The term 十二属相 (shí èr shǔ xiàng) literally means 'twelve zodiac signs' and refers to the traditional Chinese zodiac system, which assigns one of twelve animals — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig — to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. Each animal is associated with specific personality traits and fortune predictions, deeply embedded in Chinese culture, astrology, and folk customs.

The characters break down as follows: 十 (shí) and 二 (èr) together mean 'twelve'; 属 (shǔ) means 'to belong to' or 'category', indicating affiliation with a particular year; and 相 (xiàng) means 'appearance' or 'form', here referring to the symbolic animal form representing that year. People often refer to their own zodiac animal when discussing birth years, compatibility, or New Year celebrations.