Most people know they are the "Year of the ...." For example, I’m Year of the Pig. Many times I've been hit with the question: "How can I be the same as everyone else born in the same year as me." Well, I can tell you. It's not as simple as just knowing your animal (year) sign!
In Chinese Astrology there are actually four signs, traditionally called The Four Pillars, not just one plus an ascendant as in Western Astrology. They are the signs of the year, month, day and hour of your birth. Furthermore each has two parts, an element and an animal, traditionally known as heavenly stem and earthly branch. There is also a fixed element for each animal. So it turns out your person Fate is determined by four signs and thirteen elements!
Each Pillar has its own focus when it comes to understanding your destiny. Throughout the years several interpretations have developed identifying the energy of each. Here is the most common:
Hour = Relationship with Children; Old Age
Day = Relationship with Spouse; Adulthood (Self/Daymaster)
Month = Relationship with Parents; Childhood
Year = Relationship with Ancestors (Family Background and Society); Birth
It’s also important to realize your elements are just as important as your animal signs. They enhance the description of your personality and form a map of your projected Chi energy levels throughout the stages of your life. In a traditional Four Pillars chart, this Map of your destiny will also help you to discover when opportunities are at the peak during each stage. In other words your element mix plays a major role in determining lucky days, months, years and even decades.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, but it's a great first step. I have prepared The Chinese Astrology 101 ebook to give you the general background you need to understand how your Astrology forecast is determined. From there, you can go on to explore the many resources found on OnlineChineseAstrology.com to deepen your understanding of your Fate and Luck, Fate being the fixed and Luck the variable part of your destiny.