THE CHINESE ANIMAL ZODIAC

by Xu Menghong

zhōng guó shí èr shēng xiāo

中 国 十 二 生 肖

Chinese Zodiac

by Xu Menghong

Objectives

Zodiac animal names in Chinese Zodiac and its cultural value



1.

How many animals are there in Chinese Zodiacs?

12

2.

Which animal ranks first among the Zodiac animals?

3. Which animal year is 2014?

4.

What is the Zodiac system used for? A. To measure the years B. To measure persons’ ages C. To count hours of the day D. To count months of the year E. To predict a person’s personality F. To check the compatibility of couples or friends

5. What color of clothing should a person wear when it was his/ her animal year?

A. White B. Yellow



C. Red D. Blue

The Chinese animal signs are a 12-year cycle used for dating the years. They represent a cyclical concept of time, rather than the Western linear concept of time.

The Chinese Lunar Calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and is constructed in a different fashion than the Western solar calendar.

In the Chinese calendar, the beginning of the year falls somewhere between late January and early February.

In traditional China, dating methods were cyclical, cyclical meaning something that is repeated time after time according to a pattern.

A popular folk method which reflected this cyclical method of recording years are the Twelve Animal Signs. Every year is assigned an animal name or "sign" according to a repeating cycle: Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar.

Rat,

I am SHOO

.

子鼠

zǐ shǔ The Year Of The Rat You are imaginative, charming, and truly generous to the person you love.

Who am I?

丑牛

chǒu niú The Year Of The Ox NIU A born leader.

The Year Of The Tiger My name is HOO.

寅虎

yín hǔ You are sensitive, emotional, and capable of great love.

The Year Of The Rabbit TOO is me.

卯兔

mǎo tù You are the kind of person, that people like to be around, affectionate, obliging, always pleasant.

LON

辰 龙

chén lónɡ Full of vitality and enthusiasm.

You are intelligent, gifted, and a perfectionist

.

The Year Of The Dragon

The Year Of The Snake I am SHER.

巳蛇

sì shé Rich in wisdom and charm, you are romantic and deep thinking.

This is MA.

午马

wǔ mǎ While you’re intelligent and friendly, your capacity for hard work is amazing. Your are your own person-very independent. The Year Of The Horse

YOUNG. I am not that old.

未羊

wèi yánɡ The Sheep can be charming company. Your are elegant and artistic but the first to complain about things.

The Year Of The Sheep

MONKEY is HOU.

申猴

shēn hóu The Year Of The Monkey You are a vary intelligent and a very clever wit.

The Year Of The Rooster I am JEE.

酉鸡

yǒujī A hard worker; shrewd and definite in decision making often speaking his mind.

The Year Of The Dog GOU is me

戌狗

xūɡǒu You are honest, and faithful to those you love.

Call me Mr. ZHU.

亥猪

companion, an intellectual with a very strong need to set difficult goals and carry them out. You are sincere, tolerant, and honest but by expecting the same from others.

The Year Of The Boar

NIU HOO

SHOO

LON TOO MA YOUNG SHER JEE HOU GOU ZHU

鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪

SHOO: 鼠 1900 1912 1924 1936 1948 1960 1972 1984 1996 2008 2020 2032

NIU 牛 1901 1913 1925 1937 1949 1961 1973 1985 1997 2009 2021 2033

HOO 虎 1902 1914 1926 1938 1950 1962 1974 1986 1998 2010 2022 2034

TOO 兔 1903 1915 1927 1939 1951 1963 1975 1987 1999 2011 1023 1035

LON 龙 1904 1916 1928 1940 1952 1964 1976 1988 2000 2012 2024 2036

SHER 蛇 1905 1917 1929 1941 1953 1965 1977 1989 2001 2013 2025 2037

MA 马 1906 1918 1930 1942 1954 1966 1978 1990 2002 2014 2026 2038

YOUNG 羊 1907 1919 1931 1943 1955 1967 1979 1991 2003 2015 2027 2039

HOU 猴 1908 1920 1932 1944 1956 1968 1980 1992 2004 2016 2028 2040

JEE 鸡 1909 1921 1933 1945 1957 1969 1981 1993 2005 2017 2029 2041

GOU 狗 1910 1922 1934 1946 1958 1970 1982 1994 2006 2018 2030 2042

ZHU

猪

1911 1923 1935 1947 1959 1971 1983 1995 2007 2019 2031 2043

What are you?

Practice

练习

nǐ shǔ shén me

？

你属什么？

Which animal year were you born?

wǒ shǔ

我属

……

I was born in the year of ….

NIU HOO YOUNG SHOO TOO MA SHER GOU LON

HORSE MOUSE SHEEP TIGER MONKEY DRAGON RABBIT DOG ROOSTER SNAKE OX BOAR

NIU HOO YOUNG SHOO TOO MA SHER GOU LON

NIU HOO YOUNG SHOO TOO MA SHER GOU LON

NIU HOO YOUNG SHOO TOO MA SHER GOU LON

NIU HOO YOUNG SHOO TOO MA SHER GOU LON

y óupiào 邮票 stamps c ìxìu 刺绣 embroidery 火花 Ji ǎnzhǐ 剪纸 paper cutting matchbox cover

Homework

Tell your family members which animal year they were born in and check their personality.