Identifying this scheme using the term “zodiac” reflects several similarities to the Western zodiac： both have time cycles divided into 12 parts， each labels at least the majority of those parts with names of animals， and each is widely associated with a culture of attributing influence of a person’s relationship to the cycle upon their personality and／or events in their life。 Nevertheless， there are major differences： the “Chinese” 12－part cycle is divided into years rather than months； contrary to the association with animals implied in the Greek etymology of “zodiac”， actually four of the Western “signs” or “houses” are represented by humans （one such sign being the twins “Gemini”） and one is the inanimate balance scale “Libra”； the animals of the Chinese zodiac are not associated with constellations， let alone those spanned by the ecliptic plane。
In Chinese astrology the animal signs assigned by year represent what others perceive you as being or how you present yourself。 It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs， and many western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system。 In fact， there are also animal signs assigned by month （called inner animals） and hours of the day （called secret animals）。
To sum it up， while a person might appear to be a Dragon because they were born in the year of the Dragon， they might also be a Snake internally and an Ox secretively。 In total， this makes for 8，640 possible combinations （60 year cycle （5 elements × 12 animals） × 12 months × 12 times of the day） that a person might be。 These are all considered critical for the proper use of Chinese astrology。
2十二生肖的表达方式
The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat， and there are many stories about the origins of the Chinese Zodiac which explain why this is so （see below）。 The following are the twelve zodiac signs （each with its associated Earthly branch） in order。
Rat－ 鼠 （子） （Yang， 1st Trine， Fixed Element Water）Ox － 牛 （丑） （Water buffalo in Vietnam）Tiger － 虎 （寅） （Yang， 3rd Trine， Fixed Element Wood）Rabbit － 兔 （卯）
Dragon － 龙 （辰） （Yang， 1st Trine， Fixed Element Wood）Snake － 蛇 （巳） （Yin， 2nd Trine， Fixed Element Fire）Horse － 马 （午） （Yang， 3rd Trine， Fixed Element Fire）Ram － 羊 （未） （Yin， 4th Trine， Fixed Element Fire）Monkey － 猴 （申） （Yang， 1st Trine， Fixed Element Metal）Rooster － 鸡 （酉） （Yin， 2nd Trine， Fixed Element Metal）Dog － 狗 （戌） （Yang， 3rd Trine， Fixed Element Metal）Pig － 猪 （亥） （Boar in Japan and Elephant in Northern Thailand） （Yin， 4th Trine， Fixed Element Water）12生肖的来历如何呢？我国古籍中记载，我国古代的中原地区，最初使用的是“干支纪年法”。另外，关于12生肖来历的说法还有：洪巽的《阳谷漫录》中说，12地支中位居奇数者，以动物的指或蹄也为奇数相配，如子位居首位，与它相配的鼠为5指，地支中居偶数位的，则取相属之偶数以为名，如牛与丑相配，为4爪。
Key words ＆ Sentences
关键词句全知道
Each animal represents a different “personality”。
每一种动物有他们自己的“性格”。
According to legend， people held a conference with all the animals， informing them that they would pick the 12 to represent the zodiac。
根据传说，人们当初和动物们开了一个会，最先到会的动物们就可以进入十二生肖。
However， in spite of being fast， the cat was not picked as its close friend， the rat， did not wake it。 This action sparked off a rivalry that continues till this day。
而身为猫最好的朋友，老鼠却没有把猫叫醒去开会。因此，它们之间的战争一直持续到今天。
The year of the rat is regarded as a year of renewal， being the first year in the Chinese zodiac cycle。
鼠是十二生肖之首，鼠年也因此被视为万象更新的一年。
If you don’t want to reveal your age， give the name of an animal not in the cycle， like cat or elephant。
如果你不想透露你的年龄，就说一个不在周期（十二生肖）里的动物，如猫或象。
In Chinese there is a cycle of twelve years， each with a different animal。
在中国有十二年的周期，每年都有一只不同的动物（十二生肖）。
Of all the animals of the Chinese horoscope， the dog really stands out。
在所有中国的十二生肖当中，狗真的是最突出的。
Shengxiao is also the source of many traditional customs and newer trends， and the animals are popular images that are seen everywhere。
生肖同时也是影响很多传统习俗和时代潮流的一个很重要因素，所以你在很多地方都可以看到那些让人喜爱的动物图片。