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Dragons hold lofty ideals, unusual courage and striking presence. Those born by day concentrate intensely and fight hard; those born by night are perfectionists who too often lack staying power. Dragons generally struggle with repeated tests — success in career and love demands real tenacity.

Of the twelve zodiac animals only the Dragon is imaginary. Chinese tradition counts Dragon, Phoenix, Qilin and Turtle as the Four Auspicious Creatures. The Dragon has a horse's long face, a snake's body, eighty-one scales and chicken-like claws; it flies and dives, appearing and vanishing unpredictably. Eighty-one is read as 'dancing out every hope'. The Dragon gathers every favour in one body.

Born under this sign, Dragons inherit that mysterious shape-shifting quality, which makes them hard to read. They are ambitious dreamers who love adventure and romance, yet stay detached from convention — naturally giving the impression of someone important.

Their mind is as changeable as the sea. Day to day they may look lazy, sitting in front of the television feeling nothing is amiss; yet once they stand up and move they are more driven and ambitious than anyone. Their charisma shows in entertainment, sport and religion — Marilyn Monroe and Nietzsche were both Dragon years.

As dreamers, Dragons pursue a vision with great heat — then a single setback cools them and they walk away. Statistics show Dragons are heavily over-represented among those who quit after one failure. Because they burn hot and then go cold, they suit free, individualistic work far better than a fixed office desk.

Dragon men are intensely competitive; Dragon women are just as tough, sometimes outstripping other women at work — a display that can intimidate men and delay marriage. In modern terms, though, she is the typical successful woman who earns and supports the household.

Dragons carry innate authority: even if you cannot bear them, they will demand your attention, and once you are inside their focus there is no escaping their enthusiastic bombardment — their zeal is contagious.

Nothing frightens a Dragon. They understand their own prospects better than anyone and carry an uncanny sense of mission, walking over ice mountains and through seas of fire to appear before the crowd in victory.

Dragons are irresistible — not a mild charm but a force that overwhelms your defences and leaves you giddy. Dragon women command a room the moment they enter, even without striking beauty: attention follows their manner and speech.

That magnetism serves them in love and in business alike. Dragons do not covet power or crush others to gain rank; they were born holding it.

All Dragons radiate health and inexhaustible energy — they never seem tired. They leave work for a meeting, return, go to a banquet, put the children to bed, head to another party and finally come home to music and conversation. The next time you meet someone relentlessly busy, ask their sign: they will probably say Dragon.

If a Dragon matters in your life and you feel they are not paying you enough attention, there is one proven tactic — cry. Tears soften their hard exterior; underneath they are deeply sentimental.

Dragons are stubborn but extraordinarily focused. Once they decide, especially about work, they go straight ahead, and that doggedness usually brings achievement. They are idealists demanding perfection of themselves and others, sometimes to the point of fault-finding, with a hot temper that can look tyrannical.

Dragons learn quickly — arts, science, business or religion, they master the trick sooner than others (turn that talent to crime and you get a gifted criminal).

Their fortune starts brightly, like sunrise, but tends to stall after thirty-five. The pause is not a disaster — it is a chance to gather strength. Break through and momentum returns stronger; lose heart and belittle yourself there, and the Dragon becomes a snake in the tail, achieving nothing.

In love Dragons are fragile. However lovely the romance, they should step back and judge coolly whether this is someone to trust for life, so that a later blow does not break them. Both sexes tend to marry late.

Their career adaptability is higher than average from youth: they rise steadily and win first-rate reputations. The test comes after thirty — clear that hurdle and the rest runs smoothly to a successful old age. In short, setbacks are the measure of their grit. Whatever the field, Dragons must follow their own direction.

One weakness: Dragons act before thinking and want to leap to the top in one bound. Their convictions are so strong that others' opinions bounce off. They remain dreamers, chasing grand plans into old age, talking big and neglecting the household — a childlike innocence they never outgrow. Cultivating maturity is the only way not to waste the strong fortune they were born with.