十二生肖
The Chinese Zodiac
Page 1
为什么要给年份配动物？
Why Give Years Animal Names?
The twelve zodiac animals form a circle, with a new animal taking its turn each year.
很久以前，中国人已经在用十二个符号给时间排次序。这十二个符号叫“地支”，可以用来记录年、月、日和一天里的时辰。后来，人们又给每个地支配上一种动物。一串符号变成了老鼠、牛、老虎和兔子，当然更容易想象和记住。
十二shēngxiào · 用十二种动物依次表示出生年份的传统系统。就是这套动物年份。它们的顺序是：鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。每年轮到一种动物，猪年以后又回到鼠年。新的生肖年从中国新年开始，不是从一月一日开始。如果一个孩子出生在兔年，兔就是这个孩子的生肖。
英文常把这套动物年份叫作 Chinese zodiac。这个名字容易让人想到西方星座，但它们不是同一套东西。从地球上看，太阳一年里会经过不同的星空。西方星座把这条天空中的路线分成十二份，通常根据出生的月份和日期来找星座；中国生肖主要根据出生的年份来找动物。两套系统都分成十二份，也都和出生时间有关，所以英文用了同一个 zodiac。但是白羊座并不等于鼠，金牛座也不等于牛。
Long ago, people in China used twelve signs to keep time in order. These signs are called the Earthly Branches. They could mark years, months, days, and even parts of a day. Later, people paired each sign with an animal. A rat, an ox, or a tiger was much easier to picture and remember than a list of plain signs.
The shēngxiào · 生肖 · The twelve-animal cycle traditionally connected with years of birth. is this system of animal years. The order is Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. Each animal gets one year. After the Pig comes the Rat again. A new animal year begins at Chinese New Year, not on January 1. If a child is born in the Year of the Rabbit, the Rabbit is that child's zodiac animal.
The English name Chinese zodiac may remind you of the Western zodiac, but they are not the same system. From Earth, the Sun seems to move past different groups of stars during the year. The Western zodiac divides that path into twelve signs, and people usually find their sign from the month and day of their birth. The Chinese zodiac mainly uses the year of birth. Both systems have twelve signs and connect a sign with a person's birth, so English uses the word zodiac for both. But Aries does not match the Rat, and Taurus does not match the Ox.
Page 2
十二年，为什么又有六十年？
Twelve Years—or Sixty?
生肖每十二年转一圈，可是中国古代的完整年份还有另一半。除了十二地支，古人还使用十个“天干”。你可以把它们想成两只并排转动的轮子：一只轮子有十格，另一只有十二格，每过一年，两只轮子都向前走一格。
十二年以后，生肖动物回到了原位，可是十格的轮子还没有和它一起回到开头。两只轮子要转到第六十年，才会再次同时回到最初的组合“jiǎzǐ · 干支纪年六十种组合中的第一种，也可以指一个六十年周期。”。所以十二年后会再次遇到同一种生肖；完整的年份名称，却要六十年才重复一次。六十年也就叫“一甲子”。
这些日历符号说明生肖怎样运转，却没有告诉我们为什么老鼠排第一。老虎比老鼠强壮，龙还能飞，小小的老鼠怎么跑到了最前面？民间把答案讲成了一场热闹的比赛。
The animal cycle turns every twelve years, but an old Chinese year name has another half. Along with the twelve Earthly Branches, people used ten signs called the Heavenly Stems. Imagine two wheels turning side by side. One has ten spaces, and the other has twelve. Each year, both wheels move forward one space.
After twelve years, the animal wheel is back at the beginning, but the ten-space wheel is not. The two wheels do not return to their starting places together until year sixty. Their first pair is called jiǎzǐ · 甲子 · The first pairing in the sixty-year stem-and-branch cycle, and a name for the full cycle.. This is why the same animal returns after twelve years, while the complete year name takes sixty years to return. A sixty-year cycle is also called one jiazi.
These calendar signs explain how the zodiac turns, but not why the Rat comes first. A tiger is stronger than a rat, and a dragon can fly. How did the tiny rat reach the front? A popular legend turns the answer into a lively race.
Page 3
玉皇大帝发出邀请
The Jade Emperor Sends an Invitation
The animals originally lived in the world below. They came to the Heavenly Court only after receiving the Jade Emperor’s invitation.
中国神话里，云层上有一座天宫，神仙们在那里开会、办事。这个地方叫天庭，Yùhuáng Dàdì · 中国民间信仰和道教故事中统领天庭的神。是管理天庭的神仙。他不是历史上真正的皇帝，而是神话人物。
一个流传很广的故事说，玉皇大帝想选十二种动物来代表年份。他便把邀请送到地上的动物那里。动物们原本不住在天庭；它们赶来，是因为最先到达天门的十二种动物，可以进入生肖。
比赛那天，动物们要赶很长的路，中间还有一条河。牛很早就出发了。它不着急，也不乱跑，只是一步一步向前走。可是老鼠站在河边犯了难：水太深，它怎么过去呢？
In Chinese mythology, there is a great palace above the clouds where the gods meet and work. It is called the Heavenly Court, and the Yùhuáng Dàdì · 玉皇大帝 · The ruler of Heaven in many Chinese folk and Daoist stories. is the god who rules there. He is not an emperor from history. He is a character from Chinese mythology.
One popular story says that the Jade Emperor wanted twelve animals to represent the years. He sent an invitation to the animals living in the world below. When they heard the news, they set out for the heavenly gate. The first twelve to arrive would join the zodiac.
On race day, the animals had a long journey ahead, with a river in the middle. The ox started early. It did not rush or wander. It simply kept moving, one steady step at a time. But the rat stopped at the riverbank. The water was deep. How could such a small animal cross?
Page 4
老鼠的小算盘
The Rat Has a Plan
The rat crosses the river on the ox's back, then jumps ashore just before the finish.
老鼠问牛：“你能带我过河吗？”好心的牛答应了。老鼠跳上牛背，牛便带着这个小乘客走进水里，稳稳地游向对岸。
眼看终点就要到了，老鼠忽然从牛头上一跃而下，抢先落在岸边。玉皇大帝看见老鼠先到，就让它排第一；辛苦了一路的牛排在第二。
有些版本里，比赛前还出现了一只猫。老鼠答应叫醒贪睡的猫，却自己悄悄出发了。猫错过比赛，也没能进入生肖。于是故事开玩笑说，猫从此见到老鼠就追。
“Will you carry me across?” the rat asked the ox. The kind ox agreed. The rat climbed onto its back, and the ox swam steadily toward the other side.
Just before the finish, the rat leaped over the ox's head and landed first. The Jade Emperor saw the rat arrive ahead of the ox, so the rat took first place and the hardworking ox took second.
Some versions add a cat to the story. The rat promises to wake the sleepy cat before the race, then quietly leaves without it. The cat misses the race and has no place in the zodiac. The tale jokes that this is why cats still chase rats.
Page 5
河边越来越热闹
A Very Busy Riverbank
老虎浑身湿透地爬上岸，得了第三。兔子踩着石头和漂来的木头过河，得了第四。
龙明明会飞，却在路上停下来给需要雨水的人降雨，所以第五个到。马快到终点时，藏在它身边的蛇突然滑了出来。马吓得往后一跳，蛇便抢先得了第六，马得了第七。
羊、猴和鸡找到一只木筏，合力过了河。狗游泳很好，却玩水玩得太久。最后，猪慢吞吞地赶到——有的版本说，它中途吃了一顿，还睡了一觉。十二个位置就这样排满了。
The tiger climbed out of the river dripping wet and took third place. The rabbit crossed by hopping over stones and a floating log, coming in fourth.
The dragon could fly, but it stopped to bring rain to people who needed water, so it arrived fifth. As the horse neared the finish, a snake hiding beside it suddenly slipped out. The startled horse jumped back, letting the snake take sixth place. The horse came seventh.
The goat, monkey, and rooster found a raft and worked together. The dog was a fine swimmer, but it played in the water too long. The pig arrived last—some versions say it stopped for a meal and a nap. All twelve places were now filled.