The Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese zodiac assigns an animal to each year in a repeating 12-year cycle. The 12 animals are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The ancient Chinese paired the 12 animals with the 12 earthly branches, forming a traditional system of ordinals with a 12- year cycle. A person's zodiac sign is thus determined by the year of their birth. For example, those born in the year of Mao will have the zodiac sign of the rabbit. Those born in the year of Shen will have the zodiac sign of the monkey.

The Chinese zodiac, a symbol of Chinese folk culture passed down from generation to generation, enjoys a long history. In China, people identify themselves and their families with zodiac animals. There are many intriguing stories and legends about them. The animals are often presented as auspicious signs, especially during the Spring Festival. They appear on spring couplets, paper-cuttings, stamps, paintings, sculptures, and other art works, representing the Chinese people's wishes and hopes for a happy life.

十二生肖

十二生肖又名“十二属相”，是用于纪年的12种动物，包括鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。中国古人将十二生肖与纪年的十二地支相配，组成子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龙、巳蛇、午马、未羊、申猴、酉鸡、戌狗、亥猪，以十二年为一个周期，形成一种传统的纪年法。人的出生年份与当年的生肖相对应，如卯年生的人属兔，申年生的人属猴等。

十二生肖是历史悠久、代代相传的民俗文化符号。在中国，人们知道自己和亲人的生肖，民间也有许多关于十二生肖的有趣故事和传说，特别是在春节，十二生肖作为吉祥物，广泛呈现在春联、剪纸、邮票、绘画、雕塑等艺术领域，寄托中国人对美好生活的祝福与期盼。