attitude, and perhaps you will encounter unexpected surprises.

For married people born in the Year of the Monkey, they should firmly hold onto their inner thoughts. They should not fall into extramarital affairs due to impulsive actions and betray their loved ones.

Health

In 2026, people born in the Year of the Monkey will be affected by the infortune star of the Heavenly Dog. They should pay extra attention to their personal safety. The arrival of the Heavenly Dog implies that unexpected disasters may occur. Therefore, in real life, the Monkey should maintain a high level of vigilance.

Especially for the Monkey who frequently travel, they should pay attention to food safety during their trips. They should avoid excessive communication with strangers and not disclose their personal information at will, to prevent various accidents and bring unnecessary troubles and crises.

Zodiac Monkey Famous People

Chinese Zodiac Monkey Vocabulary & Idioms