12 animals

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.