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十二生肖

The 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Rat, Tiger, Dragon — twelve animals, but so much more than a birth year. Each one carries deep meaning: the Rat brings resilience, the Ox stands for hard work, the Dragon symbolizes power and luck. But what happens when your zodiac year returns every twelve years? That’s your běnmìngnián — a year of both danger and red underwear. Discover why Chinese people wear red socks and pray for protection when their animal comes around again.

🏷️ Chinese Culture

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Click ➕ to Show Pinyin/Translation Click Underlined Word to Look Up

十二生肖，又称属相，是代表人出生年份的十二种动物，按照顺序为鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。 ➕

Shí’èr shēngxiào, yòu chēng shǔxiàng, shì dàibiǎo rén chūshēng niánfèn de shí’èr zhǒng dòngwù, ànzhào shùnxù wéi: shǔ, niú, hǔ, tù, lóng, shé, mǎ, yáng, hóu, jī, gǒu, zhū.

The twelve Chinese zodiac signs, also known as “shǔxiàng,” are twelve animals that represent a person’s birth year. In order, they are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig.

在中国传统文化中，每个生肖都有其独特的象征意义。拿鼠来说，鼠有着子孙繁衍、家族兴旺、生生不息的寓意。而且，他们特别机警应变，在逆境中也不退缩；牛是勤奋朴实、勤劳致富、勇武倔强的象征。它默默无闻、勤劳憨厚、甘于奉献；虎是百兽之王，有威武勇猛、豪爽正义、气宇轩昂、四方安康的寓意；免子具有温柔文静、机智敏捷、善良的寓意。免子在森林中是比较胆小的，在人们心中，免子是可爱的，是美丽的，所以有自然脱俗的感觉；龙是尊贵神圣、能屈能伸、国泰民安的寓意。龙自古就是帝王的象征，而且中国也一直有崇拜龙图腾的习惯，它也就意味着可以出人头地，不同凡响… ➕