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Introduction to Chinese Zodiac Signs
(2007-10-17 11:45:58)
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人文/历史chinesezodiacsigns |
When Chinese
people inquire about other people's age, they usually do not say
"when were you born?", but rather "what is your zodiac sign?" When
the Spring Festival is approaching, people greet each other by
saying "good luck in the year of the pig" instead of "good luck in
2007". In China, zodiac signs are used as a method to calculate age
and time.
The 12 zodiac signs are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In China, people think that each person possesses more or less the characteristics of the zodiac sign that they belong to. For example, a person who is born in the year of pig is considered to be lucky without having to worry about eating and drinking. Therefore, many
Chinese people choose to give birth in the year of
pig. In 2007, a year of the pig saw an increase
in the number pregnant women reserving beds in maternity hospitals
in some big cities. While in fact, the fate of a child born in a
year of the pig is not something that the zodiac sign can
guarantee. It is really unwise to blindly follow the practice of
giving birth in a year of the pig. You can imagine that 7 years
later, all the children born in 2007 will go to primary school and
18 years later, they will take the college entrance examination and
22 years later, they face the same challenge of finding a job—more
people but fewer opportunities.
While pigs are considered to be lucky zodiac signs, a sheep is considered to be an unlucky zodiac sign. Since ancient times, people have believed that "among 10 sheep 9 are incomplete", meaning that the relatives of a person born in a year of sheep will encounter misfortunes. As a result, less people are born in the year of sheep. According to a Census Bureau statistics, in 2003, a year of sheep saw the lowest birth rate since 1960s and in some big cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao had the first negative population growth since the 1950s.
In addition, it is said that two zodiac signs may mutually restrain each other. For example, "a rooster and monkey can not be together for a long time", means that the marriage between a person born in a year of rooster and another born in a monkey year is not a good match and can not last forever. Although the majority of Chinese people know that this is just a superstition, they choose to believe that there is a small amount of truth to it and try to avoid such kinds of combinations when getting married or giving birth to a baby.
As one circle of 12 zodiac signs lasts 12 years, everyone will meet his or her year of birth every 12 years. This year is called black snow (本命年[běn mìng nián]). Do not think that the black snow year will bring you good opportunity; in fact, Chinese people regard it as an inauspicious year during which everything will go wrong. Therefore, many people wear a red belt or underwear to ward off evil. Around 100 million people among China's 1.3 billion will experience their black snow each year. Let's assume that every one of 100 million spends 5 Yuan to avoid bad luck during their black snow, a great deal of profit will be produced because of this consumption habit. As far as I know, everyone in my life, old or young, educated or uneducated will buy a red belt, red underwear or red clothes to deal with their black snow. It is really unimaginable that a superstition can generate such big profits.
The 12 zodiac signs are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. In China, people think that each person possesses more or less the characteristics of the zodiac sign that they belong to. For example, a person who is born in the year of pig is considered to be lucky without having to worry about eating and drinking.
While pigs are considered to be lucky zodiac signs, a sheep is considered to be an unlucky zodiac sign. Since ancient times, people have believed that "among 10 sheep 9 are incomplete", meaning that the relatives of a person born in a year of sheep will encounter misfortunes. As a result, less people are born in the year of sheep. According to a Census Bureau statistics, in 2003, a year of sheep saw the lowest birth rate since 1960s and in some big cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Qingdao had the first negative population growth since the 1950s.
In addition, it is said that two zodiac signs may mutually restrain each other. For example, "a rooster and monkey can not be together for a long time", means that the marriage between a person born in a year of rooster and another born in a monkey year is not a good match and can not last forever. Although the majority of Chinese people know that this is just a superstition, they choose to believe that there is a small amount of truth to it and try to avoid such kinds of combinations when getting married or giving birth to a baby.
As one circle of 12 zodiac signs lasts 12 years, everyone will meet his or her year of birth every 12 years. This year is called black snow (本命年[běn mìng nián]). Do not think that the black snow year will bring you good opportunity; in fact, Chinese people regard it as an inauspicious year during which everything will go wrong. Therefore, many people wear a red belt or underwear to ward off evil. Around 100 million people among China's 1.3 billion will experience their black snow each year. Let's assume that every one of 100 million spends 5 Yuan to avoid bad luck during their black snow, a great deal of profit will be produced because of this consumption habit. As far as I know, everyone in my life, old or young, educated or uneducated will buy a red belt, red underwear or red clothes to deal with their black snow. It is really unimaginable that a superstition can generate such big profits.
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