Chinese zodiacOrder of the table

One is the zodiac is arranged in the folk legend story.

Han Chinese folk story: choose twelve animals as the shaft yellow emperor palace guards, catThe mouseRegistration, mice to forget, as a result, the cat is not elected, from now on with rat poison.Elephants to compete, also be the mouse into the nose, give away, the rest of the animal, originally headed by pushing cattle, mice are to the back of a bull, pig also follow the input, so the mice first, pork chop at last.Tiger and dragon refuses, blocked is the king in Wang Hehai of mountains, in the rat and the back of the cattle.The rabbitAnd refuse to obey, and the dragon race, which resulted in the front of the dragon.Bitten by a dog is uneven, in a pet rabbit, was sent off in the penultimate.Snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken also after a battle, scheduled to the position, and finally formed the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, pig order.Legend is not scientific explanation to the question, but it reflects the people want to explain the choice of the Chinese zodiac.

2 it is the ancient Chinese scholars from ancient times of day and night 12:00 of Angle explanation and shaw beast relation.

If dark, chaotic, a rat, when nearly midnight comes out, the chaotic state after bite out of the gap between heaven and earth, "the mouse bite Open Day", so the fruitBelong to the rat.Days after opening, and then to disprove, "monarch in ugly", cattle farming, the thing is the monarch, so uglyBelong to cow.YinShi is that people are born, life and death, kill people than a tiger, Yin, and fear, so the YinA tiger.MaoShi, as for the sunrise, the sun should be from sticks and the Numbers of fire, which contains Yin hexagram, jade is the essence of the sun or the moon rabbit, in this way, the frameThe rabbit.Are the march Numbers, it comes as pawns the rain season.Calvin naturally belong to the dragon.Third, April Numbers, on the occasion of spring grass luxuriant, it is a day of snake, is like fish to water.SiShi, moreover, for the morning, at that time the snake is belong to the hole, as a result, the thirdA snake.Noon, afternoon, the sun be the spirit to the extreme, Yin qi is initiation.This animal, run run, hooves, suspension, but from time to time step.Fly to shenyang, tread to Yin, horse jump between Yin and Yang, so become the sixth mutually.Sheep, in the afternoon to eat grass as the best time, easy to become fat, at this point is at the seventh hour, did notBelong to the sheep.Not after ShenShi, is nearly xishan apes crow hour, and monkeys like to arm jumping at this time, so the monkey ".Unitary out for the moon, the moon belongs to the water, should be the kangua.Yin hexagram the kangua, the up and down, while in the middle of the Yang hexagram represents the essence of the sun the sun.Because of this, the unitaryrooster.Night falls, it is for QuShi.Dog is a vigil of livestock, will become the dog with them.Then HaiShi that between heaven and earth and into a state of chaos, as fruit wrapping stone, HaiShi night covered everything in the world.Pigs are only know eat chaotic creatures, so pig is gived the animal sign.The famous song dynasty neo-confucianism zhu take that view.

3 it is according to the Chinese people believe the idea of Yin and Yang, the twelve animals is divided into two types of Yin and Yang, animal's Yin and Yang by the animal toes of odd-even varies scheduled.

Animal digit number is the same, commonly around the mouse alone is front feet four, five, after parity existed, scarcity value, ranked first, of course, followed by cattle, four-toed (even);Tiger, five fingers (odd);Rabbit, four-toed (even);Dragon, five fingers (odd);The snake, without toe (with me);The horse, a toe (odd);Sheep, four-toed (even);Monkey, five fingers (odd);Chicken, four-toed (even);Dogs, five fingers (odd);Pigs, four-toed (even).This claim is a poets in hong xun, Ming dynasty scholar LangYing based on its classification, in which the "seven fix type of draft Chinese zodiac" "gan next" is put forward, so don't when the number of digits of Yin and Yang.Rat is before four claws, even as the Yin, after five claws, odd for Yang.The second half of last night when the first half of the divided into Yin, divided into today's Yang, just use mouse to symbol.Four claws on cattle, sheep, pig, chicken, coupled with the lack of lip and four claws, rabbit snake tongue points, six people are supposed to even, belong to Yin, six earthly branches.Five tiger claw, monkeys, dogs also five claws, water chestnut and round regardless, six are odd, Yang, even belong to male rats, six other earthly branches.LangYing classification method, it is through the classification of flood happened, both the same.

All three of these explanations from different Angle to explain the arrangement of Chinese zodiac, folk stories about the legend of zodiac animals arranged very rich, the spread of these legends on the one hand, to enrich the content of the Chinese zodiac, on the other hand, promoted the Chinese zodiac culture heritage and development.The twelve zodiac animals is divided into two types of Yin and Yang, be included in the Chinese five elements of the concept of faith, the purpose is to connect the animal sign is associated with life yili, match of Yin and Yang, five elements and the Chinese zodiac, thus explain other relevant cultural phenomenon of life.