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The Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese zodiac has twelve signs. Originally, these signs did not have animals associated with them but were signs used to record dates. They called them the 12 Earthy Branches and 10 Celestial Stems and their use went back to the Shang dynasty. Later, each of the 12 earthly branches came to be designated by an animal sign: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey rooster, dog and boar.

There is a folk story that describes how the animals were assigned to the cycle of years. Long time ago, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals together to assign each of them a year. When the cat heard the news, he let his friend, the Rat know about it and the two animals decided to go together the next day. However, the next day, the Rat did not wake up the cat who being a cat and loving to nap, slept through the morning. Therefore, the cat did not make it to the assembly on time and did not get a year. This is why there is no year of the cat and this is also why cats hate Rats.

The Rat, on the other hand, made it first there and received the first year. He did not achieve this without trickery either. He knew that a small animal like him would not be able to compete with the others, so he begged the ox to let him ride on its head. The ox consented and they went together.

Just when they were about to arrive, the rat jumped off the ox’s head and got through the finish line first. This is why the year of the Rat is the first year in the cycle and the year of the ox is the second.

The Rat People (1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008), being the first sign of the Chinese zodiac, are leaders, pioneers and conquerors. The Rat symbolizes such character traits as wit, imagination and curiosity. Rats have keen observation skills and with those skills, they are able to deduce much about other people and other situations. They are charming, passionate, charismatic, practical and hard working. Rat people endowed with great wisdom.

中國黃道十二宮

早於商朝，中國黃道十二宮非是以動物顯示年份，而是採用十二個地支和十個天干來記錄日子．至後期，十二個地支才以動物所取代來顯示年份！動物排名次序為: 鼠、牛、虎、兔、龍、蛇、馬、羊、猴，雞、狗和豬。

鼠年傳說

話說很久以前，佛祖召喚所有動物前來分配年份。當貓聽到消息後，立刻告訴他的朋友老鼠，雙雙決定次日一起去。但是到了當天，貓因為太貪睡而老鼠又沒有喚醒它,以至貓昏睡了整個早上，錯過了集會時間，因而貓未能分配到年份，所以這亦是貓那麼憎恨老鼠的原因。

另一方面，老鼠全靠詭計才能分配得首個年份。 老鼠很清楚如它的小動物，是不能與其他動物競爭而勝出的， 因此他懇求黃牛讓它騎在其頭上一同前往。

正當他們快將到達終點的時候，老鼠突然從黃牛的頭上跳出, 並過了終點線，因而鼠年為首，牛年則屈居其次。

鼠年出生人仕

1912 年, 1924 年, 1936 年, 1948 年, 1960 年, 1972 年, 1984 年, 1996 年, 2008 年。

鼠年為中國黃道十二宮之首, 極具領導才、是先驅領袖和征服者。鼠年人仕之性格和特徵是機智、有好奇心，富想像力，觀察力強。他們的天賦才能，有助於解决疑難，應付任何環境。 他們更是迷人，熱情，實幹的一群。