Culture of Chinese Zodiac

The traditional Chinese lunar calendar has been used in China for over three millennia. It counts the years in sixty-year cycles, utilizing combinations of two series of numbers known as the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches.

The Chinese zodiac consists of a twelve-year cycle, with each year corresponding to one of the twelve Earthly Branches and represented by a different animal. The year in which a person is born is equated with one of these twelve "Animal Years." The Chinese terms for the twelve Animal Years of the Chinese zodiac, shengxiao and shuxiang, may be translated as "birth-year categories," indicating that people's characters are determined to some extent by the year of their birth. The Chinese zodiac has always been very important to the Chinese people, particularly the personal characteristics associated with each of the Animal Years. Numerous legends and customs concerning the Animal Years have arisen over the ages, informing the Chinese imagination and exploration of the human condition. The Chinese zodiac is an ancient and important component of China's folk culture, vividly reflecting the rich psychology of the Chinese people.

The star signs of the Western zodiac are based on the month, rather than the year, of one's birth, and are named after constellations, rather than animals. It is believed that people's star signs may affect their character, behavior, and destiny, much like the Animal Years of the Chinese zodiac. Of course, the Chinese zodiac is calculated according to the traditional Chinese lunar calendar, unlike the Western zodiac, which uses the solar calendar.

The Origins and Order of the Twelve Animal Years

The twelve years of the Chinese zodiac cycle are each named after a different animal.2004 is the Year of the Monkey, jiashen (jia, the first Heavenly Stem, combined with shen, the ninth Earthly Branch) according to the numbering of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar. The Year of the Monkey ends on February 8, 2005, the last day of the year jiashen. The following day marks the beginning of the year yiyou (yi, the second Heavenly Stem, combined with you, the tenth Earthly Branch), the Year of the Rooster. The year of a person's birth corresponds to one of the twelve Animals Years of the Chinese zodiac. When Chinese people talk about birthdays, they generally ask each other what their Animal Year is, rather than when they were born.


There is an old Chinese story concerning the origins of the Animal Years. It is said that the Yellow Emperor, the legendary ancestor of the Chinese people, decided to hold a competition to select twelve animals to serve as his bodyguards. When this news was announced, it caused a great stir throughout the animal kingdom. Rat was supposed to sign up for Cat, but forgot. As a result, Cat was unable to compete, and Cat and Rat have been enemies ever since. Elephant, although the largest of the animals, lost when Rat distracted him by running up his trunk. In the end, the twelve victors of the competition became the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac. Of course, this story is merely apocryphal. Most likely, the ancient practice of naming the years after animals originated with the prehistoric worship of animal totems. Later, the Chinese zodiac was developed as a way to keep track of when people were born, with years and animals associated in a fixed order for clarity and ease of recording.

How was the order of the Animal Years determined? According to one legend, Ox, as the largest of the twelve selected animals, should have been in first place. However, Rat, the cleverest of the animals, cut to the front of the line by hopping onto Ox's back. How the order actually was determined will never be known.

The order of the twelve Animal Years of the Chinese zodiac is as follows: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.




生肖文化

中国沿用农历纪年已有3000多年的历史。中国农历使用天干地支纪年法，每60年一个轮回。其中地支有12种，人们用12种动物来分别代表地支中的12个年份，这样，每一个人的出生年份总会与某种动物相对应，我们称之为"属相"，又称"生肖"。汉语中"生肖"的"生"是指一个人的出生年份，而"肖" 是相似、类似的意思。中国人历来非常看重生肖，尤其是关注自己个人的"属相"。自古以来，围绕着"生肖、属相"而形成的种种传说和习俗，说到底是人们对人类生命起源的一种想象和探索。生肖属相作为久传不衰的民俗文化之一，在中国民间有着广泛的延伸空间，其中包含着中国人丰富的文化心理内涵。

在西方，不同月份出生的人有不同的"属相"，不同的是，所对应的不是十二种动物，而是十二个"星座"。人们认为，不同星座属相的人可能会有不同的性格、行为和命运，这与中国的生肖文化有许多相似之处。当然，我们谈论一个中国人的生肖属相时，是以中国农历来计算，这与西方不同。

十二生肖的来历和排序

十二生肖又称十二属相，是以十二种动物为名称的纪时方法。如2004年，中国农历称作甲申年，即猴年，而猴年将一直持续到2005年2月8日（甲申年十二月三十），第二天是农历乙酉年的第一天，鸡年也就来临了。这样，每一个人的出生年份总会与12种动物中的某一种动物相对应，我们称之谓"属相"，又称生肖。中国人在谈论年龄时，常会以"属什么"来相问。

有关十二生肖的来历，中国流传着一则神话故事。说是中华民族的始祖--黄帝要通过比赛选拔十二种动物做侍卫，这一消息轰动了兽群。猫托老鼠帮它报名，结果老鼠忘了，于是从此猫鼠就结上了仇。而体型最大的大象，因为老鼠钻进了它的鼻子而落败，最后的12位优胜者便是我们今天的十二生肖。但是，神话总归是神话，最大的可能是远古时代的十二兽纪年法把原始的动物图腾崇拜用于历法，再以后才逐渐形成了将十二生肖作为人的出生年份的记载，并按顺序排列，将出生年份和动物一一对应，既不会混淆，又便于记忆。

十二生肖中的排序又是如何产生的呢？同一则神话故事告诉我们，在最后入选的十二种动物里，应该是体型最大的牛排在首位，但是机智的老鼠却借机窜到牛背上，拿了个第一。排序到底是如何产生的，现已无法考证。