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
How many animals are there
in Chinese Zodiacs?
 1.
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: Rat,
Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep,
Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar.
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
A born leader.
The Year Of The Ox
NIU
The Year Of The Tiger
My
name is
HOO.
寅虎
yín hǔ
You are sensitive,
emotional, and
capable of great love.
TOO is
me.卯兔
mǎo tù
The Year Of The Rabbit
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
Rich in wisdom
and charm, you
are romantic and
deep thinking.
I am
SHER.
巳蛇
sì shé
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
hàizhū
You
are a splendid
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
YOUNG
JEE
MA
HOU
SHER
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
1909
1945
1981
2017
JEE鸡
1921 1933
1957 1969
1993 2005
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
GOU
MA
SHER
LON
MOUSE
HORSE
SHEEP
TIGER
MONKEY
DRAGON
RABBIT
ROOSTER
DOG
OX
SNAKE
BOAR
NIU
HOO
YOUNG
SHOO
TOO
GOU
MA
SHER
LON
NIU
HOO
YOUNG
SHOO
TOO
GOU
MA
SHER
LON
NIU
HOO
YOUNG
SHOO
TOO
GOU
MA
SHER
LON
NIU
HOO
YOUNG
SHOO
TOO
GOU
MA
SHER
LON
yóupiào
邮票 stamps
Jiǎnzhǐ
cìxìu
刺绣 embroidery
火花
matchbox cover
剪纸paper cutting
Homework
Tell your family members which
animal year they were born in
and check their personality.