The Story of the 12 Animals [Chinese Zodiac]

The Story of the 12 Animals [Chinese Zodiac]

The animals are out! Have you ever come across the old story of the 12 animals behind the Chinese zodiac system?

When the Republic of China was newly established, a group of Chinese representatives participated in the 5-day reception of a delegation composed of Western representatives alike.

On the final day, the reception hit a high note with a celebratory dinner and a German aristocrat finally got to satisfy his curiosity about the 12 animal signs.

"What is it about using animals like pig, dog, rat as zodiac signs? Why these animals?"

"The 12 zodiac animals are paired in duality; reflecting the six realms of reincarnation. Through these zodiac signs, our ancestors expressed their ambitions, aspirations and is a reflection of their expectations demanded of us,” said one Chinese gentleman.

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1. THE OX & THE RAT

The Ox represents hard work while the Rat represents wisdom.

"The rat and the ox make up the first pair. The rat represents wisdom while the ox meant hard work. Wisdom without hard work is the biggest shame of humanity. Hard work without wisdom will only lead to a life of hardship and an endless grind. Our ancestors put this as the first pairing as to impart on us that we must combine both Wisdom and Hard Work in order to live a fulfilled life,” the gentleman continued.

2. THE PIG & THE TIGER

The Pig symbolizes kind-heartedness. The Tiger represents ferociousness.

"The second duality is the tiger and the pig. The former ferocious, the latter kind-hearted. If we are ferocious and cast like iron, we break easily and it will not be easy to recover. But being kind-hearted and accepting of others all the time also means gullibility that can be taken advantage of. We need to be kind-hearted and accommodative, yet fierce in the pursuit of our goals and happiness.”

3. THE RABBIT & THE DOG

The Rabbit stands for intelligence. The Dog is the embodiment of loyalty.

“Next, the rabbit and the dog. The rabbit stands for intelligence whereas the dog stands for loyalty. Without loyalty, intelligence will not have great followers that bring us breakthroughs and successes. However, without intelligence – loyalty will blindly follow orders and can easily be manipulated to do deeds of others. One must have both intelligence and loyalty to lead and support at the same time.”

4. THE DRAGON & THE ROOSTER

The mythical Dragon illustrates an unpredictable nature where else the Rooster represents order and structure.

"The dragon and the rooster – One that is instinctive in nature, impulsive and even unpredictable. The other systemic and operating like clockwork (like how a rooster clucks away every day at the very same moment the sun rises). The dragon denotes one’s ambitiousness and the natural intuition that comes with, where else the rooster represents rigidness and methodical approaches to pursue a goal. If you only listen to your intuition with no care for systems, you are bound to be impulsive and it will only spell recklessness. But if you are too rigid without the ability to understand nuances, you will make yourself obsolete and irrelevant to change. And change is the only constant.”

5. THE SNAKE & THE MONKEY

The Snake is solitary. The Monkey is communal.

"The fifth pairing is the snake and the monkey. The snake represents solitary that is required for one to carve out their own individuality while the monkey represents the equally important trait of being a part of a community. Mankind will need to work together in societies –all playing to their own strengths no less– to achieve greater good as a whole.

6. THE HORSE & THE GOAT

The Horse is free-spirited. The Goat is purposeful.

"The horse and the goat: the horse represents our vision, a constantly forward-moving one. A goat, on the other hand, represents an easy-going nature, one that’s free-spirited and go-with-the-flow. A person without a balance between these qualities will not be able to reap the fruits of his labor. If you care only for your goals and look after only of yourself, you may not be able to handle all the obstacles that arise. But if you are too free-spirited and care only of others, you will eventually lead a life with nothing that you can give.”

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The Chinese gentlemen paused for a moment, screening through the audience who can now be seen taking in deeper breaths. He said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am so happy to be sharing my culture with you all today. Perhaps only with sharing and learning that we will ever be able to all coexist in harmony. Do share the significance and qualities behind constellations and how do they reflect the hope and expectations of your ancestors on you?” the Chinese diplomat asked.

The young man who spoke was Mr. Zhou Enlai, the former Chinese premier.

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So there we have it, one the stories about the 12 Animals that we love most. But did you know that there's actually much more to the 12 Animals than just a story?

It's got a lot to do with Chinese Astrology and how the ancient Chinese Scholars read the stars. The real reason why 12 Animals were used to represent the stars was because the population in ancient China were illiterate and the majority were peasant farmers. It only made sense to use terms which they were familiar with, thus animals.