Character Adjectives: Enter the Dragon

Adjectives describing people’s character are highlighted in the text and then explained in the vocabulary glossary below.

The New Year officially began on Monday 23rd January. Well, for the Chinese anyway. Chinese New Year is one of the most important dates in the Chinese calendar and lasts for 15 days. In most big cities around the world, I’m sure you will find a Chinatown and London has one of the biggest. Get yourself down to Trafalgar Square on Sunday 29th January as there will be a big celebration for it.

Traditionally, Chinese New Year is spent with family, mainly eating huge meals with lots of different dishes. Married couples give money in red envelopes as a gift to children or unmarried family members, up until they are 65. Like the western calendar, there are also signs of the Zodiac. Although rather than months, the Chinese zodiac is based on years. Each sign is that of an animal and last year was the year of the Rabbit. People born under that are known for their sincere and timid character. This year, however, could not be any more different – it is the Dragon.

The Dragon is the mightiest of the signs and it symbolises, as one might expect, dominant, bossy and ambitious character traits. They prefer to live by their own rules and are driven, bold and are willing to take risks. They are passionate in everything they do but at the same time, narcissistic and grandiose in their actions. Ultimately, this leaves them frequently unfilled.  They generally like to work on their own and rarely ask others for help. This preference can make them seem conceited but deep down that is not always the case. Finally, they are short-tempered, hence their sign!

Overall, considering their hard-working nature, Dragons are surprisingly healthy. As they are also very single-minded, the right type of job for them would be a managerial position – they like to lead rather than being led. With regards to love, because they are hot-headed, their partner needs to be thick-skinned to deal with their temper – but once they find the right person, they are committed to them for life. They are most compatible with the Rat or Monkey sign, both being quick-witted and having upbeat characteristics.

So if you are born under the Dragon, this is your year and I wish you good luck and prosperity. Check out the table below and see what sign you are and when your year is:

Rat Ox Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Sheep Monkey Rooster Dog Pig
1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971
1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983
1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

[poll id=”19″]

Character Adjectives:

Sincere
genuine, free of lies
Timid
not having self-belief or courage
Dominant/Bossy
having, or forcing, authority
Ambitious
wants to be successful
Driven
having the determination to succeed
Bold
brave, having no fear
Passionate
having a lot of passion for something
Narcissistic
fascinated with one’s self and importance, loving yourself
Grandiose
having an exaggerated belief in one’s importance
Conceited
arrogant

Compound character adjectives

Short-tempered
easily made angry
Single-minded
determined in one particular thing
Hot-headed
fiery in spirit or temper
Thick-skinned
insensitive/no affect to criticism
Quick-witted
having a fast/intelligent mind, esp. when responding to someone
Upbeat
happy, cheerful

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