Chinese years are a combination of twelve animals, each has personality, and there are also five elements that change in turn every two years. The combination of both, animal and element, make it a longer cycle. I came across an interesting article that writes about this. Every twelve years, the same animal is back for a year. If you are born on 1986, you are a Tiger. It takes another twelve years, 1998, to have another Tiger year. The article I read also provides the characteristics for each animal, so you can check yours and conclude if they make sense. In Chinese tradition, you can also see whether you will make harmonious relationship with certain animal symbols or not. Most of the characteristics are implied from the animal’s nature. Read here.