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“十二屬相”，是用于紀年的12種動物，包括鼠、牛、虎、兔、龍、蛇、馬、羊、猴、雞、狗、豬。中國古人將十二生肖與紀年的十二地支相配，組成子鼠、丑牛、寅虎、卯兔、辰龍、巳蛇、午馬、未羊、申猴、酉雞、戌狗、亥豬，以十二年為一個周期，形成一種傳統的紀年法。人的出生年份與當年的生肖相對應，如卯年生的人屬兔，申年生的人屬猴等。

十二生肖是歷史悠久、代代相傳的民俗文化符號。在中國，人們知道自己和親人的生肖，民間也有許多關于十二生肖的有趣故事和傳說，特別是在春節，十二生肖作為吉祥物，廣泛呈現在春聯、剪紙、郵票、繪畫、雕塑等藝術領域，寄托中國人對美好生活的祝福與期盼。