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What's your sign? In western astrology. it's a constellation determined by when your birthday falls in the calendar. But according to the Chinese zodiac or sheng xiao, it's your shuxiang, meaning the animal assigned to your birth year.

你的符号是什么？在西方占星学中，它是你的生日所处日历中的位置决定的星座，但是依据中国的十二属性或者生肖，它是你的属相，意思就是你出生年份的代表动物。

And of the many myths explaining these animal signs and their arrangement. The most enduring one is that of the Great Race. As the story goes, Yu Di, or Jade emperor, ruler of the heavens, wanted to devise a way to measure time.

而且哟很多解释这些动物标志和排序的传说，流传最久远的是生肖赛跑的传说。故事是这样的，天庭的统治者玉帝，想要设计一种衡量时间的方法。

So he organized a race. The first 12 animals to make it across the river would earn a spot on the zodiac calendar in the order they arrived, the rat rose with the sun to get an early start, but on the way to the river, he met the horse, the tiger and the ox.

所以他安排了一场赛跑比赛。最快渡河到达终点的十二中动物，可以以他们到达的顺序赢得生肖日历中的一席。老鼠起了个大早想要抢占先机，但是到了河边，它遇到了马，虎和牛。

Because the rat was small and couldn't swim very well. He asked the bigger animals for help.While the tiger and horse refused, the kind hearted ox agreed to carry the rat across. Yet, just as they were about to reach the other side, the rat jumped off the ox`s head and secured first place.

因为老鼠太小而且也不太会游泳，它寻求大的动物的帮助，但是遭到马和老虎的拒绝，心底善良的牛答应带着老鼠过河。当他们马上到河对岸的时候，老鼠从牛的头上跳到对岸 赢得了第一。

The ox came in second with a powerful tiger right behind him. The rabbit, too small to battle the current, nimbly hopped across stones and logs to come in forth. Next came the dragon, who could have flown directly across, but stopped to help some creatures she had encountered on the way.

牛只能排在第二，老虎排在第三位。兔子，太小无法和激流对抗，但敏捷的踩着石头和木头跳过了河，第四个到达。接着是龙，他本来可以直接飞过去，但是在路上停下来帮助了遇到困难的其他动物。

After her came the horse, galloping across the river. But just as she got across, the snakes slithered by. The startled horse reared back, letting the snake sneak into six place.

跟着龙的是马，它大跳的趟过河，但是就在他要到的时候，蛇刺溜一下滑了过去。马被吓得倒退了几步，就让蛇抢走了第六位。

The Jade Emperor looked out at the river and spotted the sheep, the monkey, and the rooster all atop a raft, working together to push it through the weeds. When they made it across the trio agreed to give 8th place to the sheep, who had been the most comforting and harmonious of them, followed by the monkey and the rooster.

玉帝看着河，看到养，猴，和鸡在一个木筏上，通力协作通过了水草丛，他们过河之后，一致决定把第八位让给羊，因为羊是他们中最温柔的，然后猴子和鸡也过去了。

Next came the dog scrambling onto the shore. He was a great swimmer, but frolicked in the water for so long that he only managed to come in 11th. The final spot was claimed by the pig, who had gotten hungry and stopped to eat and nap before finally wadding across the finish line.

接着是狗，扑腾扑腾的爬上岸，他是游泳高手，但是在水里边玩的太嗨了，结果只排在第十一位。最后一个席位被猪得到，它中途饿了，停下来吃饱还睡了一会，最后慢悠悠的过了终点线。

And so each year is associated with one of the animals in this order, with the cycle starting over every 60 years, why 60 and not 12? well, The traditional Chinese calendar is made up of two overlapping systems. The animals of the zodiac are associated with what's called the 12 earthly branches or shierdizhi(十二地支).

每一年就以这样的顺序和一种动物联系起来，每60年一个循环，为什么是60不是12？中果农历是由两个叠加系统组成的，一个系统是十二地支，与十二生肖相关。

Another system, the 10 heavenly stems or tiangan(天干), is linked with the five classical elements of metal. Jin ,wood,mu, water, shui, fire ,huo and earth, tu. Each elements is assigned yin(阴) or yang（阳）, creating a 10 year cycle when the 12 animals of the earthly branches are matched with the five elements, push the yin or yang of the heavenly stems, it creates 60 years of different combinations, known as a sexagenary cycle or ganzhi(干支).

另一个系统，十天干，与五大元素相关，就是金木水火土。每个元素被赋予阴或者阳，形成一个十年循环，当地支的十二动物与五大元素配对，再加上天干的阴和阳就形成了一个60年不重复的组合。被称为干支。

So someone born in 1980 would have the sign of yang metal monkey, while someone born in 2007 would be in fire pig. In fact, you can also have an inner animal based on your birth month, a true animal based on your birth date, and a secret animal based on your birth hour.

所以，1980年出生的人，生肖是阳金猴，2007年出生的人，生肖是阴火猪。实际上，你还可以依据你的出生月份判断内生肖，根据出生日期判断真生肖，根据出生时辰判断秘生肖。

It was the great race that supposedly determined which animals were enshrined in the Chinese zodiac. But as the system spread through Asia, other cultures made changes to reflect their communities. So if you consult the vietnamese zodiac, you may discover that you're a cat, not a rabbit.

生肖赛跑的故事决定了中国十二生肖中那些动物被作为代表铭记。但随着这个体系传遍亚洲，其他国家依照自己的文化做了些改动，所以如果你参照越南十二生肖，你会发现你属猫，而不是属兔。

And if you're in Thailand, a mythical snake called a Naga replaces the dragon. So whether or not you place stock in what the zodiac says about you as an individual, it certainly reveals much about the culture it comes from.

不管你信不信生肖所描述的你个人的情况，它都无疑体现了很多文化方面的东西。