This great Chinese myth is like two fables in one. It tells the story of how the king of heaven created the Chinese zodiac, and it also tells the story about why cats hate mice.
很久很久以前，人们不知道今年是什么年。天上的王想帮他们。他说：”我要用动物的名字叫每一年。我要十二个动物，一个动物一年。”
他对动物们说：”明天早上，你们来我这里。谁先到，谁的年就是第一年。”
动物们都很高兴，都想去。
猫和老鼠是好朋友。猫说：”我爱睡觉。明天早上，你叫我，好吗？”
老鼠说：”好！”
但是第二天早上，老鼠没有叫猫。它一个人走了。
老鼠很小，跑得慢。它看见牛，就跳到牛的身上。牛不知道，一直往前跑。
牛跑得最快，第一个到了。这时候，老鼠从牛的身上跳下来，跑到了牛的前面。
所以，老鼠是第一，牛是第二。
老虎第三，兔子第四，龙第五，蛇第六，马第七，羊第八，猴子第九，鸡第十，狗第十一。
猪爱吃爱睡，来得最晚，是第十二。
那猫呢？
猫睡到中午才起来。它跑到天上的时候，十二个动物都有了。
猫非常非常生气。
所以，到今天，猫一看见老鼠，就要抓它。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 动物 | dòng wù | animal |
| 睡觉 | shuì jiào | to sleep |
| 第一 | dì yī | first |
| 跳 | tiào | to jump |
| 跑得快 | pǎo de5 kuài | to run fast |
| 身上 | shēn shàng | on (someone’s) body |
| 生气 | shēng qì | angry |
| 抓 | zhuā | to catch/grab |
| 最晚 | zuì wǎn | the latest |
| 好朋友 | hǎo péng yǒu | good friend |
| 很 | hěn | very; quite; (also, often used before an adjective without intensifying its meaning, i.e. as a meaningless syntactic element) |
| 久 | jǐu | (of a period of time) long |
| 以前 | yǐ qián | before; formerly; previous; ago |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 不知 | bù zhī | not to know; unaware; unknowingly; fig. not to admit (defeat, hardships, tiredness etc) |
| 道 | dào | road; path (CL:條|条[tiao2],股[gu3]); (bound form) way; reason; principle; (bound form) a skill; an art; a specialization; (Daoism) the Way; the Dao; to say (introducing a direct quot… |
| 今年 | jīn nián | this year |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 年 | Nián | surname Nian; grain; harvest (old); variant of 年[nian2] |
| 天上 | tiān shàng | the sky; the heavens |
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 王 | Wáng | surname Wang |
| 想 | xiǎng | to think (about); to think of; to devise; to think (that); to believe (that); to desire; to want (to); to miss (feel wistful about the absence of) |
| 帮 | bāng | old variant of 幫|帮[bang1]; to help; to assist; to support; for sb (i.e. as a help); hired (as worker); side (of pail, boat etc); outer layer; upper (of a shoe); group; gang; clique; party; secret society |
| 他 | tā | (third-person singular) (since the early 20th century, usu. male) he; him; his; (bound form) other; another; some other (as in 他日[ta1 ri4] and 他人[ta1 ren2]) |
| 说 | shuì | to persuade; variant of 說|说[shuo1] |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 要 | yāo | (bound form) to demand; to coerce |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 名字 | míng zi | name (of a person or thing) |
| 叫 | jiào | to shout; to call; to order; to ask; to be called; by (indicates agent in the passive mood); variant of 叫[jiao4] |
| 每 | měi | each; every |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 十二 | shí èr | twelve; 12 |
| 个 | gě | used in 自個兒|自个儿[zi4 ge3 r5]; variant of 個|个[ge4] |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 对 | duì | right; correct; towards; at; for; concerning; regarding; to treat (sb a certain way); to face; (bound form) opposite; facing; matching; to match together; to adjust; to fit; to sui… |
| 明天 | míng tiān | tomorrow |
| 早上 | zǎo shang | early morning; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 你 | nǐ | you (informal, as opposed to courteous 您[nin2]); you (Note: In Taiwan, 妳 is used to address females, but in mainland China, it is not commonly used. Instead, 你 is used to address both males and females.) |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 这里 | zhè lǐ | variant of 這裡|这里[zhe4 li3] |
| 谁 | shéi | who; also pr. [shui2] |
| 先 | xiān | beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 就是 | jìu shì | exactly; precisely; only; simply; just; (used correlatively with 也[ye3]) even; even if |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 高兴 | gāo xìng | happy; glad; willing (to do sth); in a cheerful mood |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 猫 | māo | cat (CL:隻|只[zhi1]); (dialect) to hide oneself; (loanword) (coll.) modem |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 老鼠 | lǎo shǔ | rat; mouse (CL:隻|只[zhi1]) |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 吗 | má | (coll.) what? |
| 但 | dàn | but; yet; however; still; merely; only; just |
| 第 | dì | (prefix indicating ordinal number, as in 第六[di4 liu4] "sixth"); (literary) grades in which successful candidates in the imperial examinations were placed; (old) residence of a high… |
| 二 | èr | two; 2; (Beijing dialect) stupid |
| 天 | tiān | day; sky; heaven |
| 没有 | méi yǒu | haven't; hasn't; doesn't exist; to not have; to not be |
| 它 | tā | it; it (pronoun for an animal) |
| 一个人 | yī gè rén | by oneself (without assistance); alone (without company) |
| 走 | zǒu | to walk; to go; to run; to move (of vehicle); to visit; to leave; to go away; to die (euph.); from; through; away (in compound verbs, such as 撤走[che4 zou3]); to change (shape, form… |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 小 | xiǎo | small; tiny; few; young |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 慢 | màn | slow |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 牛 | Níu | surname Niu |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 一直 | yī zhí | straight (in a straight line); continuously; always; all the way through |
| 往前 | wǎng qián | (in) the past; ahead; forward; in the future |
| 最 | zuì | variant of 最[zui4]; old variant of 最[zui4]; (before an adjective or verb) to the highest degree; (the) most ...; -est; (after 之[zhi1]) best or most extreme example (e.g. 世界之最[shi4 jie4 zhi1 zui4] "the greatest in the world") |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 到了 | dào liǎo | at last; finally; in the end |
| 这时 | zhè shí | at this time; at this moment |
| 候 | hòu | to wait; to inquire after; to watch; season; climate; (old) period of five days |
| 从 | cóng | variant of 從|从[cong2]; surname Cong |
| 下 | xià | down; downwards; below; lower; later; next (week etc); second (of two parts); to decline; to go down; to arrive at (a decision, conclusion etc); measure word to show the frequency … |
| 前面 | qián miàn | ahead; in front; preceding; above; also pr. [qian2 mian5] |
| 所以 | suǒ yǐ | therefore; as a result; so; the reason why |
| 老虎 | lǎo hǔ | tiger; CL:隻|只[zhi1] |
| 三 | Sān | surname San |
| 兔子 | tù zi | hare; rabbit; CL:隻|只[zhi1] |
| 四 | sì | four; 4 |
| 龙 | Lóng | surname Long |
| 五 | wǔ | five; 5 |
| 蛇 | shé | variant of 蛇[she2]; snake; serpent; CL:條|条[tiao2] |
| 六 | lìu | six; 6 |
| 马 | Mǎ | surname Ma; abbr. for Malaysia 馬來西亞|马来西亚[Ma3 lai2 xi1 ya4] |
| 七 | qī | seven; 7 |
| 羊 | Yáng | surname Yang |
| 八 | bā | eight |
| 猴 | hōu | monkey |
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 九 | jǐu | nine; 9 |
| 鸡 | jī | fowl; chicken; CL:隻|只[zhi1]; (slang) prostitute; variant of 雞|鸡[ji1] |
| 十 | shí | ten; 10 |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog; CL:隻|只[zhi1],條|条[tiao2] |
| 十一 | Shí Yī | PRC National Day (October 1st) |
| 猪 | zhū | hog; pig; swine; CL:口[kou3],頭|头[tou2] |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc); variant of 吃[chi1] |
| 睡 | shuì | to sleep; to lie down |
| 那 | Nā | surname Na |
| 呢 | ne | (sentence-final particle) used in questions to link back to prior discourse or context ("what about...?", "and...?"); (sentence-final particle) indicating that a state or situation… |
| 中 | Zhōng | (bound form) China; Chinese; surname Zhong |
| 午 | wǔ | 7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse; ancient Chinese compass point: 180° (south) |
| 才 | cái | ability; talent; sb of a certain type; a capable individual; then and only then; just now; (before an expression of quantity) only; (emphatic, esp. in contrast or correction) reall…; (variant of 才[cai2]) just now; (variant of 才[cai2]) (before an expression of quantity) only |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 有了 | yǒu le | I've got a solution!; to have a bun in the oven (abbr. for 有了胎[you3 le5 tai1]) |
| 非常 | fēi cháng | very; really; unusual; extraordinary |
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 就要 | jìu yào | will; shall; to be going to |
A long, long time ago, people didn’t know what year it was. The king in the sky wanted to help them. He said: ‘I will use the names of animals to name each year. I want twelve animals, one animal per year.’
He said to the animals: ‘Tomorrow morning, come to me. Whoever arrives first, their year will be the first year.’
The animals were all very happy, and they all wanted to go.
The cat and the mouse were good friends. The cat said: ‘I love sleeping. Tomorrow morning, will you wake me up, okay?’
The mouse said: ‘Sure!’
But the next morning, the mouse didn’t wake the cat. It went off by itself.
The mouse was very small and ran slowly. When it saw the ox, it jumped onto the ox’s back. The ox didn’t know, and kept running forward.
The ox ran the fastest and arrived first. At that moment, the mouse jumped down from the ox’s back and ran in front of the ox.
So, the mouse was first, and the ox was second.
The tiger was third, the rabbit fourth, the dragon fifth, the snake sixth, the horse seventh, the goat eighth, the monkey ninth, the rooster tenth, and the dog eleventh.
The pig loved eating and sleeping, and arrived the latest, so it was twelfth.
And the cat?
The cat slept until noon before waking up. By the time it ran up to the sky, all twelve animals were already chosen.
The cat was very, very angry.
So, to this day, whenever a cat sees a mouse, it wants to catch it.