10 Reasons Why the Monkey is the Best Chinese Zodiac Sign

The monkeys found throughout eastern Asia display great signs of intellect that people rarely see in the animal world. They have been known to use simple stone tools and even con people. With such a track record, it is easy to see how the Monkey gets its reputation for cleverness.

As with all signs in the Chinese Zodiac, it is believed that people take on the attributes of the sign they were born under. For the Monkey, this includes its clever nature.

In the western world, comparing a child to a monkey is seen as an insult at worst and simple teasing at best, but in Chinese culture, this is considered a great compliment. People in the western world tend to view monkeys as uncontrollable animals with no regard for anyone else’s wellbeing. This is in stark contrast to the Chinese belief that monkeys are a source of great intellect.

Sadly, the high intelligence of monkeys has not been enough to prevent their numbers from dropping. This is largely due to the loss of habitat as China expands and develops more land. Most of this land is used as farmland to feed an ever-growing population.

The Chinese word for monkey is pronounced the same as the word for High Official. This originally started during the Spring, and Autumn Period, which lasted from 770-476 B.C.E. During this period, there were around 150 separate Chinese kingdoms scattered throughout China.

Chinese history is unique from European history in that, despite fracturing and war, the Chinese language and culture have always largely remained stable. In fact, some of the greatest cultural works from ancient China come from times of war, rather than empirical times.

Throughout Chinese history, the Chinese Empire has broken, been conquered, reformed, and broken again dozens of times. At certain points, there were several different Chinese governments spread out throughout China. These were, arguably, the times of greatest cultural advancement. The reasoning behind this is simple; the culture was more dispersed.

During empirical times, when one Emperor ruled China, culture was centered in the capital, wherever it happened to be at the time. This meant that culture was concentrated and not allowed to spread throughout the rest of the region. By contrast, times when the empire was fractured allowed for multiple capitals to coexist with each other throughout the region. This led to each region developing its culture further and assimilating other cultures through trade.

European languages evolved and combined over time, Chinese was formally codified early on and has changed very little. The most ancient texts bearing Chinese writing are on turtle shells that would then be thrown into a fire as a type of divination. While there are some changes, the language is still clearly recognizable as Chinese.

This attribute stems from monkeys commonly eating peaches in nature and from farms. In Chinese culture, peaches are believed to prolong life. They have been grown in China for thousands of years and are a favorite fruit in the region. In fact, in the ancient tale, ”A Journey to the West,” the stone monkey king Sun Wukong was tasked with tending to the Jade Emperor’s peach garden as a way of keeping him busy so that he did not destroy Heaven.

The myth is that eating a peach from the Jade Emperor’s garden would grant immortality. For those who are familiar with the character of Sun Wukong, it should come as no surprise that Sun Wukong ate all of the peaches before the Queen Mother of Heaven’s Peach Festival. Sun Wukong was certainly not known for his impulse control. In the story, eating the Peaches of Immortality grants Sun Wukong double immortality, contributing further to the belief that monkeys have a very long life. In addition to living for centuries, it was also believed that they could turn into humans at will.

As you can see, monkeys have a long tradition of living for centuries or even achieving immortality in traditional Chinese culture. With all of these factors contributing, it is no wonder that the Monkey is associated with a long life.

Those born in the year of the Monkey benefit from being highly logical. This likely goes back to the intellect that is associated with the Monkey. It could also relate to the Taoist beliefs surrounding gibbons that were mentioned earlier.

This high degree of logic benefits the Monkey well. It allows those born to this sign to excel in fields where cold logic trumps emotion. This makes those born under the Monkey excellent in business fields, particularly stock trading.

Referring back to Sun Wukong, the famous Monkey King was incredibly impulsive. Most of the trouble he gets himself into simply boils down to him being too impulsive and not stopping to think things through logically.

For example, after eating all of the Jade Emperor’s Peaches of Immortality, Sun Wukong learned about the Queen Mother of Heaven’s Peach Festival. At this point, rather than attending the festival or requesting an invitation, Sun Wukong proceeds to knock out the seven maidens as well as a Taoist immortal to sneak into the festival. He then steals all of the heavenly wine, which also grants immortality, gets drunk, and makes his way to Lao Tzu’s study. Once there he proceeds to eat all of Lao Tzu’s immortality pills, making himself quadropoly immortal.

Monkeys are ambitious and stop at nothing to reach the top. This contributes to their success and often leads them to head companies or reach the top of their field. You should never underestimate the determination of a Monkey.

Monkeys are perfectly happy to wait and bide their time. They are excellent strategists who do not hesitate to use the situation to their advantage. Monkeys know that trying to advance too quickly can result in failure and the need to start again, so they take their time and proceed cautiously, but assertively.

A Monkey is not satisfied with ”good enough” and always strives to improve. Whether it is in business, sports, music, acting, or academia, Monkeys always shoot for the top. This can cause great competition among young people, particularly in school, when most students have the same sign.

This drive can also be a downside as well. Monkeys focus so much time and energy on making it to the top that they often neglect their personal relationships. This can make dating difficult for those born in the year of the Monkey, particularly if they are dating someone from an incompatible sign.

Those born during the year of the Monkey can generally expect good health. This can largely be attributed to their tendency to stay active. Monkeys also tend to view being sick as a waste of time. As such, they ignore lesser symptoms.

The Monkey is constantly working to improve in something. Whether it is physical fitness, education, or business, the Monkey is always busy. This means that the Monkey has no time to waste sitting around doing nothing.

Going back to Chinese mythology, the association between monkeys and longevity likely plays a role in this association as well. It is unlikely that the ancient Chinese would have seen many sick monkeys as they likely did not survive long. This could have led to the association as well.

Further adding to this association, monkeys have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for centuries. While it is easy for those in the west to be averse to consuming monkeys, in Chinese medicine, it is believed that the meat, bones, and livers of monkeys have curative effects. These effects range from treating malaria to improving someone’s sex drive. Those who are familiar with traditional Chinese medicine should not be surprised to learn that monkeys were and still are, used to improve sex drive as this is one of the most common uses of animal parts in the tradition.

Monkeys always want to be the best, and they stop at nothing to get there. As such, it should not come as a surprise that Monkeys are highly active. This does not always mean physically active, as they are often mentally active instead. Monkeys often go into professional sports as well as business. Some notable examples of professional athletes born in the year of the Monkey are Joe Montana, Sonny Liston, Tommy Morrison, and astronaut Mae Jemison.

It is not only athletes that you have heard of either. Perhaps the most famous Monkey that everyone has heard of is George Lucas. That’s right, the creator of Star Wars is a Monkey. This high level of activity can be a downside for Monkeys as well. Being constantly active makes it difficult for Monkeys to relax, even when on vacation. Monkeys see every day as an opportunity to make improvements in some aspects of their lives, so things like vacations seem pointless, which contradicts the basic mentality of the Monkey.

It is very important for your mental health, if you are a Monkey, to force yourself to take some time off every now and again. If you do not, the pressure can eventually cause health problems, both physical and mental. Remember, your career should not take priority over your health.

Yin and Yang, Darkness and Light, the perfect balance. One cannot exist without the other. Those born on the year of the Monkey are associated with Yang, the Light side. Yang literally translates to ”Sunny Side” and is meant to represent all of the light in the world. To be clear, light and dark are not good and evil. Both are necessary for the world to remain balanced, but it is a common misconception that darkness is associated with evil.

Yin and Yang are truly ancient concepts. Their roots go back as much as 3,500 years that historians know of so far. As these earliest examples are the fully formed Yin Yang symbol, the concept may go back even further.

Most symbols evolve over time to their present form. This indicates that the Yin and Yang symbol likely evolved over time as well, meaning the original concept of Yin and Yang as the perfect balance could go back for several more centuries, or even millennia. Yang is associated with calmness and certainty. Those associated with Yang have a calm and sensible nature, while those associated with Yin tend to be more unpredictable and impulsive.

Those associated with Yang tend to form better romantic relationships with those associated with Yin than other Yangs. The reason goes back to balance; Yang is incomplete without Yin and vice versa.

Like the animal their sign is named for, Monkeys are very social people. This can be attributed to their drive always to improve themselves, or it could simply be that they enjoy spending time with other people.

This does not mean that a Monkey is always an extrovert, however, as many can be introverts. For those unfamiliar, an extrovert is someone who people generally consider outgoing and social while introverts are usually more reserved. This does not mean that introverts are not social; it simply means that they are more selective with who they associate with.

Extroverts have no problems walking up to a complete stranger and starting a conversation. Extroverts are at home, surrounded by people, both familiar and unknown. Introverts, however, are more reclusive when it comes to new people. Introverts still enjoy being around people; they just prefer people that they already know as opposed to strangers.

Introverted Monkeys may seem cold and distant to new people, but this is just because they are uncomfortable. Once an introverted Monkey warms up to you, they can quickly become your new best friend.

Introverts and extroverts are only two personality types on a sliding scale. They are on opposite ends of the spectrum with three others in between. Those are an ivert, which is in the middle of the scale, introverted ambivert, and extroverted ambivert. Most people fall within these three options, rather than either of the extremes.

In Chinese mythology, people have traditionally viewed monkeys as protectors. This theme is common throughout the mythos, with examples ranging from Sun Wukong to the original Monkey. To be clear, Monkey here is referring specifically to the deity Monkey who was summoned by the Jade Emperor to attend a party. This was the origin of the Chinese Zodiac.

The Jade Emperor was hosting a party and invited all of the deities that became the Zodiac. To determine the order of the Zodiac, the Jade Emperor assigned them the number in which they arrived. Monkey, Rooster, and Dog were not in the country at the time. They were helping a foreign god defeat an evil spirit. As such, they arrived at the party at the same time. The Jade Emperor decided to assign their number based on the order in which they arrived to help the foreign god. Since Monkey was first, he became the ninth Zodiac.

In ”A Journey to the West,” the monkey king, Sun Wukong was tasked with protecting the monk Xuanzang on his journey. While Sun Wukong was reluctant at times, this largely stemmed from his relationship with Xuanzang and the others in their party, not a lack of desire to protect Xuanzang.

Often these disagreements stemmed from a single member of the group, Zhu Bajie, or Pigsy for short. To understand the etymology of his name, it is important to note that Zhu translates to swine. Pigsy was not fond of Sun Wukong, particularly at the beginning of their journey. He would often chastise Wukong and convince Xuanzang that Sun Wukong had committed murder, killing humans rather than the demons he was actually killing.

Another example in the Chinese tradition of monkeys being guardians is the use of stone monkeys on kangs. Kangs are a heated stone bed used for babies in rural regions of China and Mongolia. Traditionally a stone monkey was carved, and they attached a tail made of red thread. The monkey was also believed to bless the child with inner peace.

Conclusion

The Chinese Zodiac has existed since at least the 5th century B.C.E. and likely existed well before this time. It is truly an ancient system that has evolved over time, as the Chinese language and culture have changed. It is unlikely that the associations used today are the same as the original.

Each sign of the Zodiac offers its own boons and problems, but there is no bad sign. The Monkey, however, remains one of the best. It is a sought after sign that people often seek out for their children.

Monkeys do not settle for anything less than the best. They strive to succeed in all things they do and rarely stop or slow down. This helps them achieve their goals but can have detrimental effects on their help if they do not stop and relax.

The sign of the Monkey is also a sign of protection and good fortune. It is believed that those born on the year of the Monkey are destined for greatness. The word for Monkey in Chinese even has the same pronunciation the same as the word for High Official. This is not a recent linguistic development either; it dates back to the Spring and Autumn Period of 770-476 B.C.E.