The 12 animals astrology commonly
found on place mats in Chinese restaurant is both educational and
inspirational. It reminds me of a story that a Chinese man told while several
foreigners joked about the connection between the Asian zodiac and Western
horoscope. He started his story by explaining, “Chinese ancestors used animals
as signs because of their practical attitude. Indeed, the 12 animals are 6
pairs that reflect the experience of our ancestors.”
The man continued, “the first pair
is mouse and cow. Mouse represents wisdom and the cow is the emblem of
diligence. Wisdom and hard work must be tightly bound together. If a man held
wisdom but didn’t make any effort, he would become sharp but petty-minded.
Meanwhile, if he was a hard worker but lacked judgment, he would become
foolish. We need to have both and these are the expectations and wishes of our
ancestors. It is the most important pair.”
The second pair is the tiger and
rabbit. Tiger, stands for courage and the rabbit portrays caution. The tiger
and rabbit have to be maintained together in order to be bold and attentive. If
a man was fearless without being attentive, he might become reckless. If he
didn't possess courage, he could be timid. This pair is also very important to
Chinese since they tend to be modest people, although it’s not owing to their
lack of courage.
The third pair is dragon and the
snake. The Dragon is fierce and snake represents flexibility. It is often noted
that firmness can be fragmented easily. Even so, if a man had a faint side, he
might lose his strength and assertiveness. Accordingly, our ancestors wanted to
teach us how to be firm and flexibility.
The forth pair is the horse and the
sheep. The horse shows true grit and the sheep is agreeable and gentle. If a
man is focused only on his goals without consideration for his surrounding, he
will struggle to achieve his goals. Just the same, if a man patronized, he may
not discover a true direction for himself. So, it is our ancestors’ wish that a
man keep his bold and confident side along with a gentle and agreeable one.
The fifth pair is monkey and
chicken. Monkey is characterized as nimble and chicken is the sign of
persistent. The nimble and persistent must be tightly bound together. If a man
was skillful but not persistent, he would not make it to harvest no matter how
skillful he was. There is a need for stability, and to maintain harmony and
order, but be flexible with unfaltering energy. It is the most basic principal.
The last pair is the dog and pig.
Dog is the sign of loyalty and pig represents easy-going. If a man was loyal
but not sociable, others would reject them. If a man was too affable, he would
lose his principles. Whether it is the loyalty for a nation or to personal
beliefs, we must be both trustworthy and pleasant, so that we may maintain
balance to our thought, actions, and interaction with our surroundings.
