Chinese Zodiac in Chinese 生肖
shēngxiào
Chinese zodiac sign in Chinese is 生肖 (shēng xiào).
Also searched for as: zodiac animals, year of the dragon, chinese zodiac signs.
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The Chinese zodiac, 生肖 (shēng xiào), gives each year one of twelve animals in a repeating cycle, starting with the Rat, 鼠 (shǔ), and ending with the Pig, 猪 (zhū). Asking someone's sign is a friendly, indirect way to work out their age, and the key verb is 属 (shǔ), as in 我属虎 (wǒ shǔ hǔ), "I was born in the Year of the Tiger". The cycle follows the lunar calendar, so each new sign begins at Chinese New Year rather than on 1 January.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 生肖 | shēng xiào | Chinese zodiac sign |
| 属 | shǔ | to be born in the year of |
| 鼠 | shǔ | Rat |
| 牛 | niú | Ox |
| 虎 | hǔ | Tiger |
| 兔 | tù | Rabbit |
| 龙 | lóng | Dragon |
| 蛇 | shé | Snake |
| 马 | mǎ | Horse |
| 羊 | yáng | Goat |
| 猴 | hóu | Monkey |
| 鸡 | jī | Rooster |
| 狗 | gǒu | Dog |
| 猪 | zhū | Pig |
| 本命年 | běn mìng nián | your zodiac year |
Usage tips
- To ask someone's sign, say 你属什么？ (nǐ shǔ shén me?), and answer with 属 plus the animal, with no 是 needed: 我属龙 (wǒ shǔ lóng). Because signs repeat every twelve years, it's also a tactful way to guess someone's age without asking 你多大了 (nǐ duō dà le).
- 羊 (yáng) covers goat, sheep and ram, so you'll see the Year of the Goat, Sheep or Ram in English; in Chinese it's simply 羊年 (yáng nián). Likewise 鸡 (jī) is translated as Rooster, but people just say 属鸡 (shǔ jī).
- Your 本命年 (běn mìng nián), the year of your own sign, is traditionally thought to be unlucky, so many people wear something red, such as red socks, red underwear or a red string bracelet, for protection.
Common mistakes
- Saying 我是虎 (wǒ shì hǔ) for "I'm a Tiger" sounds as if you are an actual tiger → say 我属虎 (wǒ shǔ hǔ) or 我是虎年出生的 (wǒ shì hǔ nián chū shēng de).
- Assuming the sign changes on 1 January: someone born in January or early February usually belongs to the previous year's animal → check the date of the lunar new year in their birth year.
Mini dialogue
- A你属什么？Nǐ shǔ shén me?What's your zodiac sign?
- B我属兔。你呢？Wǒ shǔ tù. Nǐ ne?I'm a Rabbit. What about you?
- A我属龙，下一个龙年是我的本命年。Wǒ shǔ lóng, xià yī ge lóng nián shì wǒ de běn mìng nián.I'm a Dragon, so the next Dragon year is my zodiac year.
- B那你要穿红色的衣服！Nà nǐ yào chuān hóng sè de yī fu!Then you'd better wear red!
- A对，我妈妈已经给我买了红袜子。Duì, wǒ mā ma yǐ jīng gěi wǒ mǎi le hóng wà zi.Yes, my mum's already bought me red socks.
Example sentences
- 你的生肖是什么？What's your zodiac sign?
- 我属虎。I was born in the Year of the Tiger.
- 鼠是十二生肖的第一个。The Rat is the first of the twelve signs.
- 属牛的人很努力。People born in the Year of the Ox are hard-working.
- 2022年是虎年。2022 was the Year of the Tiger.
- 我妈妈属兔。My mum is a Rabbit.
- 龙年出生的孩子很多。Lots of babies are born in Dragon years.
- 蛇年快乐！Happy Year of the Snake!
- 祝你马年马到成功！Wishing you instant success in the Year of the Horse!
- 他属羊。He's a Goat.
- 属猴的人很聪明。People born in the Year of the Monkey are clever.
- 鸡年我二十四岁。I'll be 24 in the Year of the Rooster.
- 我爸爸属狗。My dad is a Dog.
- 猪是最后一个生肖。The Pig is the last zodiac sign.
- 本命年要穿红色。Wear red in your zodiac year.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The The Chinese zodiac speaking island has 8 everyday questions about The Chinese zodiac to prepare your own answers to.