十二生肖的故事你了解吗？-HanTok学中文

2023年1月14日

十二生肖的故事你了解吗？

Do you know the story of the Chinese zodiac?

国外有十二星座，中国有十二生肖。十二生肖又叫属相，是中国文化中与十二地支相配的人的出生年份来定的，包括鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。十二生肖的起源与动物崇拜有关，先秦时期就已经有比较完整的生肖系统存在了。

There are twelve constellations in foreign countries, and twelve zodiac signs in China.The twelve zodiac signs are also called the “属相shǔ xiàng”.Including rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.The origin of the twelve zodiac signs is related to animal worship. A relatively complete zodiac system existed in the pre-Qin period.

随着时间的流逝，属相已经在中国演变成了一种深刻的文化符号，已经影响到婚姻、工作、学习等各个方面了，并且还演变出了看属相来判断情侣是否适合结婚、本命年等说法。到了现在，更多人会把生肖作为春节的吉祥物，成为娱乐文化活动的一种象征。

As time goes by, the zodiac sign has evolved into a profound cultural symbol in China, which has affected various aspects such as marriage, work, and study.And it has also evolved to judge whether a couple is suitable for marriage by looking at the zodiac sign, and the year of birth.Now, more and more people regard the zodiac as the mascot of the Spring Festival and a symbol of entertainment and cultural activities.

生肖为什么是十二个呢？
Why are there twelve zodiac signs?

十二暗示了古人对自然现象的认识。古代中国把一年称为“一岁”，寒暑交替正好十二个月，月亮的盈亏周期也是十二个月，因此古人把生肖也定为十二个。

Twelve alludes to the ancients' understanding of natural phenomena.In ancient China, a year was called "一岁", and the alternation of cold and heat happened to be twelve months.The moon's waxing and waning cycle is also twelve months,therefore, the ancients also defined the zodiac as twelve.

十二生肖的顺序是怎么来的？
How did the order of the zodiac come about?

关于十二生肖的顺序来源，相信大家都已经听过很多版本的故事了，这些一般都是讲给小朋友听的，实际上原因与天文学有关，一个说法是古代天文学家将昼夜分为十二时辰。同时他们在观天象时，依照十二种动物的生活习惯和活动的时辰，确定十二生肖。

Regarding the origin of the order of the twelve zodiac signs, We believe everyone has heard many versions of the story about the origin of the order of the zodiac signs. These are generally told to children. In fact, the reason is related to astronomy.One theory is that ancient astronomers divided day and night into twelve hours.At the same time, they determined the twelve zodiac signs according to the living habits and activity hours of the twelve animals when observing the sky.

中国的一些少数民族和外国也有十二生肖的说法，不过顺序不一样，还有一些地区的动物也不一样，你所在的地区有十二生肖吗？你的生肖是什么呢？欢迎留言告诉我们！最后我们一起欣赏一些十二生肖的剪纸作品吧！

Some ethnic minorities in China and foreign countries also have twelve zodiac signs, but the order is different, and the animals in some areas are also different. Do you have twelve zodiac signs in your area?What is your zodiac sign? Welcome to leave a message to tell us!Finally, let's enjoy some paper-cut works of the Chinese zodiac!