The myth behind the Chinese zodiac - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen

TED-Ed
26 Jan 201704:23
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video script delves into the Chinese zodiac, known as shēngxiào, which assigns an animal sign to each birth year based on a mythical Great Race organized by the Jade Emperor. The story explains the order of the twelve animals, from the cunning Rat to the leisurely Pig, and how they secured their positions in the zodiac calendar. The script also explores the traditional Chinese calendar's structure, combining the Twelve Earthly Branches with the Ten Heavenly Stems to form a 60-year cycle known as the sexagenary cycle. It highlights how different cultures adapted the zodiac to reflect their own societies, such as the Vietnamese replacing the Rabbit with a Cat and Thailand substituting the Dragon with a Naga. The narrative emphasizes the zodiac's cultural significance over its individual predictive power.

Takeaways
  • 🎉 The Chinese zodiac, or shēngxiào, assigns an animal, or shǔxiàng, to each year based on one's birth year.
  • 🌟 The order of the zodiac animals is determined by a legendary race organized by the Jade Emperor, Yù Dì, to measure time.
  • 🏆 The rat secured the first place in the zodiac by tricking the ox, who had carried it across the river.
  • 🐉 The dragon, capable of flying, placed fifth due to stopping to help others, showcasing its compassionate nature.
  • 🐎 The horse was initially in the lead but was startled by the snake, allowing the snake to take the sixth place.
  • 🚣 The sheep, monkey, and rooster worked together on a raft, symbolizing teamwork and cooperation.
  • 🐕 The dog, an excellent swimmer, placed eleventh due to playfulness, which caused a delay in its race.
  • 🐷 The pig, who stopped to eat and nap, was the last to finish the race, earning the twelfth place in the zodiac.
  • 🔄 The Chinese calendar operates on a 60-year cycle, combining the Twelve Earthly Branches with the Ten Heavenly Stems and the five elements.
  • 🌐 The sexagenary cycle, or gānzhī, results from the combination of the Earthly Branches and the Heavenly Stems, creating different annual signs.
  • 🌈 The zodiac system has been adapted by other Asian cultures, such as Vietnam and Thailand, with modifications to reflect their unique cultural identities.
Q & A
  • What is the basis for determining one's sign in Western astrology?

    -In Western astrology, a person's sign is determined by the constellation associated with the date of their birthday.

  • What is the term used in the Chinese zodiac for the animal sign?

    -The term used in the Chinese zodiac for the animal sign is 'shǔxiàng'.

  • Who is the Jade Emperor in the context of the Great Race myth?

    -The Jade Emperor, also known as Yù Dì, is the Ruler of the Heavens who organized the Great Race to measure time.

  • How did the rat secure the first place in the Great Race according to the myth?

    -The rat secured the first place by jumping off the ox's head just as they were about to reach the other side of the river.

  • Why did the dragon not take the first place in the Great Race despite being able to fly?

    -The dragon did not take the first place because it stopped to help some creatures it encountered on the way, which delayed its arrival.

  • What is the significance of the Ten Heavenly Stems in the Chinese calendar system?

    -The Ten Heavenly Stems, or tiāngān, are linked with the five classical elements and the concept of yīn and yáng, creating a ten-year cycle in the Chinese calendar system.

  • How is the 60-year cycle, known as the sexagenary cycle, formed in the traditional Chinese calendar?

    -The sexagenary cycle is formed by matching the twelve animals of the Earthly Branches with the ten combinations of the Heavenly Stems, resulting in 60 different combinations.

  • What is the significance of the 1980 and 2007 birth years in the Chinese zodiac?

    -Someone born in 1980 would have the sign of yáng metal monkey, while someone born in 2007 would be yīn fire pig, reflecting the sexagenary cycle.

  • How can one's birth month, date, and hour influence their animal signs in the Chinese zodiac system?

    -In addition to the annual animal sign, one can have an inner animal based on their birth month, a true animal based on their birth date, and a secret animal based on their birth hour.

  • How do other Asian cultures adapt the Chinese zodiac to reflect their own communities?

    -Other cultures, such as those in Vietnam and Thailand, make changes to the zodiac animals to reflect their own cultural identities, such as replacing the rabbit with a cat in Vietnam and the dragon with a Naga in Thailand.

  • What does the zodiac say about an individual according to the script?

    -While the zodiac may not necessarily predict individual traits, it reveals much about the culture from which it originates.

  • Why did the horse come in fifth place in the Great Race myth?

    -The horse came in fifth place because it was startled by the snake that slithered by just as the horse was crossing the river, causing it to rear back and allowing the snake to sneak into sixth place.

Outlines
00:00
🐭 Introduction to the Chinese Zodiac

The Chinese zodiac, known as shēngxiào, assigns an animal sign to each birth year. The order of the animals is determined by the Great Race myth, where the Jade Emperor organized a contest for the twelve animals to cross a river. The rat, with the help of the ox, secured the first place, followed by the ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, horse, snake, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The cycle repeats every 60 years, combining the Twelve Earthly Branches with the Ten Heavenly Stems and the five elements, creating a sexagenary cycle. The zodiac also varies in other Asian cultures, such as the Vietnamese zodiac featuring a cat instead of a rabbit.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Western Astrology
Western Astrology is a system of belief that suggests a person's character and events in their life are influenced by the positions of celestial bodies at the time of their birth. It is based on the zodiac, which is a circle of twelve 30-degree divisions of celestial longitude that are centered upon the ecliptic: the apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. In the provided script, Western Astrology is mentioned to contrast with the Chinese zodiac, highlighting the different cultural approaches to astrology.
💡Chinese Zodiac
The Chinese Zodiac, also known as Sheng Xiao, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year cycle. It is an integral part of Chinese culture and is used for fortune telling and determining one's characteristics. The script describes the myth of the Great Race, which is a popular story explaining the order of the animals in the Chinese zodiac.
💡Shǔxiàng
Shǔxiàng is the Chinese term for the 'birth animal' or 'Chinese zodiac animal' sign. It is the animal that supposedly represents a person, based on their birth year, as part of the Chinese zodiac. The script explains that the Shǔxiàng is determined by the animal assigned to the year one is born, which is a central concept in the Chinese zodiac system.
💡Great Race
The Great Race is a mythological story from Chinese culture that explains the order of the animals in the Chinese zodiac. According to the story, the Jade Emperor organized a race for the animals, and the first twelve to cross the river would be included in the zodiac in the order they finished. The script uses this story to illustrate the cultural significance and the sequence of the animals in the Chinese zodiac.
💡Jade Emperor
The Jade Emperor, known as Yù Dì in Chinese, is a legendary ruler of the heavens in Chinese mythology. He is often depicted as the supreme deity in the celestial hierarchy. In the context of the script, the Jade Emperor is the organizer of the Great Race that determined the order of the Chinese zodiac animals.
💡Earthly Branches
The Earthly Branches, or Shí'èrzhī, are a traditional Chinese system of time measurement that is part of the Chinese calendar. They are a series of twelve divisions corresponding to the twelve years of the Chinese zodiac cycle. The script explains that the animals of the zodiac are associated with the Earthly Branches, which, when combined with the Heavenly Stems, form the basis of the 60-year sexagenary cycle.
💡Heavenly Stems
The Heavenly Stems, or Tiāngān, are part of the Chinese calendar system and are used alongside the Earthly Branches to form a sexagenary cycle. There are ten Heavenly Stems, each associated with one of the five classical elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth) and the yin or yang aspect. The script describes how the Heavenly Stems interact with the Earthly Branches to create the 60-year cycle known as the Gan Zhi.
💡Sexagenary Cycle
The Sexagenary Cycle, or Gan Zhi, is a 60-year cycle used in the Chinese calendar system. It is formed by combining the ten Heavenly Stems with the twelve Earthly Branches, each associated with an animal sign and an element. The script explains that this cycle is significant in Chinese astrology and is used to determine the characteristics of a person's birth year.
💡Inner Animal
In the context of the Chinese zodiac, an 'Inner Animal' refers to a secondary animal sign that is believed to influence a person's character or destiny, based on their birth month. The script mentions that in addition to the Shǔxiàng, which is determined by the birth year, one can also have an inner animal, a true animal based on the birth date, and a secret animal based on the birth hour.
💡True Animal
A 'True Animal' in the Chinese zodiac system is another layer of animal sign that is believed to influence an individual, this one based on the specific date of birth. As mentioned in the script, along with the Inner Animal and the Secret Animal, the True Animal adds another dimension to the astrological profile of a person in the context of Chinese astrology.
💡Secret Animal
The 'Secret Animal' is a concept within the Chinese zodiac that is determined by the hour of one's birth. It is considered to be a hidden influence on a person's character and destiny. The script briefly touches on this concept, suggesting that it is part of the intricate system of Chinese astrology that goes beyond the well-known animal sign associated with the birth year.
💡Cultural Reflection
Cultural Reflection refers to the way in which beliefs, practices, and narratives of a culture are mirrored or represented in its systems, such as the zodiac. The script highlights that while the Chinese zodiac is a system of astrology, it also reveals much about the culture it originates from, including how it has been adapted in other Asian cultures, like the Vietnamese zodiac with the cat or the Thai zodiac with the Naga.
Highlights

Western astrology associates signs with constellations based on birthdates, while Chinese zodiac (shēngxiào) assigns an animal (shǔxiàng) to birth years.

The Chinese zodiac is determined by a mythological Great Race organized by Yù Dì, the Jade Emperor.

Twelve animals participated in the race, with the first twelve to cross the river earning a spot on the zodiac calendar.

The rat, being small, cleverly secured first place by jumping off the ox's head just before the finish line.

The ox, who helped the rat, came in second, followed by the powerful tiger in third place.

The rabbit, too small to swim against the current, used its agility to hop across stones and logs to finish fourth.

The dragon, capable of flying, chose to help others and finished fifth.

The snake managed to sneak into sixth place by startling the horse into rearing back.

The sheep, monkey, and rooster worked together on a raft, with the sheep being the most comforting and thus awarded eighth place.

The dog, a great swimmer, came in eleventh but delayed by frolicking in the water.

The pig, who stopped to eat and nap, claimed the final spot on the zodiac by waddling across the finish line last.

Each year is associated with one of the twelve animals in the order they finished the race, with a 60-year cycle restarting the sequence.

The 60-year cycle is due to the combination of the Twelve Earthly Branches with the Ten Heavenly Stems and the five classical elements.

The Ten Heavenly Stems are linked with the five elements and yīn or yáng, creating a ten-year cycle.

The traditional Chinese calendar combines the Earthly Branches with the Heavenly Stems to form a sexagenary cycle.

Individuals can have an inner animal based on their birth month, a true animal based on their birth date, and a secret animal based on their birth hour.

The Great Race myth and the zodiac system have been adapted by other Asian cultures, such as Vietnam and Thailand, with their unique animal signs.

The zodiac system reflects the culture it originates from and can reveal much about the community's values and beliefs.

Transcripts
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