One of the most common questions I receive — even from clients who come to me primarily for classical feng shui or 八字 (bāzì, Four Pillars of Destiny) readings — is: “What is my zodiac sign by month and date?” Most of the time they are asking about the Western zodiac, a system rooted in Hellenistic astronomy that divides the year into twelve segments based on the position of the sun along the ecliptic.
As a classical feng shui practitioner, my own tradition draws upon a different celestial framework: the twelve earthly branches, the ten heavenly stems, and the sixty-year cycle that underlies Chinese metaphysics. Yet I have always believed that understanding multiple astrological traditions broadens a person’s self-knowledge, and there is genuine value in knowing your Western sun sign as a starting reference point. This guide covers every zodiac sign by month and date — with clear date ranges, elemental associations, and a brief comparison with the Chinese system.
The Twelve Western Zodiac Signs and Their Dates
The Western zodiac follows the tropical year, which runs from one spring equinox to the next. The sun spends approximately 30 days in each sign, although the precise transition dates shift by one day from year to year. If your birthday falls on a boundary date, check an ephemeris for the exact year you were born.
| Zodiac Sign | Symbol | Date Range | Element | Modality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries | ♈ | 21 March – 19 April | Fire | Cardinal |
| Taurus | ♉ | 20 April – 20 May | Earth | Fixed |
| Gemini | ♊ | 21 May – 20 June | Air | Mutable |
| Cancer | ♋ | 21 June – 22 July | Water | Cardinal |
| Leo | ♌ | 23 July – 22 August | Fire | Fixed |
| Virgo | ♍ | 23 August – 22 September | Earth | Mutable |
| Libra | ♎ | 23 September – 22 October | Air | Cardinal |
| Scorpio | ♏ | 23 October – 21 November | Water | Fixed |
| Sagittarius | ♐ | 22 November – 21 December | Fire | Mutable |
| Capricorn | ♑ | 22 December – 19 January | Earth | Cardinal |
| Aquarius | ♒ | 20 January – 18 February | Air | Fixed |
| Pisces | ♓ | 19 February – 20 March | Water | Mutable |
A Brief Profile of Each Sign
Aries (21 March – 19 April)
Aries opens the zodiac at the spring equinox — a moment of new beginnings and surging vital 氣 (qì, life-force). Ruled by Mars, Arians are bold, decisive, and entrepreneurial in spirit. Cardinal Fire gives this sign an initiating quality: Aries begins things but does not always finish them. If you were born between 21 March and 19 April, you carry this pioneering energy in your nature.
Taurus (20 April – 20 May)
Fixed Earth, ruled by Venus. Taurus represents the phase when spring growth consolidates — the soil is warm, roots have taken hold, and abundance becomes tangible. Those born in this window tend toward patience, sensory appreciation, and material security. In Chinese metaphysics, 土 (tǔ, Earth) similarly signals grounding, nourishment, and the capacity to sustain.
Gemini (21 May – 20 June)
Mutable Air, ruled by Mercury. Gemini is the sign of duality, curiosity, and communication. People born between 21 May and 20 June often process information with remarkable speed and delight in connecting disparate ideas. Their gift is adaptability; their challenge is consistency.
Cancer (21 June – 22 July)
Cardinal Water, ruled by the Moon. Cancer opens at the summer solstice — the point of maximum light — yet governs the realm of inner feeling, family bonds, and ancestral memory. I find that Cancer-born clients are often the ones most responsive to the energetic qualities of their home environment, which makes them natural allies of feng shui work.
Leo (23 July – 22 August)
Fixed Fire, ruled by the Sun. Leo embodies radiance, generosity, and the impulse to lead and create. The solar quality of this sign parallels the 陽 (yáng) principle in Chinese cosmology — warm, expansive, and life-giving when balanced, but overwhelming when in excess.
Virgo (23 August – 22 September)
Mutable Earth, ruled by Mercury. Where Gemini expresses Mercury’s communicative face, Virgo turns the same analytical power inward toward precision, service, and discernment. Virgo-born individuals excel at process improvement and are often the sharpest diagnosticians in any field.
Libra (23 September – 22 October)
Cardinal Air, ruled by Venus. The autumn equinox — equal day and night — perfectly symbols Libra’s pursuit of balance, fairness, and harmonious relationship. This resonates with what I seek to create through feng shui: an environment where opposing forces are reconciled and 氣 (qì) flows without obstruction.
Scorpio (23 October – 21 November)
Fixed Water, ruled by Mars (traditionally) and Pluto (in modern astrology). Scorpio does not accept surface appearances. Those born between 23 October and 21 November tend toward depth, investigation, and transformative experience. The 水 (shuǐ, Water) element in Chinese tradition similarly governs hidden knowledge and the undercurrents beneath events.
Sagittarius (22 November – 21 December)
Mutable Fire, ruled by Jupiter. Sagittarius seeks meaning — through philosophy, travel, education, and the expansion of horizons. Jupiter’s influence in Western astrology has much in common with the expansive, fortune-bringing quality of 木 (mù, Wood) in the Chinese Five Elements.
Capricorn (22 December – 19 January)
Cardinal Earth, ruled by Saturn. Capricorn initiates the winter quarter with discipline, long-term vision, and structural ambition. Saturn’s capacity to define and limit — and thereby enable lasting achievement — parallels the quality of 金 (jīn, Metal) in certain Chinese frameworks, which governs boundaries, precision, and enduring form.
Aquarius (20 January – 18 February)
Fixed Air, ruled by Saturn (traditional) and Uranus (modern). Aquarius holds collective ideals, humanitarian vision, and a forward-looking orientation. Those born under this sign often feel they are slightly ahead of their time — a perception that, in my experience, is frequently accurate.
Pisces (19 February – 20 March)
Mutable Water, ruled by Neptune. The zodiac closes with Pisces — empathic, imaginative, and spiritually attuned. Pisceans absorb the emotional environment around them with extraordinary sensitivity. Building healthy energetic boundaries — both in the psyche and in the home — is especially important for those born in this period.
Cusp Dates: When Two Signs Meet
If your birthday falls on the first or last day of a sign — for instance, 21 March, 20 May, or 22 July — the sun may have been in either of two signs depending on the exact year and time of your birth. This is sometimes called a “cusp,” though it is important to understand that astrologically you can only have one sun sign: the sign the sun actually occupied at the moment you were born. Consult an ephemeris or a reliable chart-casting tool for precision.
Western Zodiac and Chinese Zodiac: Two Independent Systems
I am often asked how Western sun signs relate to the Chinese zodiac (生肖, shēngxiào). The answer is that they are entirely independent systems measuring different cycles. The Western zodiac tracks the sun’s annual journey through twelve constellations. The Chinese zodiac is a twelve-year cycle, with each year presided over by one of twelve animals.
A person can simultaneously be a Gemini sun sign (Western) and a Rabbit year-sign (Chinese) — one system tells you nothing about the other. Both are valid; they simply illuminate different dimensions of your natal energy.
For a deeper exploration of your Chinese zodiac animal and the qualities it carries, visit the Chinese zodiac guide. If you wish to understand how your birth data informs your life path through classical Four Pillars analysis, the BaZi calculator generates a full 八字 (bāzì) chart — a far more precise portrait of your destiny than any single sign can offer. And if you are curious about how the energy of your home interacts with your personal 氣 (qì), I welcome you to explore a feng shui consultation where we can examine these questions together.
