Chinese Calendar and Chinese Zodiac

Ms. Grant's 2nd graders in Browning, MT expressed interest in the Chinese Calendar so I (Natalie) decided to do a little bit of research.  Please enjoy this information on the 24 Solar Terms and the Chinese Zodiac.

24 Solar Terms (Jie Qi)

In Chinese culture, the calendar year is divided up into 24 phases or terms based on the Earth's orbit around the sun.  Basically, it's like dividing each month into two phases.  The terms were first created as an agricultural guide in Ancient China and are still used today.

Please enjoy these photos of the 24 solar terms from Guiyang No. 4's playground:

lìchūn - Start of Spring - February 4 

yǔshuǐ - Rain Water - February 19

jīngzhé - Awakening of Insects - March 6

chūnfēn - Vernal Equinox - March 21

qīngmíng - Clear and Bright, Tomb Sweeping - April 5

gǔyǔ - Grain Rain - April 20

lìxià - Start of Summer - May 6

xiǎomǎn - Grain Full - May 21

mángzhòng - Grain in Ear - June 6

xiàzhì - Summer Solstice - June 21

xiǎoshǔ - Minor Heat - July 7

dàshǔ - Major Heat - July 23

lìqiū - Start of Autumn - August 8

chǔshǔ - Limit of Heat - August 23

báilù - White Dew - September 8

qiūfēn - Autumnal Equinox - September  23

hánlù - Cold Dew - October 8

shuāngjiàng - Frost Descent - October 23

lìdōng - Start of Winter - November 7

xiǎoxuě - Minor Snow - November 22

dàxuě - Major Snow - December 7

dōngzhì - Winter Solstice - December 22

xiǎohán - Minor Cold - January 6

dàhán - Major Cold - January 20

The Chinese zodiac, or Sheng Xiao, is based on a 12-year cycle.  Each year corresponds with an animal.  I asked the 6th graders to list the animals in order and here's what they told me:

Here's a picture showing the years for each animal.  I'm the Monkey!  Can you find your animal?

Most of the 6th graders at No. 4 are Dragons (2000) or Snakes (2001).

It is believed that the year of birth corresponds with the characteristics of each animal.  
These illustrations are from the China Travel Guide's website, I thought they were too cute!

spirited, witty, alert	simple, honest, straightforward	brave, forceful, powerful	gentle, sensitive, compassionate	honorable, successful, lucky	good tempered, mysterious
energetic, bright, warm-hearted, intelligent	polite, clever, kind - hearted	lively, versatile, quick-witted, clever	punctual, honest, ambitious	faithful, courageous, good leaders	honest, frank, calm

Some say the order of the animals corresponds to a time of day that the animals are most active.  From Wikipedia:

• Rat (Zishi): 23:00 to 00:59. This is the time when Rats are most active in seeking food. Rat also have a different number of digits on front and hind legs, thus earning Ratthe symbol of "turn over" or "new start".

• Ox (Choushi): 01:00 to 02:59. This is the time when Oxen begin to chew the cud slowly and comfortably.

• Tiger (Yinshi): 03:00 to 04:59. This is the time when Tigers hurt their prey more and show their ferocity.

• Rabbit (Maoshi): 05:00 to 06:59. This is the time when the Jade Rabbit is busy pounding herbal medicine on the Moon according to the tale.

• Dragon (Chenshi): 07:00 to 08:59. This is the time when Dragons are hovering in the sky to give rain.

• Snake (Sishi): 09:00 to 10:59. This is the time when Snakes are leaving their caves.

• Horse (Wushi): 11:00 to 12:59. This is the time when the sun is high overhead and while other animals are lying down for a rest, Horses are still standing.

• Goat (Weishi): 13:00 to 14:59. This is the time when Goats eat grass and urinate frequently.

• Monkey (Shenshi): 15:00 to 16:59. This is the time when Monkeys are lively.

• Rooster (Youshi): 17:00 to 18:59. This is the time when Roosters begin to go back to their coops.

• Dog (Xushi): 19:00 to 20:59. This is the time when Dogs begin to carry out their duty of guarding the houses.

• Pig (Haishi): 21:00 to 22:59. This is the time when Pigs are sleeping sweetly.

Very Interesting!

The 6th graders at No. 4 also tole me there was a story behind the order.  The mouse (rat) is the first because it is the fastest.  With a little digging, I found this story from the Travel China Guide's website:


This is the most widespread legend about Chinese zodiac. The Jade Emperor (The Emperor in Heaven in Chinese folklore) ordered that animals would be designated as calendar signs and the twelve that arrived first would be selected. At that time, the cat and the rat were good friends and neighbors. When they heard of this news, the cat said to the rat: 'We should arrive early to sign up, but I usually get up late.' The rat then promised to awaken his friend and go together. However, on the morning when he got up, he was too excited to recall his promise, and went directly to the gathering place. On the way, he encountered the tiger, ox, horse, and other animals that ran much faster. In order not to fall behind them, he thought up a good idea. He made the straightforward ox carry him on condition that he sang for the ox. At last, the ox and him arrived first. The ox was happy thinking that he would be the first sign of the years, but the rat had already slid in front, and became the first lucky animal of the Chinese zodiac. Meanwhile his neighbor the cat was too late so when it finally arrived, the selection was over. That's why other animals appear behind the little rat and why the cat hates the rat so much that every time they meet, the cat will chase and kill it.

I enjoy this explanation of the cat and mouse rivalry!!!

I hope you enjoyed learning about the Chinese Calendar and Zodiac.  This is just an overview, there is a lot of information out there if you wish to read more on the solar terms or about the characteristics of your animal.

Natalie