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=== Tiongkok ===
Astrologi kebudayaan Tiongkok memiliki kaitan erat dengan konsep filsafat yang berkembang di daerah tersebut (konsep tiga keharmonisan : langit, bumi, dan manusia) seperti penggunaan konsep yin dan yang, lima elemen atau fase (air, api, tanah, logam, dan kayu), 10 batangBatang langit, 12 cabangCabang bumiBumi, dan shichen (時辰 pembagian jam kebudayaan Tiongkok; 1 hari = 12 sichen). Penggunaan awal dari sistem astrologi Tiongkok lebih diutamakan untuk kepentingan politis, pengkafenomena langit dengan fenomena tak biasa di masyarakat, mengidentifikasi pertanda-pertanda buruk, dan penentuan hari-hari suci atau penting.
Kebudayaan Tiongkok menggunakan pembagian sistem konstelasi yang berbeda dari zodiak di Asia Barat ataupun di Eropa, kebudayaan Tiongkok membagi langit menjadi [[Tiga Batasan]] (三垣 sān yuán), dan [[Rasi bintang Tiongkok#Duapuluh Delapan Rumah Besar|28 Rumah Besar]] (二十八宿 èrshíbā xiù) yang kemudian masuk ke dalam 12 zodiak atau shio. Zodiak kebudayaan Tiongkok disimbolkan oleh 12 jenis hewan dan diyakini setiap shio merepresentasikan 12 kepribadian yang berbeda pula. Perhitungan shio ini didasarkan oleh siklus tahun, perubahan fase bulan, dan ''sichen''. Zodiak Tiongkok secara tradisional umumnya dimulai dari zodiak/shio Tikus dan kemudian secara siklik diikuti oleh 11 shio hewan lainnya yaitu : Kerbau, Harimau, Kelinci, Naga, Ular, Kuda, Kambing, Monyet, Ayam Jago, Anjing, dan Babi. Suatu sistem peramalan terkait masa depan dan nasib dari seseorang dibangun oleh masyarakat kebudayaan Tiongkok berdasarkan, tanggal lahir, musim pada tanggal lahir tersebut, dan waktu kelahiran (dalam ''sichen'') masih sering dipakai di dalam kebudayaan Tiongkok modern. Peramalan ini pun tidak bergantung pada pengamatan bintang secara langsung.
Chinese astrology has a close relation with Chinese philosophy (theory of the three harmonies: heaven, earth and man) and uses concepts such as yin and yang, the Five phases, the 10 Celestial stems, the 12 Earthly Branches, and shichen (時辰 a form of timekeeping used for religious purposes). The early use of Chinese astrology was mainly confined to political astrology, the observation of unusual phenomena, identification of portents and the selection of auspicious days for events and decisions.
Terdapat berbagai cerita atau legenda tentang asal mula shio dalam kebudayaan masyarakat Tionghoa. Sebaliknya bukti-bukti faktual tentang asal mula shio ini cenderung sulit ditemukan. Diketahui dari ornamen yang ditemukan pada gerabah-gerabah peninggalan era Dinasti Tang bahwa hewan-hewan yang saat ini termasuk dalam keduabelas shio tersebut telah populer pada masa itu. Namun, ditemukan pula bukti-bukti yang mengindikasikan bahwa hewan-hewan ini telah muncul lebih awal yakni pada Periode Negara Perang, dimana saat itu wilayah Tiongkok terbagi dalam beberapa faksi tertentu dan terlibat pertempuran untuk saling menguasai faksi lainnya.
The constellations of the Zodiac of western Asia and Europe were not used; instead the sky is divided into Three Enclosures (三垣 sān yuán), and Twenty-eight Mansions (二十八宿 èrshíbā xiù) in twelve Ci (十二次). The Chinese zodiac of twelve animal signs is said to represent twelve different types of personality. It is based on cycles of years, lunar months, and two-hour periods of the day (the shichen). The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat, and the cycle proceeds through 11 other animals signs: the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.Complex systems of predicting fate and destiny based on one's birthday, birth season, and birth hours, such as ''ziping'' and Zi Wei Dou Shu (simplified Chinese: 紫微斗数; traditional Chinese: 紫微斗數; pinyin: ''zǐwēidǒushù'') are still used regularly in modern-day Chinese astrology. They do not rely on direct observations of the stars.
Terdapat tulisan-tulisan yang menyatakan bahwa keduabelas shio ini dibawa ke Tiongkok melalui Jalur Sutra, sama halnya dengan rute masuknya ajaran Buddha dari India ke Tiongkok. Namun, beberapa ahli berpendapat bahwa kepercayaan terhadap zodiak ini malah yang mempengaruhi ajaran Buddha dan berasal langsung dari tradisi kebudayaan Tiongkok yang saat itu telah mengenal planet Jupiter sebagai acuan, dikarenakan orbitnya yang mengelilingi bumi (dalam pandangan geosentris) memakan waktu selama 12 tahun. Pun ada juga argumen yang menyatakan bahwa penggunaan nama-nama hewan ini pada zodiak kebudayaan masyarakat Tionghoa berasal dari suku nomaden kuno yang kemudian mengembangkan kalender berdasarkan hewan-hewan yang biasa mereka buru.
The actual history behind the Chinese zodiac is much less fantastical and much harder to find. It’s known from pottery artifacts that the animals of the zodiac were popular in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.), but they were also seen much earlier from artifacts from the Warring States Period (475-221 B.C.), a period of disunity in ancient Chinese history, as differing factions fought for control.
It’s been written that the animals of the zodiac were brought to China via the Silk Road, the same central Asian trade route that brought the Buddhist belief from India to China. But some scholars argue that the belief predates Buddhism and has origins in early Chinese astronomy that used the planet Jupiter as a constant, as its orbit around the earth took place every 12 years.
Still, others have argued that the use of animals in astrology began with nomadic tribes in ancient China who developed a calendar based on the animals they used to hunt and gather.
The scholar Christopher Cullen as written that beyond satisfying the spiritual needs of an agrarian society, the use of astronomy and astrology was also an imperative of the emperor, who had the responsibility for ensuring harmony of everything under heaven. To rule well and with prestige, one needed to be accurate in astronomical matters, Cullen wrote. Perhaps that is why the Chinese calendar, including the zodiac, became so entrenched in Chinese culture. In fact, reforming the calendar system was viewed as appropriate if political change was eminent.
The belief that everyone and every animal has a role to play in society translates well with Confucian beliefs in a hierarchical society. Just as Confucian beliefs persist in Asia today alongside more modern social views, so does the use of the zodiac.
It’s been written by Paul Yip, Joseph Lee, and Y.B. Cheung that births in Hong Kong regularly increased, bucking declining trends, to coincide with the birth of a child in a dragon year.
Temporary fertility rate increases were seen in the dragon years of 1988 and 2000, they wrote. This is a relatively modern phenomenon as the same increase wasn’t seen in 1976, another dragon year.
The Chinese zodiac also serves the practical purpose of figuring out a person’s age without having to ask directly and risk offending someone.
=== Peradaban Maya ===
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