The Rooster in the Chinese zodiac

You'd expect the Rooster at sunrise. Its double hour, though, runs from 17:00 to 18:59 – the time when, traditionally, the hens go back into the coop and the day gets put in order. Its fixed element is Metal and its polarity is Yin, the inward, gathering side. In tradition Metal stands for clarity, measure and separating what matters from what doesn't.

That image – someone who counts at the end of the day whether everything is in its place – may suit the Rooster better than the loud crowing. Many people born in a Rooster year recognise themselves more in quiet checking than in the big entrance.

The Year of the Rooster returns every twelve years, each time with a different element. It never begins on 1 January but at Chinese New Year. The next one begins on 13 Feb 2029 as the Earth Rooster.

Tradition credits the Rooster with a sharp eye for detail. In daily life that can look very concrete. Do you know any of these scenes?

• In the group chat you're the only one who notices the date falls on a public holiday.
• The dishwasher gets quietly rearranged after your partner has loaded it.
• Before sending the email to your boss you read it three times, and on the third read you still cut a comma.
• You arrive five minutes early and wonder why the others don't.

The Rooster is seen as direct. What others only think, it often says out loud – usually with good intent, because something should get better. The brother planning a new business doesn't get applause, he gets three questions about costs. That can help. It can also land as criticism when the other person needed encouragement first.

Then there is what tradition calls the Rooster's pride: the pleasure of being seen when you've done something well. Check for yourself: how do you feel when nobody notices your work? For many with this animal that is harder than open criticism.

Many people born in a Rooster year keep a household budget, even if it's just a note on their phone. Tradition links the Rooster with diligence and with jobs where care counts: accounting, organising, crafts, anything with clear steps. The Rooster is often the person you ask when a tax return is due or a house move needs planning. The risk lies more in carrying too much alone, because doing it yourself seems quicker and more correct.

Each element appears once in 60 years among the Rooster years. Tradition reads the element as a tint on the animal. Check for yourself which line fits you better.

In tradition the Rooster forms a San He – the three animals that traditionally complement each other – with the Ox and the Snake. All three value reliability and well-considered steps, and many find such bonds calm and sturdy. The secret friend (Liu He, the quiet pair) is the Dragon, whose momentum the Rooster can bring into order. The opposite pole (Liu Chong, the clash) is the Rabbit: one prefers to say it plainly, the other prefers not to say it at all. This is lore, not a statement about whether you'll be happy with a particular person. Check for yourself: when did someone do you good precisely because they handle conflict differently from you?

To checkWhere do you correct others even though they didn't ask – and what would happen if you let it go once?