the great race: chinese zodiac signs & symbols - · pdf filethe great race: chinese zodiac...

The Great Race: Chinese Zodiac Signs & Symbols

This publication is more than just another collection of drawings, which I've produced, during September

and October 2014.

I hope those who look at this publication enjoy...

the Ancient Story from China the "Doodles" I've created to tell the story. the additional information I've discovered while I researched the Chinese Zodiac Signs and Symbols. the black and white drawings for anyone to colour the daily Jigsaws that I will also create in time (http://www.acljohn.com/jigsaw.php)

Note: I also feel this publication can be used by parents, teachers etc., to get learners to discuss how the

different animals must have felt at different times during the story. Comparing it to day to day life etc.

http://www.acljohn.com/jigsaw.php

John Dalziel The Great Race: Chinese Zodiac Signs & Symbols 10/12/2014

Created using MindMeister 2

Contents 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 4

2 In the beginning... ........................................................................................................................................................... 6

3 It should be noted that... ................................................................................................................................................ 7

4 Yes, you guessed... .......................................................................................................................................................... 8

5 After Ox came ... ............................................................................................................................................................. 9

6 Suddenly, from a distance............................................................................................................................................. 10

7 In 5th place... ................................................................................................................................................................. 11

8 As soon as the Dragon had been added... .................................................................................................................... 12

9 Yes, as expected... ......................................................................................................................................................... 13

10 Not long after the horse claimed 7th place... ........................................................................................................... 14

11 Were you right? ........................................................................................................................................................ 15

12 Yes, obviously... ......................................................................................................................................................... 16

13 The 11th animal was... .............................................................................................................................................. 17

14 Just as the Jade Emperor was about to call it a day... .............................................................................................. 18

15 Inner animals ............................................................................................................................................................. 19

16 True animals .............................................................................................................................................................. 20

17 Secret animals ........................................................................................................................................................... 21

18 Data & Images to colour ........................................................................................................................................... 22

18.1 Jade Emperor ........................................................................................................................................................ 23

18.2 1: Rat ..................................................................................................................................................................... 24

18.3 2: Ox ...................................................................................................................................................................... 25

18.4 3: Tiger .................................................................................................................................................................. 26

18.5 4: Rabbit ................................................................................................................................................................ 27

18.6 5:Dragon ................................................................................................................................................................ 28

18.7 6: Snake ................................................................................................................................................................. 29

18.8 7: Horse ................................................................................................................................................................. 30

18.9 8: Goat ................................................................................................................................................................... 31

18.10 9: Monkey ......................................................................................................................................................... 32

18.11 10: Rooster ........................................................................................................................................................ 33

18.12 11: Dog .............................................................................................................................................................. 34

18.13 12: Pig ................................................................................................................................................................ 35

19 Useful links ................................................................................................................................................................ 36

20 Copyright + ................................................................................................................................................................ 36



1 Introduction In Chinese astrology the animal signs, assigned by year, represent...

either what others perceive you as being or how you present yourself.

Note: The table below, is provided to help readers find which year they were born under

It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs and many western

descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system.

In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by...

month (called inner animals), day (called true animals) and hours (called secret animals).

While a person might appear to be a Dragon because they were born in the year of the Dragon, they might

also be a Snake internally, an Ox truly, and a Goat secretively.

I've added the Inner, true and secret animals to each "Doodle" of the Chinese Astrological Year; plus some bits

that will link to other stories e.g. Jack and the Bean stalk, the Tiger that came to tea etc.



2 In the beginning...

...the Jade Emperor called a meeting and decreed that...

"the years used for the Chinese calendar will be named after each animal in the order that they

arrive at the meeting!"



3 It should be noted that...

...the Cat and Rat were, at that time, the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom.

Although they were poor swimmers, they were both quite intelligent.

Why is this important? Well to get to the meeting called by the Jade Emperor, they had to cross a

river to reach the meeting place.

Cat and Rat decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of Ox.

Ox, being naïve and good-natured, agreed to carry them both across.

Now for the unpleasant bit! Midway across the river...

Rat pushed Cat into the water.

Then, as Ox neared the other side of the river...

Rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first.

So he, the Rat, claimed first place in the competition and the zodiac.



4 Yes, you guessed...

RAT was closely followed by the strong Ox who was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac.



5 After Ox came ...

Tiger; he was panting as he explained to the Jade Emperor how difficult it was to cross the river

with the heavy currents pushing them downstream all the time.

Anyhow, with its powerful strength, Tiger made it to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the

cycle.



6 Suddenly, from a distance...

...came a thumping sound, and the Rabbit arrived.

Rabbit explained how it had crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble

fashion.

Halfway through, it almost lost the race, but the Rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a

floating log that later washed him to shore.

As a result, Rabbit became the 4th animal in the Zodiac cycle.



7 In 5th place...

…was, the Flying Dragon.

Yes, of course, the Jade Emperor was deeply curious as to why a swift flying creature such as the

Dragon should fail to reach first place.

The mighty Dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and

creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back.

Then, on his way to the finish, he saw a little helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log so he did a good

deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore.

The Jade Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the Dragon, and he was added into the

zodiac cycle.



8 As soon as the Dragon had been added...

...a galloping sound was heard, and the Horse appeared.

No, he wasn't next!

Hidden on the Horse's hoof was the Snake, whose sudden appearance gave the Horse a fright,

thus making it fall back and giving the Snake the 6th spot!



9 Yes, as expected...

...the Horse was placed 7th.



10 Not long after the horse claimed 7th place...

...a little distance away, the Goat, Monkey, and Rooster came to the shore.

All three creatures had helped each other to get to the meeting place.

The Rooster had spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it.

Together, the Goat and the Monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft

to the shore.

Because of their combined efforts, the Jade Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the

Goat as the 8th creature.



11 Were you right?

The Monkey was named in 9th place.



12 Yes, obviously...

...the Rooster was named 10th.



13 The 11th animal was...

the Dog.

Although he was supposed to be the best swimmer, he couldn't resist the temptation to play a

little longer in the river.

To be fair, Dog's explanation for being late was...

"I needed a good bath!"

As a result, he almost didn't make it to the finish line.



14 Just as the Jade Emperor was about to call it a day...

...an oink and squeal was heard from a little Pig.

The Pig was late because he had got hungry during the race.

He'd stopped for a feast and then fell asleep.

After the nap, the Pig continued the race and was indeed named the 12th animal of the zodiac

cycle.

What happened to the cat? Sadly Cat drowned in 13th place and did not make it into the zodiac.

It is for that is for that reason...

Cats always chase Rats!

Chasing Rats to punish them for what the Rat had done to Cat.

THE END

Return to Contents…



15 Inner animals

Note: The Calendar is for 2015 but the Date Range remains the same each year.




16 True animals

Note: The Calendar is for 2015 but the True Animals remain the same for the Day of the Week,

not the Year.




17 Secret animals

The 24 hour clock shows the 2 hours blocks associated with the Secret Animals, every day!




18 Data & Images to colour



18.1 Jade Emperor

Jade Emperor called a meeting and decreed that the years used for the Chinese calendar would be named after each animal in

the order they arrived to the meeting




18.2 1: Rat

Rat – 鼠 (子) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water)

Month (inner animals), Dec 7 to Jan 5

day (true animals) Thursday

hours (secret animals). 23:00 to 00:59




18.3 2: Ox

Ox – 牛 (丑) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Water)

Month (inner animals), Jan 6 to Feb 3

day (true animals) Saturday

hours (secret animals) 01:00 to 02:59




18.4 3: Tiger

Tiger – 虎 (寅) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood)

Month (inner animals), Feb 4 to Mar 5






18.5 4: Rabbit

Rabbit – 兔 or 兎 (卯) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood)

Month (inner animals), Mar 6 to Apr 4

day (true animals) Friday





18.6 5:Dragon

Dragon – 龍 / 龙 (辰) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood)

Month (inner animals), Apr 5 to May 4

day (true animals) Tuesday





18.7 6: Snake

Snake – 蛇 (巳) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire)

Month (inner animals), May 5 to Jun 5






18.8 7: Horse

Horse – 馬 / 马 (午) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire)

Month (inner animals), Jun6 to July 6

day (true animals) Wednesday





18.9 8: Goat

Goat – 羊 (未) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Fire)

Month (inner animals), July 7 to Aug 6

day (true animals) Monday





18.10 9: Monkey

Monkey – 猴 (申) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal)

Month (inner animals), Aug 7 to Sept 7

day (true animals) Sunday





18.11 10: Rooster

Rooster – 雞 / 鸡 (酉) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal)

Month (inner animals), Sept 8 to Oct 7






18.12 11: Dog

Dog – 狗 / 犬 (戌) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Metal)

Month (inner animals), Oct 8 to Nov 6






18.13 12: Pig

Pig – 豬 / 猪 (亥) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water)

Month (inner animals), Nov 7 to Dec 6

day (true animals) Thursday





19 Useful links

ACLjohn's Doodles - http://www.acljohn.com/acljohns-doodles.php ACLjohn's Flipsnacks - http://www.flipsnack.com/ACLjohn/ (interactive on-line publications)


20 Copyright +

All the pictures shown in this ACLjohn publication have been created by John Dalziel.

They were produced using...

Aquafine Watercolour Postcards (Daler Rowney) and Cotman Water Colour Postcards ( Winsor & Newton) uni pin fine line drawing pens and Letraset ProMarker Set 1 (12 +1 pens) Spectrum noir Professional Alcohol Markers

mailto:[email protected]


http://www.acljohn.com/acljohns-doodles.php

http://www.flipsnack.com/ACLjohn/

mailto:[email protected]

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