Chinese Zodiac, Research Paper Example

Introduction

Everyone is familiar with the regular zodiac which some people live their lives by in theory, some people follow it because of the compatibility in possibly finding a soul mate. Aquarius, Libra, Taurus and Cancer are just a few of the zodiac signs everyone knows. Now, the Chinese zodiac has different rules, different animals, different signs as well as a difference in origin. The Chinese zodiac is one of the most interesting pieces of history in the known world, few people know of its origin or the animals that exist on it.

Origin

The Chinese zodiac was first created back in ancient China in the Hans Dynasty, 202 BC-220A.D, the story starts with a cat and a rat who was looking to get an audience with the Jade Emperor via race. The Emperor who was already familiar with several kinds of animals, made a proclamation that the 12 animals that has crossed the river to get to his palace have a place on the calendar to celebrate their divine status. Ayers (2014) points out that the Chinese zodiac has been around for ages, and it has dictated the lives of some people such as personality traits (Ayers, 2014, pg.1) Make no mistake, the Chinese zodiac has 12 animals of divine status but there is supposed to be a 13^th animal which was supposed to be the Cat but due to an unfortunate accident on behalf of the cat, it never made it into the Chinese zodiac. Ironically, the Cat started the race to the Jade Emperor’s palace, but did not make it to the Chinese zodiac.

The Importance of the Chinese Zodiac

People who are familiar with the Chinese zodiac tend to not take it as seriously as they would the regular zodiac, it is not surprising that some people are ignorant to the Chinese zodiac. To most, it is just an intricate part of history that bares no real importance; quite the contrary. The Chinese zodiac exists on the rotation of the moon which basically details when the next animal of the next year is going to be, one year it could be the year of the rat, or the year of the dog or even the year of the rooster; it solely depends on the axis on which the moon rotates. Generally, Chinese astrologers compare and contrast the element with the animal that is next up on the New Year chart. According to Chinese folklore, people have the possibility of having a good year or a bad one based on what the astrology chart says. Romero (2009) reports that the Chinese zodiac is a big part of who people are to how they will act or the amount of good and bad luck that they will have, it is something that most people should study but not take too seriously (Romero, 2009, pg.1) In the Chinese culture, a lot of the Chinese people and descendants still wholeheartedly believe in some superstitions that exist in their culture today. For example, the Chinese believe that if a couple are 4-7 years apart in age, they are likely to break up because only those who are close together in age can stay together. There are a lot more superstitions that the Chinese culture believe is the centerfold of their lives, another factor is that some Chinese believe that it is bad luck to have a baby during the year of the rooster because the couple is likely to have some complications during the pregnancy. It can be said the superstition associated with the Chinese zodiac have given the Chinese culture an excuse to always play it safe, it is rumoredthat Chinese women will not go out with or date a guy who was born under the year of the Rat or Dragon; these kinds of superstitions are very sacred to their culture and the importance of it is meaningful on a grand scale.

Chinese Zodiac vs. Personality

Ironically, people’s actions and behaviors dictate their personality; it is an incontrovertible act of people’s existence. However, it can be said that those who are born under the sign of the monkey or born during the year of the dog are likely to display traits relative to that animal. For example, kids who were born in 2007 was born during the year of the Pig. People born under this sign are likely to exhibit behavior traits such as a non-competitiveness in sports or other fun activities, sincerity which is valued highly in today’s society. However, if they were born under the year of the Sheep then they are respected and noticed for their good mannerisms, but chided for their irresponsibility as well as insecurity. Chiu (2014) reports that unbeknownst to people, the Chinese Zodiac can and has given people a look into their own lives and the personality traits that go with it (Chiu, 2014, pg.1). It is not odd in the least bit for a person to be born under one sign of a year but show complete opposite behavior, it is almost to the point where people are not really tying their belief to the Chinese zodiac to their behaviors. Rinpoche (2014) points out that the Chinese zodiac tells a lot of people about themselves and their traits, it is a known fact that people can easily compare themselves to the animal on the Chinese zodiac (Rinpoche, 2014, pg.1). Each Chinese Zodiac animal has an element, the element and the animals’ behavior are what makes up a person’s personality traits. Case in point, Amber is a 20-year-old-girl who has always had a knack for getting whatever she wanted. She shows aggression, intelligence and calm when it comes to figuring out how to get what she wants. Amber was born January 9^th 1989, 1989 is the year of the snake. Amber is who she is because she was born under this sign which has given her the mentality and personality to get what she wants when she wants it, people born under the year of the snake is very intelligent. People born under certain Chinese zodiac signs are usually bestowed good luck for that year.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Chinese zodiac has come from very humble and interesting beginnings. People’s behavior patterns and their destinies for the next year or few years are likely to make them think that they are in for a lot of good fortune, it is this same belief that drives people to believe that the entire year is going to go in their favor. However, the Chinese culture believes that there are certain things that people should not do during specific years lest they meet with misfortune themselves. Ironically, karma usually dictates how much good and bad luck a person has which can coincidentally leave them wondering how much luck they will have that year. Some people also believe that the Chinese zodiac can foretell certain things such as the economy picking up because it is the year of the Dog which ensures that the economy will be more than stable enough to help people get jobs, and live their lives comfortably. There are certain superstitions that the Chinese believe should never be challenged such as if it is the year of the Ox then it is a bad year to continue a person’s education, they believe that it is mandatory to act accordingly when living by the Chinese Zodiac. However, the Chinese Zodiac has told people how to live for generations and that includes what year is good for whatever the person wants to do, it is a very strict regimen that people in the Chinese culture follow because they are very superstitious about that. Ironically, there are people who see the Chinese zodiac as the beginning and end which drives other people to believe that the Chinese zodiac is nonsense. Make no mistake, the Chinese zodiac is as very much important as the regular zodiac and just as historical. The elements associated with that animal is another part that details who a person is and why they do the things that they do. Overall, the Chinese zodiac is a big part of people’s history and there is much to learn from it because it can teach us about ourselves as well as our futures. It can argued that even though the Chinese zodiac is important, it should not be taken seriously.

Works Cited Page

Ayers, Reece. “The Great Race – Origins of the Chinese Zodiac.” Immer Qi. 28 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://www.immerqi.com/article/great-race-origin-chinese-zodiac-new-year-china>.

Chiu, Lisa. “The Origins of the Chinese Zodiac It’s More than Just Your Sign.” About News. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://chineseculture.about.com/od/chinesesuperstitions/a/Chinesezodiac.htm>

Rinpoche, Tsem. “The Chinese Zodiac.” Tsemrinpoche.com. 14 Jan. 2014. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://www.tsemrinpoche.com/tsem-tulku-rinpoche/horoscopes/the-chinese-zodiac.html>.

Romero, Frances. “A Brief History of the Chinese Zodiac.” Time. 25 Jan. 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2014. <http://content.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1873900,00.html>.