The dragon, also known as loong, (simplified Chinese: 龙; traditional Chinese: 龍; pinyin: lóng; Jyutping: lung4; Cantonese Yale: lùhng) is the fifth of the 12-year cycle of animals that appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The Year of the Dragon is associated with the Earthly Branch symbol 辰 (pinyin: chén).

It has been proposed that the Earthly Branch character may have been associated with scorpions; it may have symbolized the star Antares.^[1] In the Buddhist calendar used in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka, the dragon is replaced by the nāga.^[2] In the Gurung zodiac, the dragon is replaced by the eagle.^[3] In the Old Turkic calendar it is replaced by a fish or crocodile. Early Persian translations of the medieval period change the dragon to a sea serpent, although in current times^[when?] it is generally referred to as whale.^[4][5]

During China's Cultural Revolution, there was an attempt to replace the dragon with the giant panda; however, the movement was short lived.^[6][7]

People born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the Year of the Dragon, while bearing the following elemental sign:

There are typically marked spikes in the birth rates of countries that use the Chinese zodiac or places with substantial Chinese populations during the Year of the Dragon, because these births are considered to be lucky and have desirable characteristics that supposedly lead to better life outcomes.^[8][9] The relatively recent phenomenon of planning a child's birth in a Year of the Dragon has led to hospital capacity issues and even an uptick in infant mortality rates toward the end of these years due to strained neonatal resources.^{[citation needed]}

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Cycle (trine group): Dragon needs Monkey, Monkey needs Rat, Rat needs Dragon; It is opposed to or rivals the Dog.