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 23^rd 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 29^th 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:

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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