12 Chinese zodiac signs

Zodiac is an important part of China traditional culture. It consists of 12 kinds of animals from nature, namely rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. Used to record the year, the order is rat, ugly cow, silver tiger, hairy rabbit, Chen Long, four books, five horses and Weiwei. It is widely used in China cultural circles. There are many literary works describing the zodiac. At the same time, the zodiac is also used for Chinese medicine and animation names.

The dating of the 12 Zodiacs began in the Eastern Han Dynasty's Biography of Northern History and Yuwen Hu.

According to our ancient records, in the ancient Central Plains, the "chronology of branches and stems" was originally used, that is, 10 heavenly stems symbols (A, B, C, D, E (wù), Ji, Geng (gēng), Xin, Ren (rén) and Gui (guǐ). At the same time, there are also twelve kinds of animals that simply determine the year. By the Sui Dynasty, the calendar of the Central Plains had spread to the nomadic people in the northwest of China, and they only absorbed twelve kinds of animal chronologies. Therefore, it is recorded in the Book of the Tang Dynasty: "Tuoba Sinian is bounded by twelve things. If the year is cloudy, it is called the year of the tiger. " In addition, the History of the Song Dynasty, The Biography of Tubo, also records that when the Tubo leaders narrate, they take events as a chronology. As the saying goes, "Twelve old things belong to Japan, the Year of the Rabbit and the Year of the Horse". As Zhao Yi pointed out in the Qing Dynasty's "Jade Cong Kao", "It doesn't matter whether there are ugly children in the early days of Gaibei custom, but it was spread in China in different years, so it didn't waste ears." This explanation about the origin of 12 zodiac has been recognized by many people.

The origin of the zodiac: woodcarving of the zodiac.

There is a myth and legend: In those days, Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan wanted to choose twelve kinds of animals as court guards. The cat asked the mouse to sign up, but the mouse forgot. As a result, the cat didn't choose it, and since then, it has made enemies with the mouse. The elephant also came to the competition, and the mouse got into its nose and drove it away. The rest of the animals, originally headed by cows, were rushed to the backs of cows, and pigs also booed, so the mice came first and the pork chops came last. The tiger and the dragon refused to accept it, and were named king of the mountain and king of the sea, ranking behind the mouse and the cow. The rabbit refused to accept it again, raced with the dragon and finally reached the dragon. The dog was unfair and bit the rabbit in a rage, so he was punished from the bottom. Snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys and chickens have also gone through some contests and arranged their positions one by one. Finally, the order of rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs was formed.

Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches

Tiangan: A, B, C, D, E, Ji, G, Xin, Ren and Gui. Dizhi: Zi, Ugly, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai.

Zodiac chart and time

When the mouse is young (23 o'clock ~0 1 point), when the cow is ugly (0 1 point ~03 o'clock), when it is cloudy (tiger) (03 o'clock ~05 o'clock), when it is hairy (rabbit) (05 o'clock ~07 o'clock)

Cunning, insatiable, interfering. Cattle: integrity, innovation, purposefulness, diligence, stability, good words, stubbornness, indifference, prejudice, dullness and revenge. Tiger: Enthusiasm, good luck, courage, charity, charm, authority, impulsiveness, boasting, irritability, indulgence, disobedience and drifting with the flow. Rabbit: wit, cleanliness, caution, skill, longevity, agility, virtue, secrecy, amateur, too formal, melancholy, self-dazzling, kindness and hope. Dragon: strength, enthusiasm, success, courage, health, passion, rigidity, confusion, distrust, boasting and dissatisfaction.

Snakes: intuition, wisdom, attraction, vigilance, caution, sympathy, cover-up, greed, luxury, arrogance, laziness and narcissism. Ma: Persuasiveness, fashion, autonomy, sensitivity, popularity, achievement, selfishness, haste, arrogance, impatience, resistance and conceit. Sheep: invention, whimsy, sensitivity, courtesy, perseverance, taste, attachment, pessimism, lack of foresight, unreality, dullness and anxiety. Monkeys: improvisation, leadership, wit, intelligence, stability, loyalty, cunning, self-confidence, trickery, stupidity, rap and speculation.

Chicken: flexible, conservative, enthusiastic, beautiful, frank, humorous, arrogant, boastful, idolatrous and dissolute. Dogs: persistence, responsibility, heroism, intelligence, loyalty, respect, moral sense, anxiety, ridicule, criticism, unsociable, self-righteous, sleek pigs: caution, pleasure, courage, culture, sincerity, honesty, credulity, materialism, anger, hesitation and stupidity.

Edit the zodiac

Rats: Yulong, monkey and cow are lucky, but they are not as good as sheep, horses, rabbits and chickens, and other animals are second. Cow: When it comes to rats, snakes and chickens, dragons, horses, sheep, dogs and rabbits are not as good as any other animals. Tiger: When it comes to horses and dogs, you can't compare with snakes and monkeys. Other animals are inferior. Rabbit: When it comes to sheep, dogs and pigs, it can't be compared with rats, cows, monkeys, chickens and horses, followed by other animals. Dragon: When it comes to mice and monkeys, dogs, cows, rabbits and dragons are not worthy, and other animals are the second best. Snakes: When it comes to cows, chickens and horses, they can't be compared with tigers, monkeys and pigs. Other animals settle for second best. Horse: When it comes to snakes, sheep and dogs, they can't be compared with rats, cows, rabbits and horses, followed by other animals. Sheep: When it comes to rabbits, horses and pigs, they can't be compared with rats, cows and dogs. Other animals settle for second best. Monkey: You will be lucky to meet mice, but you are not worthy of tigers, snakes and pigs. Other animals are second. Chicken: When it comes to cows, dragons, snakes, rabbits, chickens and dogs, all other animals are inferior. Dog: When it comes to tigers, rabbits and horses, we can't compare them with cows, dragons, sheep and chickens. Other animals settle for second best. Pig: When it comes to sheep and rabbits, you can't compare them with snakes, pigs and monkeys. Other animals settle for second best. Zodiac was originally a set of symbols used in chronology, which was a part of ancient astronomical calendar, and later became a widely recognized zodiac calendar. China's ancient philosophy is "harmony between man and nature" and "Yin and Yang and five elements are the foundation of the universe". They believe that the sun and the moon are the source of yin and yang, and the five elements of Jin Mu's fire, water and soil are the foundation of all things, which are combined into seven lewdness, with the sun, the moon and the stars as lewdness and the sun, the moon and the Jin Mu as the basis. It dominates everything, and the zodiac is located in the sky, which is unified with the twelfth day of the year and the seven wonders. Therefore, the zodiac is influenced by the concept of yin and yang and the five elements and becomes a part of folk religious beliefs. Since the concept of the zodiac appeared in the folk, with the prevalence of fortune telling, it has been circulating among the people. Folk superstition holds that every element in the five elements is mutually restrictive and will have a great influence on people's life. People can use different five elements to coordinate, so that their life and work can be satisfactory. Folks classify the animals of the zodiac as yin and yang, corresponding to the five elements, thus producing a set of fortune-telling techniques that determine the fate of the zodiac. At the same time, people also believe that the zodiac has a certain relationship with people's personality. Even people with the same zodiac sign have different personalities and fates because of their different birth times. A very important part of the belief in the zodiac is China people's concept of the zodiac. The birth year of the Han nationality is based on the zodiac, which is closely related to the zodiac. When a person is born in the lunar calendar, then every year of this zodiac will be the year of his birth. Because of the cycle of the zodiac, every 12 years, people will meet their own birth years and introduce them in turn. The birth years of life are 12 years old, 24 years old, 36 years old, 48 years old and 60 years old respectively. People think that the year of birth is a bad year, so we should seek good fortune and avoid evil. Every animal year in the north of Han nationality, no matter adults or children, they should wear red belts, which is called "tying red". Children should wear red vests and red shorts, thinking that only in this way can they make money and avoid disasters. This custom is still popular all over the country. During the Spring Festival, red and yellow ribbons of "auspicious ribbon" and "auspicious knot" are sold everywhere in the market. People in this animal year tie them around their waists and wrists, which can resolve disasters and turn evil into good. Many ethnic groups in our country attach great importance to the 60th birthday of the elderly, calling it "flower flower flower". Huahuahua is the fifth animal year in a person's life, and it is also the reincarnation of a dry year, so we should celebrate it well to pin people's wishes for longevity, health and good luck. Taoism is a native religion born and bred in China. Founded in the Eastern Han Dynasty, it has been circulated 1800 years. Taoism takes Yin-Yang and Five Elements as its core teachings. Under the influence of the concept of Yin-Yang and Five Elements, Taoism has a close natural relationship with heavenly stems and earthly branches and the Zodiac. Among the famous Taoist temples in Beijing, there is the Chen Yuan Temple, also known as the "Sixty Jiazi Temple", which is the core memorial of life in the temple where believers pray to Chen Yuan. I was born in Chen Yuan, the core monument of my life. In the past, I often worshipped Chen Yuan's star god, the core monument of life, and prayed for good luck. My name is Shunxing. Chen Yuan Temple is a place to worship the star of Chen Yuan, the core monument of life. There are 60 Jiazi statues in the temple. They are: General Jinbian, General Bing Yin, General Shen, General Zhao Dada, General Guo Canda, General Wang Jida, General Liu Wangda, General Kang Zhida and General Jia Xu. General Lu Xian, General Ji Mao, General Longzhong, General Chen Geng, General Dong Deda, General Sims, General Zheng Dan, General Minglu, General Gui Weirenda, General Shen Jia, General Jiang Chongda, General Bing Xu, General Ding Hai, General Zou Dang and General Ji Chou. General Xu Dan, General Tai-sui Ci, General Yi Wei Tai-sui Yang Xianda, General Bing Shen Tai-sui Guan Zhong, General Ding You Tai-sui Cha, General Ji Hai Tai-sui Xie Tai-sui, General Geng Zi Tai-sui, General Xin Chou Tai-sui Yang Xin, General Ren Yin Tai-sui He Huan, General Gui Mao Tai-sui Pi,. General Xu Hao, General Cheng Baoda, General Geng Xu, General Ye Jian, General Qiu De, General Zhu De, General Juck Zhang, General Ji Mao, General Xinyada, General Ding Si, General Li Qing, General Fu Shang and General Fu Shang, who are not old? People born in different years within 60 years, headed by Jiazi Year, can find their own core monument. According to Taoist teachings, the cultivation of truth and refinement must be dedicated to Yuan in the core monument of life, and only by removing distractions and selfishness can we live forever. It has become a custom to worship the birthday of the core monument of life. Every year on the seventh and eighth day of the first month, Beijingers will go to the Chenyuan Temple in Baiyunguan to "worship the stars" and pray for a year of peace, which means that even in bad years, they can be protected by the god of life's core monuments through prayer. The above 60 life-core tablet gods enshrined in the temple are all clay sculptures with heavy colors, all of which are statues, absorbing the animal images of their respective zodiac signs. Some of the names of these 60 statues are historical figures, and their images bear obvious signs of the zodiac, such as Jia Zi's old age, golden age, distinguished generals, rat appearance, holding peaches and so on. From the contents of Taoism about the core of life, the tablet god and the sixty sons, we can see the relationship between the belief in the zodiac and Taoism. Taoism believes in Laozi's Tao, which is everywhere and the beginning of all things. Everything in the world is dominated by it, and life is no exception. The idea that the Chinese Zodiac cooperates with heavenly stems and earthly branches to form the Sixty Jiazi is a manifestation of the combination of the Chinese Zodiac and Taoism. People worship the core monument of Chen Yuan, the god of life, in order to pray for the blessing of the gods. It can be seen that the zodiac has become a dominant factor in people's lives and a part of life beliefs. "Zodiac" refers to 12 kinds of animals, that is, rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs, not the twelve earthly branches. For example, people born in Yin years belong to tigers, and people born in Mao years belong to rabbits. "Zodiac", commonly known as "Zodiac", is a unique way to express the time of birth in China, which is equivalent to the western zodiac (Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn and Aquarius). In China, a multi-ethnic country, the zodiac is not a patent of the Han nationality, and many ethnic minorities use the zodiac calendar. First of all, let's take a look at the comparison table of zodiac signs of various ethnic groups.

Zodiac of all ethnic groups

The twelve zodiac signs of Yi people in western Guangxi: dragon, phoenix, horse, ant, human, chicken, dog, pig, sparrow, cow, tiger and snake. Ailaoshan Yi people's zodiac signs: tiger, rabbit, pangolin, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, mouse and cow. Sichuan, Yunnan and Guizhou Yi people's zodiac signs: mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig. Hainan Li people's zodiac signs: chicken, dog, pig, mouse, cow, insect, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep and monkey. Yunnan Dai people's zodiac signs: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and elephant. The zodiac signs of Zhuang nationality in Guangxi are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog and pig. Twelve kinds of Mongolian animals: tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig, mouse and cow. Twelve kinds of Uygur animals in Xinjiang: rats, cows, tigers, rabbits, fish, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs. Kirgiz zodiac: mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, fish, snake, horse, sheep, fox, chicken, dog and pig. As can be seen from the above table, many ethnic minorities in China, such as Mongolian, Zhuang and some Yi people, are all influenced by the Han nationality, basically the same as the Han nationality. However, some ethnic groups have undergone some variations while accepting the China Zodiac culture. In the Zodiac series, Yi compatriots in Ailao Mountain occupy the dragon position with pangolins. In Xinjiang Kirgiz Zodiac, fish On Behalf Oflong and fox are used instead of monkeys. Compatriots of Li nationality in Hainan mark the date with the zodiac, starting with the chicken and ending with the monkey. Dai people living in Xishuangbanna use yellow cattle instead of yellow cattle and goats instead of sheep. The sea is not a pig, but an elephant. From the above changes, it can be seen that when choosing zodiac animals, due to different living environments and different species, all ethnic groups choose the closest animal as the zodiac animal, which brings certain differences to the zodiac culture. In addition to the variation in the selection of animals in the zodiac, ethnic minorities have also formed their own different methods of marking the year, month and day, and there have also been many folk customs related to the zodiac. Poetic Culture of the Zodiac

In thousands of years of traditional culture in China, the zodiac is not only a vivid way to mark the year and the moon, but also has been combined with everyone and endowed with a magical personality. According to the textual research of Evonne in Qing Dynasty, the zodiac originated from the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since then, many Chinese zodiac poems written by literati have been circulated among the people. The earliest Zodiac poem is said to be "Zodiac Poem" written by Shen Jiong, a poet of the Northern and Southern Dynasties and Chen Dynasty: "The case of rat dust, cattle and sheep come at dusk. A roaring tiger gives birth to an empty valley, and a rabbit opens a bright moon window. The dragon ridge is far green, and the snake willow lingers near. Ma Lanfang is far away and breeds sheep in spring. The monkey chestnut shames the fragrant fruit, and the chicken toe attracts the bosom. The dog is outside the house and the pig window is long. " The first word of each sentence in the poem points out the names of the animals of the zodiac in turn, and highlights the habits and characteristics of each animal. Zhu, a writer in the Southern Song Dynasty, also wrote a poem about the zodiac, which is rigorous in structure, easy to understand and full of fun: "Smelling empty mice in the daytime can drive away the wasteland." When I was a tiger, I listened to arrogance, and the old rabbit garden was unscrupulous. You see, after sleeping for three winters, the dragon's head doesn't argue with the snake. Destroying a car and killing a horse is easy to cook and drink. Hand-planted monkey peaches hang green, and Kunming birds crow horns are raised. Guests come to the dog to urge tea, and they don't have to buy pork from the owner. " In the Yuan Dynasty, Liu's zodiac poem says, "The hungry eagle scares the mouse, and the cow lies on its back." . The battle for the rabbit hole in Jingzhou has traveled thousands of miles. There is no end to fish and dragons entering the water, but a cup and a plate of snakes in the mirror. The autumn wind in the horse's ear has gone without a trace, and the narrow path has returned home early. There is no need to dance with monkeys in the hall, and chickens in the intestines are paradise. Chai Men's dog barked at his neighbors and told them to buy Xie Chunyu, a god pig. The zodiac is embedded in poetry, and each sentence is a brilliant story, which is absolutely wonderful.