Origin of the 12 Chinese Zodiac Signs

Determining the exact origins of the twelve zodiac signs is extremely difficult these days. It was long believed that the Longheng (《论衡》, Lùnhéng), a famous work by the Eastern Han (东汉, Dōnghàn) philosopher Wang Chong (王充, Wáng Chōng), was the first record of the twelve zodiac signs. The Five Elements (《五行》, Wǔxíng) section of this work mentions eleven zodiac signs, excluding the dragon. The book Yángdūjiàn (《杨都见》, Yángdūjiàn) adds information about the dragon, which completes the list of twelve signs corresponding to the twelve earthly branches (十二地支, shí'èr dìzhī).

The Legend of the Animal Competition

Once upon a time, people couldn't remember the exact year they were born and didn't know their age. Then the Heavenly Emperor (天帝, Tiāndì) decided to hold a river-crossing competition among animals. The first twelve animals to reach the finish line would represent the years. So, knowing what animal sign you were born under, you could easily calculate your age.

The competition involved a mouse and a cat who couldn't swim. They asked a bull for help, and he agreed. On the day of the competition, the cat and the mouse climbed onto the bull's back, but the cat, having dozed off, was thrown into the water by a cunning mouse. The mouse crossed the finish line first, followed by the bull. This action angered the bull.

The tiger came third, and the dragon, who descended from the sky, came fifth, as he had performed a rain ritual in the morning. A rabbit came running between them, jumping over rocks and quicksand, which allowed him to take fourth place. The horse almost reached the finish line, but a snake, who unexpectedly appeared, took sixth place. Eighth place was taken by a goat, a monkey and a rooster, who crossed in a boat. A dog, who loved to play in the water, took eleventh place, and a pig took twelfth place. The cat came too late and took thirteenth place, since then it is believed that a cat hunts a mouse.

Symbolism and Time Cycles

Why twelve zodiac signs? The Zhouli (《周礼》, Zhōulǐ) states that there are twelve years, twelve months, and twelve days. This division of time gradually formed, and one cycle is twelve years, one year is twelve months, and one day is twelve hours. The Guoyu (《国语》, Guóyǔ) mentions that the Yellow Emperor (黄帝, Huángdì) had 25 descendants, of whom 14 received surnames, forming the twelve surnames.

「黄帝二十五子，得姓者十四人。」

Even the emperor had twelve wives, highlighting the importance of the number twelve in ancient Chinese culture.

The selection and order of the twelve zodiac signs are also based on the animals' active times. For example, the mouse is active from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m., the bull from 1 a.m. to 3 a.m., the tiger from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m., and so on.

Nuwa was carrying 10 men and 12 women in her sack.

In recent years, new archaeological discoveries have been made in the Shennongjia (神农架, Shénnóngjià) area that confirm ancient legends and myths. The Han Chinese (汉族, Hànzú) Epic of Creation tells the story of the origin of the symbols of heaven and earth. In this poem, the First Emperor (先皇, xiānhuáng) travels on the beast Hundong (洪墩, Hóngdūn) and meets Nüwa (女娲, Nǚwā).

According to legend, Nüwa had two sacks of meat: the larger sack contained ten men and the smaller sack contained twelve women. The First Emperor said, "These are the heavenly stems and the earthly branches, and they will rule the world." He then gave them names, forming yin and yang. The men were called heavenly stems (天干, tiāngān) and the women were called earthly branches (地支, shí'èr dìzhī). This mythology not only explains the origins of the heavenly stems and earthly branches, but also tells of the First Emperor and Nüwa, as well as the principles of yin and yang.

Heavenly Stems

List of Ten Heavenly Stems in Chinese with their transcription and translation:

甲 (Jiǎ) — Yang Wood
乙 (Yǐ) — Yin Wood
丙 (Bǐng) – Yang Fire
丁 (Dīng) – Yin Fire
戊 (Wù) — Earth Yang
己 (Jǐ) — Yin Earth
庚 (Gēng) – Yang Metal
辛 (Xīn) — Yin Metal
壬 (Rén) — Yang Water
癸 (Guǐ) – Yin Water

These heavenly stems are used in the Chinese calendar to mark the years, months, days, and hours in a 60-year cycle called Jiazi (甲子, Jiǎzǐ). Each year in this cycle is determined by a combination of one of the ten heavenly stems and one of the twelve earthly branches. For example, 甲子 (Jiǎzǐ) is the first year in a 60-year cycle, where 甲 (Jiǎ) is the heavenly stem and 子 (Zǐ) is the earthly branch.

This system is widely used in Chinese astrology, feng shui and traditional medicine to analyze time and its impact on human life and the environment.

Earthly branches

List of the twelve earthly branches in Chinese with their transcription, translation and corresponding animals:

子 (Zǐ) — Rat
丑 (Chǒu) — Ox
寅 (Yín) — Tiger
卯 (Mǎo) — Rabbit
辰 (Chén) — Dragon
巳 (Sì) — Snake
午 (Wǔ) — Horse
未 (Wèi) — Goat
申 (Shēn) — Monkey
酉 (Yǒu) — Rooster
戌 (Xū) — Dog
亥 (Hài) — Pig

These earthly branches are also used to represent times during the day, with each branch corresponding to a two-hour interval:

子时 (Zǐ shí) - 23:00 - 01:00
丑时 (Chǒu shí) – 01:00 – 03:00
寅时 (Yín shí) – 03:00 – 05:00
卯时 (Mǎo shí) - 05:00 - 07:00
辰时 (Chen shí) - 07:00 - 09:00
巳时 (Sì shí) – 09:00 – 11:00
午时 (Wǔ shí) – 11:00 – 13:00
未时 (Wèi shí) - 13:00 - 15:00
申时 (Shēn shí) - 15:00 - 17:00
酉时 (Yǒu shí) - 17:00 - 19:00
戌时 (Xū shí) - 19:00 - 21:00
亥时 (Hài shí) - 21:00 - 23:00

The Earthly Branch system, like the Heavenly Stem system, is used in combination to represent the cycles of time in the Chinese calendar. For example, each year in a 60-year cycle (the least common multiple of ten and twelve) is determined by a combination of the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, as mentioned earlier. These combinations are also used in Chinese astrology to predict destiny, compatibility of people, and analyze various aspects of life.

Conclusion

The twelve zodiac signs have deep roots in Chinese culture and history. These signs not only reflect astronomical observations, but are also associated with mythology and legends passed down from generation to generation.