The Tiger in the Chinese zodiac

Many people born in a Tiger year know the moment in a meeting when everyone goes quiet and they say the thing nobody wanted to say. Tradition describes the Tiger as a protector that stands in front of those who cannot defend themselves. Perhaps you remember stepping in on the school playground for someone you barely knew.

• Asking the question at the parents' evening that everyone else only whispers.
• Quitting a job before the next one is certain because it feels right.
• Calling the waiter back when the table next to you was treated rudely.

The Year of the Tiger 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 19 Feb 2034 as the Wood Tiger.

Courage needs movement, and the Tiger copes badly with standing still. A Sunday without a plan can feel tight. Often it starts something with great energy, and once the excitement fades it is already looking for the next challenge. Check whether you feel boredom more as a restlessness in your body than as a thought.

Tradition gives the Tiger the element Wood, growth that pushes upward, and the polarity Yang. Its double hour is 03:00 to 04:59, the hour before dawn, when tigers are said in folklore to hunt most actively.

The shadow sits close to the courage: the Tiger sometimes decides before it has heard everything. A sharp sentence to a colleague that felt fair in the moment and too much the next day. Many people born in a Tiger year also describe finding criticism hard to take, especially from people they do not respect. Perhaps you know the feeling of being right and still losing the argument.

At work the Tiger is often drawn to where something is at stake: new projects, responsibility, a team of its own. It likes working under its own flag and dislikes close supervision. In the family it is often the one who defends its siblings, even when they are long grown up. Check whether your role in your family is the protector, the rebel, or both.

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

For the Tiger, tradition knows three relationship patterns. San He, the three animals that traditionally complement each other: Tiger, Horse and Dog share an urge for freedom and fairness. Liu He, the secret friend, is the Pig, which gives the Tiger warmth without slowing it down. Liu Chong, the clash, is the Monkey: where the Tiger goes straight at things, the Monkey prefers an indirect route. These are pictures from tradition, not a verdict on your love life. Look at people you know and check whether the support or the friction makes you feel more alive.

To checkWhen did your courage last help someone, and when did it last cost you?