Yang Bingzheng

    FROM time immemorial, the Chinese lunar years have been designated by 10 Heavenly Stems (甲 jiǎ, 乙 yǐ, 丙 bǐnɡ, 丁 dīnɡ, 戊 wù, 己 jǐ, 庚 ɡēnɡ, 辛 xīn, 壬 rén, 癸 ɡuǐ ) and 12 Earthly Branches (子 zǐ, 丑 chǒu, 寅 yín, 卯 mǎo, 辰 chén, 巳 sì, 午 wǔ, 未 wèi, 申 shēn, 酉 yǒu, 戌 xū, 亥 hài).

    Let’s take an event in the history of China as an example. In 1911, Dr. Sun Yat-sen led the Chinese democratic revolution which overthrew the Qing Dynasty. We always call it Xinhai (辛亥) Revolution because it took place in the year of xīnhài.

    It is interesting that the 12 Earthly Branches are represented by 12 animals and are used to symbolize the year in which a baby is born. 子 (zǐ) stands for rat, 丑 (chǒu) for ox, 寅 (yín) for tiger, 卯 (mǎo) for rabbit, 辰 (chén) for dragon, 巳 (sì) for serpent, 午 (wǔ) for horse, 未 (wèi) for sheep, 申 (shēn) for monkey, 酉 (yǒu) for rooster, 戌 (xū) for dog, 亥 (hài) for pig. The Chinese way of numbering the year of the birth is spread over a large number of countries, especially in Asia.

    The principle of yin and yang is an old philosophy in China. Yin presents the female, the aquiescent and the passive while yang the male, the active and the expansive. That is the reason why in Chinese the sun is called 太阳 (tàiyánɡ), while the moon 太阴 (tàiyīn).

    It is believed that an odd number is yang and an even number is yin. Sept. 9 on the Chinese lunar calendar is called the Chongyang (Double-nine) Festival.

    When a rat runs across the street, everybody wants to kill it. It is strange that rat is put in the first year of the animals. But it has something to do with the principal of yin and yang.

    Rat (four toes on the front feet, but five toes on the back feet), tiger, dragon, monkey and dog have five toes. Odd toes alternate with even toes, because the ox, rabbit, serpent (two tongues), sheep, rooster and pig have even toes.

    Fortune-tellers say people born in the years of the rabbit, tiger and horse are good at getting along with one another and always enjoy help from honored people; people born in the years of the ox, dragon, sheep, rooster and dog are law-abiding and lead an honest life; and people born in the years of the rat, serpent, monkey and pig are of gentleness.