In Western astrology, the Ascendant is the degree of the zodiac that rises above the eastern horizon at the moment of one's birth. If, for instance, this degree happens to be in the Cancer section of the zodiac, the newborn individual is known to be "Ascendant Cancer". Another individual may be "Ascendant Leo", "Ascendant Sagittarius", or "Ascendant Pisces".
Therefore, it's the hour in the day of one's birth that determines one's Ascendant.
In Chinese astrology, the hour of an individual's birth is also duly taken into account. Normally, it's simply known as "hour of birth". But the term "Ascendant" is so widely used that it can be substituted for "hour of birth" — although rather improperly.
The Chinese hours of the day
There are twelve Chinese hours in a day, each of them consisting of 120 international minutes. Each Chinese hour is named after a symbolic animal, exactly as the Chinese years are. Following are the Chinese hours:
23:01 through 01:00 = hour of the Rat
01:01 through 03:00 = hour of the Ox
03:01 through 05:00 = hour of the Tiger
05:01 through 07:00 = hour of the Rabbit
07:01 through 09:00 = hour of the Dragon
09:01 through 11:00 = hour of the Snake
11:01 through 13:00 = hour of the Horse
13:01 through 15:00 = hour of the Goat
15:01 through 17:00 = hour of the Monkey
17:01 through 19:00 = hour of the Rooster
19:01 through 21:00 = hour of the Dog
21:01 through 23:00 = hour of the Pig
If you were born between 01:01 and 03:00, for instance, you are known to be born at the hour of the Ox. And if you were born between 21:01 and 23:00, you are known to be born at the hour of the Pig.
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