The myth behind the Chinese zodiac - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen

翻译人员: Di SUN 校对人员: Chen Lu

What's your sign?

你的属相是什么？

In Western astrology,

依据西方的星座学，

it's a constellation determined by when your birthday falls in the calendar.

星座是由出生日期来决定的。

But according to the Chinese zodiac, or shēngxiào,

但根据中国的黄道十二宫， 或者说“生肖,”

it's your shǔxiàng, meaning the animal assigned to your birth year.

即你的属相， 指的是代表你出生年份的动物。

And of the many myths explaining these animal signs and their arrangement,

在众多解释属相的由来 和排序的传说中，

the most enduring one is that of the Great Race.

“渡河大赛”的故事流传最广。

As the story goes, Yù Dì, or Jade Emperor, Ruler of the Heavens,

传说中， 天庭的统治者—玉帝

wanted to devise a way to measure time, so he organized a race.

想要发明一种计量时间的方式， 因此他组织了一场比赛

The first twelve animals to make it across the river

最先过河的12个动物

would earn a spot on the zodiac calendar in the order they arrived.

可以根据他们到达的顺序 成为农历的纪年。

The rat rose with the sun to get an early start,

老鼠为此起了个大早，

but on the way to the river,

但在过河时

he met the horse, the tiger, and the ox.

他遇到了马，虎和牛

Because the rat was small and couldn't swim very well,

因为老鼠很小也不太会游泳，

he asked the bigger animals for help.

他向体型更大的动物求助。

While the tiger and horse refused,

但是老虎和马都拒绝了他，

the kind-hearted ox agreed to carry the rat across.

好心的牛同意背老鼠过河。

Yet, just as they were about to reach the other side,

但当他们将要抵达岸边时，

the rat jumped off the ox's head and secured first place.

老鼠从牛头上蹦到岸上， 拿到了第一名。

The ox came in second,

牛则成了第二名，

with the powerful tiger right behind him.

紧随其后的是强壮的老虎。

The rabbit, too small to battle the current,

兔子体型太小， 无法游过湍急的河水

nimbly hopped across stones and logs to come in fourth.

但它敏捷地跳过石头和浮木， 成为了第四名。

Next came the dragon, who could have flown directly across,

接下来是龙， 她本来可以直接飞过去，

but stopped to help some creatures she had encountered on the way.

但她在途中停下来， 帮助那些她在路上遇到的动物们过河。

After her came the horse, galloping across the river.

接着是马，在河中飞奔而来。

But just as she got across, the snake slithered by.

但正当马快抵达对岸时， 蛇滑到了她的脚边，

The startled horse reared back, letting the snake sneak into sixth place.

把马吓得抬起了前蹄， 让蛇拿到了第六名。

The Jade Emperor looked out at the river

这时玉帝往河边望去，

and spotted the sheep, the monkey, and the rooster all atop a raft,

发现了羊，猴子和鸡 坐在同一个木筏上，

working together to push it through the weeds.

一起在水草中划动木筏。

When they made it across,

当他们一起抵达时，

the trio agreed to give eighth place to the sheep,

大家同意把第八名给羊，

who had been the most comforting and harmonious of them,

因为他一路上不停鼓舞队友， 使团队配合默契，

followed by the monkey and the rooster.

之后是猴子和鸡。

Next came the dog, scrambling onto the shore.

随后是狗爬上了岸。

He was a great swimmer,

狗本来就很会游泳，

but frolicked in the water for so long that he only managed to come in eleventh.

但因为在水里嬉戏太久， 他最后只得到了第十一名。

The final spot was claimed by the pig,

最后一名是猪，

who had gotten hungry and stopped to eat and nap

他在途中肚子饿， 就停下吃东西还打盹。

before finally waddling across the finish line.

最后才摇摇晃晃地走过终点。

And so, each year is associated with one of the animals in this order,

由此，这些动物按顺序 分别对应不同的年份，

with the cycle starting over every 60 years.

每60年一个循环。

Why 60 and not twelve?

为什么是60不是12呢？

Well, the traditional Chinese calendar is made up of two overlapping systems.

因为传统的中国历法 由两个计时系统相互搭配。

The animals of the zodiac are associated with what's called

十二生肖对应的纪年系统

the Twelve Earthly Branches, or shí'èrzhī.

与被称为十二地支的系统相互关联。

Another system, the Ten Heavenly Stems, or tiāngān,

另外一套纪年体系，十天干，

is linked with the five classical elements

是由五个传统的元素组成：

of metal, xīn,

金、

wood, mù,

木、

water, shuǐ,

水、

fire, huǒ,

火、

and earth, tǔ.

土。

Each element is assigned yīn or yáng,

每个元素又分阴阳两种，

creating a ten-year cycle.

创造出一个十年的循环。

When the twelve animals of the Earthly Branches

当地支的十二生肖

are matched with the five elements

和五个元素相匹配，

plus the yīn or the yáng of the Heavenly Stems,

加上天干的阴或阳，

it creates 60 years of different combinations,

创造了60年的不同组合，

known as a sexagenary cycle, or gānzhī.

称为一干支。

So someone born in 1980 would have the sign of yáng metal monkey,

所以，1980年出生的人是 阳金属猴，

while someone born in 2007 would be yīn fire pig.

而2007年出生的人则是 阴火属猪。

In fact, you can also have an inner animal based on your birth month,

事实上，你能按照出生月 算出你的”内在动物，“

a true animal based on your birth date,

按照出生日算出”真实动物，“

and a secret animal based on your birth hour.

按照你的出生时算出”隐秘动物。“

It was the great race that supposedly determined

渡河大赛

which animals were enshrined in the Chinese zodiac,

确定了哪些动物 作为中国的十二生肖。

but as the system spread through Asia,

但随着生肖系统在亚洲传开，

other cultures made changes to reflect their communities.

其他国家为适应其民族文化 对生肖系统做了调整。

So if you consult the Vietnamese zodiac,

因此，在越南的生肖中，

you may discover that you're a cat, not a rabbit,

你可能会发现你属猫， 而不是兔。

and if you're in Thailand,

如果你在泰国，

a mythical snake called a Naga replaces the dragon.

神话中的海蛇那伽取代了龙。

So whether or not you place stock in what the zodiac says

无论你信不信属相那回事儿

about you as an individual,

与你个人的关联，

it certainly reveals much about the culture it comes from.

它显然能反映很多有关其起源的文化。