IF: Tales and Legends - The Story of the Chinese Zodiac 鼠年故事

The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese zodiac has twelve signs, here's the story of why the year of the Rat is the first year in the cycle.

Once upon a time, the Emperor announced a contest, a race for all the animals. The first twelve animals to cross the finish line will have a year named in their honor.

At that time, Cat and Rat were best friends. When they heard about the great news, they agreed they should both enter the race. The day of the race arrived. All the animals gathered at the starting line and with a "BANG!" the race began.

With fantastic speed, Rat and Cat grabbed the lead, scurrying through prickly bushes and running over grassy meadows until they came upon a vast river. The current was so strong that they could not swim across. Just as they were thinking of what to do, the sturdy Ox came upon them. Immediately the Rat came up with a brilliant idea.

"Ox, since your eyesight is very poor, let's help each other. Cat and I will get on your back and direct you across the river." The Ox agreed with the plan. He was very strong and had no trouble swimming across the river.

As the party neared the other side, The Cat crouched on the Ox’s head and swished his tail. The Rat could see that his friend was getting ready to leap onto the bank ahead of them and take the first prize. Even though they were best friends, Rat wanted to be first more than ANYTHING in the world. Without hesitating, Rat pushed Cat off Ox into the fast moving river. Then he jumped off the ox's head and got through the finish line first.

Therefore, the Emperor declared the rat as the first zodiac animal, the tired Ox as second, followed by the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and the sluggish Pig as the last.

This is why there is no year named after the Cat. And if you’ve ever wondered why cats hate rats so much - now you know!

Wishing all of you a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Cai!


鼠年故事
　　“万千禽兽尊为子，十二生肖独占先”。十二生肖中为何有鼠无猫，为何鼠占首位。

　　玉皇大帝为了排十二种动物先后，举办了一场竞赛，依越过终点线的先后排定名次。

　　猫与鼠本是最好的朋友。当他们听说了这一个好消息，就決定一起参加比赛。

　　比赛开始了，老鼠和猫皮披荆斩棘，一路领先，直到他们被一条波涛汹涌的大河挡住了去路。正当他们一筹莫展时，健壮的牛大哥也到了。老鼠立即想出一个好点子。

　　"牛大哥，您的视力不好，我们可以同心協力，请让猫和我在您的背部指引您过河"。牛同意了这个计划，横渡这条大河对强壮的他来说一点问题也沒有。

　　接近对岸了，猫蹲在牛的头部，尾巴搖得嗖嗖响，准备一跃上岸。老鼠看到他的朋友摩拳擦掌准备拔得头筹，他开始担心了。雖然他们是最好的朋友，但是成为第一却比什么都重要。老鼠当机立断用力把猫推下湍急的河流，然后他自己跳下牛的头部率先抵达终点。

　　因此，玉帝宣布老鼠为首位十二生肖动物，疲累的牛得了第二名，其次是虎，兔，龙，蛇，马，羊，猴，鸡和狗，慢吞吞的猪得了最后一名。

　　这就是为什么十二生肖中沒有猫。猫和老鼠也从此成了冤家！

　　祝大家新年快乐，鼠年行大运，恭喜发财！