Snake (zodiac)

Snake
"Snake" in regular Chinese characters
Chinese
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinshé
Wade–Gilesshê2
IPA[ʂɤ̌]
Hakka
Romanization
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationsèh
Jyutpingse4
IPA[sɛ˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJchôa
Old Chinese
Baxter (1992)*ljAj
Baxter–Sagart (2014)*Cə.lAj

The snake () is the sixth of the twelve-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Snake is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol . Besides its use in the cycle of years, the zodiacal snake is otherwise used to also represent hours of the day. Snakes have a long and complicated place in Chinese mythology and culture.