Lesson 7 - Chinese zodiac and giant panda Flashcards
What is Chinese zodiac?
Unlike the Western zodiac, which is a 12-month cycle, the Chinses zodiac is a 12 YEAR cycle and is based on 12 animals, called shi er sheng xiao
What is the first animal in the Chinese zodiac?
老鼠 (lao shu) - rat, mouse
What is the last animal in the Chinese zodiac?
猪 (zhu) - pig, boar
What year are we in for the Chinese zodiac?
兔子 (tu zi) - rabbit, hare
What is the Chinese zodiac based off?
The Chinese zodiac is based on the lunar calendar, so the first day of the Chinese year is not the first of January as on the calendar we use today
Why do we use these 12 animals?
Long ago, people did not know how to count the years so they asked the Jade Emperor, 玉皇大帝 (Yùhuángdàdì) for help. The Jade Emperor decided to hold a race through a forest and across a river on his birthday with all the animals as competitors and decreed that each other the first 12 would have a year named after it
What happened between the rat, cat and ox?
At the time, the rat and cat were good friends so they decided to help each other. Worrying, that they might sleep in, they asked the ox, who was an early riser, for help. When the ox was crossing the river, the rat woke up and realised that the cat, who was a fast runner, would certainly come first, so he pushed the cat into the river. The cat finally arrived while the 12 victorious animals were celebrating. When he found out that he was too late he tried to catch the rat for revenge and that’s why cats, to this day like to catch rats and mice to eat
What does the giant panda eat and what special adaptation does it have?
It’s diet mainly consists of bamboo
The panda developed a special sixth digit on it’s paws to help it grab and hold the young bamboo shoots
What is the legend about pandas?
There is a legend about why pandas have black fur surrounding their eyes. Once, a shepherd sacrificed his life rescuing a young panda from being eaten by a leopard. The pandas held a ceremony to honour the heroic shepherd and they were so sad during the ceremony that they wept until the tears stained the fur surrounding their eyes, and the stain still remains today.
