十二生肖

Zodiac, also known as the twelve-year animal, it is used by some ethnic groups in China and East Asia to represent the year. They are collectively called the twelve zodiacs, namely rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig. 

每个人都以其出生年的象征动物作为生肖，所以中国民间常以生肖计算年龄。循环一次为一轮。

The symbolic animal of their birth year are used, so Chinese often use the zodiac to calculate age . One cycle of 12 years is one round.

中国黄历以立春确定生肖。“农历”是汉代开始使用的“太阴历”，新年是以立春为界的，立春是二十四节气之首，生肖以立春为准。

As China has its own calendar (based on the lunar calendar), the Chinese zodiac does not start from January 1st of Gregorian date but Chinese lunar calendar based on the spring full moon as its’ starting point.

十二生肖的起源与动物崇拜有关。据湖北云梦睡虎地和甘肃天水放马滩出土的秦简可知，先秦时期即有比较完整的生肖系统存在。

The origin of the Chinese zodiac relates to the human relationship to and reverence for the natural world.  According to ancient books made of bamboo parchment, from the Qin Dynasty, excavated in Hubei province and Gansu province, there was a comparable Chinese zodiac system in the period of the early Qin Dynasty.

传说中有一年，玉皇大帝过生日，下令让所有的动物在正月初九这天前来祝寿，并决定按前来祝贺生日的报到顺序选定十二种动物，作为通往上天之路的守卫，并按年轮流值班。

Legend, in ancient time the Jade Emperor summoned all the animals to meet in heaven to discuss how to save the world. Yet only the 12 animals had come. So, the King named them as the zodiac to protect humanity in the sequence of their arrivals.