2004 Chinese Zodiac: The Year of the Wood Monkey

Detail	2004
Animal	Monkey (猴)
Element	Wood, yang
Stem and branch	Jia Shen (甲申)
Year starts	January 22, 2004
Year ends	February 8, 2005
Year before	2003, Water Goat
Year after	2005, Wood Rooster

Born in January or February 2004?

The Chinese year does not start on January 1. It starts at Chinese New Year, which follows the Moon and usually falls on the second new moon after the winter solstice, somewhere between January 21 and February 20. In 2004 it fell on January 22 (China time), so the Monkey starts with births on that day and everyone born before it in 2004 is still a Water Goat. If your birthday sits close to the line, the Chinese zodiac calculator checks the exact date for you.

The Monkey in Chinese astrology

Quick, curious and playful, the Monkey is the clever one of the twelve in Chinese astrology. Monkey people are described as inventive, witty and flexible, able to learn fast, solve a puzzle sideways and talk their way through an awkward moment. They are read as sociable and entertaining, with a knack for noticing how things work. Others experience a Monkey as lively company, quick with a joke and just as quick with a workaround.

The shadow lies in the same agility. A Monkey may get bored once the challenge is solved, take shortcuts, or use cleverness where plain honesty would serve better. The tradition also notes a tendency to scatter attention across too many interests and to resist being pinned down. If you are a Monkey, the old reading suggests your curiosity works best when it is anchored by one or two long projects and a few people who can tell you the truth. Friends often value a Monkey's generosity of spirit, and the way it can lift a heavy afternoon with a single remark.

The Wood Monkey

Wood stands for growth, generosity and cooperation. Tradition links it to spring, to trees and new shoots, and reads a Wood year as adding vitality, imagination and a wish to help others flourish. Wood people are described as idealistic, creative and good at building networks. The classical shadow is overextension: taking on more than there is time for, and bending to others' wishes until the original direction is lost. Wood gives the animal room to expand and a sense of shared purpose.

Goodwill tempers the Wood Monkey's tricks. Tradition reads an inventive team builder: curious, friendly and happy to share ideas, with a talent for introducing people who should know one another. It comes across as open and sociable, and its humor is warm instead of sharp. It values momentum, starts many ventures and promises help to everyone. Pausing before saying yes, and choosing a few commitments to carry to the finish, is the tradition's counsel. Collaborators say the first meeting with this Monkey feels like a head start, and the third is when they find out who is doing the follow-up.

The same pairing of element and animal returns every sixty years, so 1944 is Wood Monkey years as well. The other wood year next to 2004 is 2005, a Wood Rooster, because each element lasts two years, one yang and one yin.

Monkey compatibility

Tradition groups the twelve animals into four trines of three. The Monkey shares its trine with the Rat and the Dragon, the pairings read as the easiest. Its secret friend, a second close match, is the Snake, while the Tiger, six places away on the wheel, is read as its clash. These are tendencies of the tradition, not verdicts on any couple.

Playful, witty and unconventional, the Monkey keeps romance lively with jokes, ideas and new plans. Monkeys love mental connection and are quickly bored by predictability. They charm easily and may be slow to settle. Teasing that stings and a wandering attention are the classic trouble spots. A Monkey does well with a partner who matches their curiosity and is secure enough to enjoy the humor without taking every barb to heart.

The Monkey at work

Inventive, versatile and quick at problem-solving, the Monkey is read as strong in fields such as technology, sales, media or consulting. The sign is credited with a good head for numbers and a talent for finding the unexpected route. Thin patience for long, repetitive tasks is the usual weakness, along with a temptation to use cleverness where hard work would be more reliable.

Other Monkey years

The Monkey comes back every twelve years, each time with the next element: 1932 Water Monkey, 1944 Wood Monkey, 1956 Fire Monkey, 1968 Earth Monkey, 1980 Metal Monkey, 1992 Water Monkey, 2004 Wood Monkey (this page), 2016 Fire Monkey, 2028 Earth Monkey.

Your Western sign

Your Chinese sign comes from your birth year. Western astrology works from the sky on the day you were born instead: your Sun sign follows the date, and your Moon sign and rising sign also need the time and place. Two people born in 2004 share the Monkey and can still have any of the twelve Western Sun signs. Draw your free birth chart to see your Sun, Moon and rising sign together, or look up your Sun sign by date with the zodiac sign dates calculator.

All twelve animals, the five elements and every year from 1930 to 2030 are listed in Chinese zodiac years.