Year of the Monkey: Chinese zodiac meaning, years and the five elements
The Monkey is the ninth of the twelve animals: clever, inventive and playful, the one who solves the puzzle first. Here is what the tradition reads in it, its years, and its five elements.
Years: 1908, 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028, 2040
Character
The Monkey is the trickster king of Chinese story — Sun Wukong of Journey to the West — and the tradition gives its people the same quick, inventive spark. Those born in a Monkey year are read as curious, witty and resourceful, good company and better problem-solvers, always ready to try another way.
The Monkey belongs to the branch 申, yang metal, the opening of autumn. Its metal is sharp and its hidden water and earth give it depth and practicality, so the tradition reads the Monkey as both clever and capable. It learns fast, adapts fast and loves a challenge. Its shadow, in the same reading, is cleverness that skips the patient part, and a mischief that can be misread as not taking things seriously.
In love
In love the Monkey is read as fun, affectionate and full of ideas, a partner who keeps things lively. It likes to be surprised and to surprise. What asks for care is restlessness and a playful evasiveness when things get serious. The tradition reads the Monkey's lasting bonds as those where curiosity turns toward the other person, not just toward the next adventure.
At work
At work the tradition gives the Monkey ingenuity, versatility and quick judgement — technology, science, trading, entertainment, any field that rewards solving problems and thinking on one's feet. It can do many things well. The caution is about follow-through and focus: so many ideas that some are never finished.
Harmonies and clashes
The tradition places the Monkey in a six harmony with the Snake and in the three harmony of water with the Rat and the Dragon. Its clash is with the Tiger, opposite it in the circle: cleverness meeting courage. The Pig is its harm, and the Monkey belongs with the Tiger and the Snake to the three-way punishment (寅巳申). These are patterns the tradition describes, never a forecast about two people.
The five elements of this sign
- Wood Monkey甲申
The Wood Monkey (甲申) is read as inventive, communicative and cooperative: wood turns the Monkey's cleverness toward building and teaching.
Years: 1944, 2004
- Fire Monkey丙申
The Fire Monkey (丙申) is read as energetic, confident and competitive: fire makes the Monkey bolder and more ambitious, with a restless spark.
Years: 1956, 2016
- Earth Monkey戊申
The Earth Monkey (戊申) is read as steadier and more reliable than other Monkeys: earth gives the Monkey's wit patience and a sense of responsibility.
Years: 1908, 1968, 2028
- Metal Monkey庚申
The Metal Monkey (庚申) doubles the Monkey's own element: read as the most determined and independent of the five, sharp-minded and self-reliant.
Years: 1920, 1980, 2040
- Water Monkey壬申
The Water Monkey (壬申) is read as perceptive, flexible and persuasive: water gives the Monkey diplomacy and an intuitive reading of people.
Years: 1932, 1992
A question to take with you
Which problem in your life could use a cleverer approach — and which one needs patience more than cleverness?
Updated October 28, 2026