The Chinese Zodiac Calendar

Posted by sasha 1 Comment
Jan 25 2012

One tradition associated with the Spring Festival that almost everyone knows about is the Chinese zodiac (生肖 – shēng xiào), a 12-year mathematical cycle that relates each year to an animal. Of course, there’s an interesting story in Chinese folklore that explains the order of the animals:

The Chinese Zodiac.

As the story goes, the gods decided to have a contest to see which animal could cross a river first. The winner would be first in the cycle, and then the next eleven would go in order. Seeing as how the rat was the smallest of the lot, the other animals figured he was a shoe-in for last place. When the race started, however, the clever rat hopped on the back of the ox. Just as the ox was about to jump onto the riverbank to claim victory, the rat leaped off of his back and stole the race. The tiger and the rabbit finished in third and fourth, respectively. Not surprisingly, the slow and lazy pig finished in dead last. Here’s the official listing of the animals in order:

  • Rat (鼠 – shǔ)
  • Ox (牛 – niú)
  • Tiger (虎 – hǔ)
  • Rabbit (兔 – tù)
  • Dragon (龙 – lóng)
  • Snake (蛇 – shé)
  • Horse (马 – mǎ)
  • Goat/sheep (羊 – yáng)
  • Monkey (猴 – hóu)
  • Rooster (鸡 – jī)
  • Dog (狗 – gǒu)
  • Pig (猪 – zhū)
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A funny animation about the race between the 12 animals (in Chinese with Chinese subtitles).

So, which animal are you? Here’s a chart with the Chinese zodiac and the years for each animal:

I'm an ox, how about you?

Each animal has distinct characteristics, and you will adopt those based on which year you were born in. Here is a short description of some of the traits associated with the 12 symbols of the zodiac.

As China follows a lunar calendar (阴历 – yīn lì), you have to check more specifically to see exactly which animal you are. The zodiac isn’t as simple as a 12-year cycle with 12 different animals, though. You also have to take into account the five elements (五行 – wǔ xíng):

  • Wood (木 – mù)
  • Fire (火 – huǒ)
  • Earth (土 – tǔ)
  • Metal (金 – jīn)
  • Water (水 – shuǐ)

Each of the five elements represents a planet: wood is Jupiter, metal is Venus, water is Mercury, fire is Mars, and earth is Saturn. The five elements are naturally occurring phenomena, and they are thought to have both a generating (生 – shēng) and an overcoming (克 – kè) influence on each other. For example, wood generates fire, while water overcomes fire.

How the five elements interact with each other.

The Yin and the Yang.

The Yin and the Yang.

In addition, you also have to consider the yin and yang (阴阳 – yīn yáng) form of each element. Since the cycle is divisible by two, each animal can only be either a yin or a yang – the rat, tiger, dragon, horse, monkey, and the dog represent yang, while the ox, rabbit, snake, goat, rooster, and the pig represent yin. When you combine the five elements with the yin and yang, you get the ten Heavenly Stems (天干 – tiān gān). These have no English translations, so the Chinese pinyin is usually used:

甲 乙 丙 丁 戊 己 庚 辛 壬 癸
jiǎ yǐ bǐng dīng wù jǐ gēng xīn rén guǐ
Jia Yi Bing Ding Wu Ji Geng Xin Ren Gui

As such, this creates a 60-year cycle – 5 elements times 12 animals. Confused yet? I know I am. Here’s an easy to follow guide that helps you understand the elements and their corresponding yin or yang:

  • If the year ends in 0 it is Yang Metal.
  • If the year ends in 1 it is Yin Metal.
  • If the year ends in 2 it is Yang Water.
  • If the year ends in 3 it is Yin Water.
  • If the year ends in 4 it is Yang Wood.
  • If the year ends in 5 it is Yin Wood.
  • If the year ends in 6 it is Yang Fire.
  • If the year ends in 7 it is Yin Fire.
  • If the year ends in 8 it is Yang Earth.
  • If the year ends in 9 it is Yin Earth.

Once again, you have to be careful when matching up dates on the Chinese calendar. This is basically only if you have a January or February birthday, as the actual Chinese New Year always falls during one of those months. As I was born on August 6, 1985, I’m an ox, and my birth year was Yin Wood. As 1985 was a year of Yin Wood Ox, that means the next year with such a description will happen in 2045 – 60 years later. Got it yet?

So what do you do with all of this information? Well, there is the Birth Chart (生辰八字 – shēng chén bā zì – lit. “the eight characters of birth time”), which are also commonly called the Four Pillars of Life (四柱命理学 – sì zhù mìng lǐ xué). The four pillars are the year, month, day, and hour of one’s birth. If you thought you only have a Chinese zodiac for the year you were born in, think again; there’s also one for the month, day, and hour of your birth. Each of these pillars is represented by both a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch (the zodiac signs). All together, these can tell a person’s destiny or fate. While that may seem overwhelming, thankfully there are an abundance of online calculators to help you figure out all of your signs, such as this one. If you want to know what this all means, well then you’re just going to have to find a Chinese fortune teller to assist you in your quest to learn your fortune with the ancient Chinese method of Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数 – zǐ wēi dòu shù).

This year, when you celebrate the beginning of another Year of the Dragon, just remember that there’s a lot more to it than just one animal for one year.

The Year of the Dragon is almost upon us.

Spring Festival Superstitions and Traditions

Posted by sasha 1 Comment
Jan 21 2012

Don't cry, 小朋友, you need this haircut now so your uncle doesn't die.

When the Spring Festival rolls around, there’s a lot to be done. As this festival lasts for 15 days, there’s something different for each day, and preparations for the celebration begin weeks before the actual festival. Leading up to the New Year, there are plenty of superstitions (迷信 – mí xìn) about what should and shouldn’t be done. For example, you shouldn’t get a haircut (剪头发 – jiǎn tóu fǎ) or buy shoes (买鞋 – mǎi xié) during the first month of the New Year, so these things should be taken care of before the holiday rolls around. It’s said that if you get a haircut, your maternal uncle will die, and that if you buy new shoes, you will have bad things happen to you. This is because the word for shoes (鞋 – xié) sounds exactly like the word for evil (邪 – xié). Other superstitions include paying off all debts before the New Year (otherwise you’ll remain in debt), avoiding references to death or the past, and wearing red (good luck) but not black or white (bad luck).

Similarly, you should clean the house (打扫房子 – dǎ sǎo fáng zi) inside and out leading up to the New Year. When you clean before the New Year, you sweep out all of the bad luck from the previous year; however, when you clean during the New Year celebration, you risk sweeping out the good luck. So just leave that pile of dust in the corner, kick back, and watch some TV. There’s also an old story behind the necessity of cleaning the house for the New Year:

"Is your kitchen clean? It had better be!"

In Chinese mythology, there is a Kitchen God (灶君 – Zào Jūn – lit. “stove master”) who protects the home and the family. As the story goes, on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, just before the Spring Festival, Zao Jun returns to heaven to report back to the Jade Emperor (玉皇 – yù huáng) about the activities of every household. After seeing Zao’s report, the Emperor will either reward or punish a family, based on what he has heard. In order to have a positive report passed on to the Jade Emperor, families will do many things. A clean house will mean a happy Kitchen God, which will in turn bring good luck to the family.

Hanging couplets outside of the front door.

Not only should the house be clean before the holiday, but it should also be decorated. Hang some couplets (春聯 – chūn lián) outside of your front door, and make sure that they are red. Many of these will feature the character for good fortune (福 – fú) hung upside-down. This is a play on words, as the saying “fu is upside-down” (福倒了 – fú dào le) sounds the same as “good fortune has arrived” (福到了 – fú dào le).

"Fu is upside-down!" "That's right, good fortune has arrived!"

 

Have leftovers every year.

So many dumplings!

On New Year’s Eve (除夕 – chú xì), families will gather together to have a huge dinner (年夜饭 – nián yè fàn). Many families will eat fish (鱼 – yú) for this meal, as it is believed that this will help your wishes for the new year come true. There is even a Chinese idiom that goes, “Every year there are leftovers” (年年有餘 – nián nián yǒu yú). This is a play on words, as 餘 (extra, leftover) and 鱼 (fish) have the same pronuncation.  In the northern part of China, most people will eat dumplings (饺子 – jiǎo zi), which are symbols of wealth as the represent ancient Chinese currency. Some will even put a coin into one of the dumplings, and whoever ends up eating that one will enjoy great luck and prosperity in the new year. Down south, people will cook up a special New Year cake (年糕 – nián gāo), made of gluttinous rice flour. This is another play on words, as it can also mean “a more prosperous year.”

A Chinese New Year cake.

Another famous tradition for Chinese New Year is the lighting off of firecrackers (放鞭炮 – fàng biān pào). As I mentioned in the History of the Spring Festival, it is believed that doing so helps keep the evil Nian beast away, as well as other evil spirits in general. Around Spring Festival, it is not uncommon to hear firecrackers going off all day long, and on New Year’s Eve, it seems as if they never stop.

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Learn some Chinese words and expressions related to the Spring Festival.

China sounds like a warzone during Spring Festival.

Finally, a more modern day New Year’s Eve tradition is gathering with family to watch the CCTV New Year’s Gala (中 国中央电视台春节联欢晚会 – Zhōng guó zhōng yāng diàn shì tái chūn jié lián huān wǎn huì). The program is an elaborate production, and it features many different parts. There are skits (小品 – xiǎo pǐn), which focus on comedy. Then, there is crosstalk (相声 – xiàng sheng), which is sort of like stand-up comedy. Rounding out the event are song and dance (歌舞 – gē wǔ), acrobatics (杂技 – zá jì), and magic tricks (魔术 – mó shù).

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The opening of the 2011 New Year’s Gala on CCTV.

No matter how you spend your holiday, all of us here at Transparent Chinese wish you a Happy Spring Festival (春节快乐 – chūn jié kuài lè)! Cruise over to our website for more resources to help you learn Chinese in the Year of the Dragon.

Cupping (拔罐)

Posted by Steve No Comments
Jan 19 2012

Cupping or 拔罐 (báguànr) is a type of Chinese massage that consists of attaching several hollowed-out glass “cups” to the body. These cups work to massage soft tissue, by pulling and stretching the skin. This occurs through a vacuuming process in which these cups literally adhere to the persons body, “sucking” skin up into the cups.

Cupping is a common massage therapy practice in Chinese traditional medicine, used to alleviate back pain, body soreness/pain, rheumatism and even the common cold. Here’s an example of how cupping is applied to a patient:

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Practice (作法)

When applying a cup, the air inside it is first heated (usually via a match), which burns off internal oxygen inside the cup. The cup is then quickly applied to the skin. The lack of oxygen inside the cup causes an imbalance of air pressure and forms an air-tight seal. This happens as the air inside the cup cools and contracts, forming a partial vacuum, enabling the cup to suck the skin, pulling in soft tissue, and drawing blood to that area and stimulating the healing process.

Cups are normally used only on softer tissue that can form a good seal with the edge of the cup. They may be used singly or in large quantities to cover a larger area. They may be used by themselves or placed over an acupuncture needle. Skin may be lubricated, allowing the cup to move across the skin slowly. The skin may be lanced before placing the cup so that the vacuum draws fluids, primarily blood, into the cup as part of the treatment

Depending on the specific treatment, skin marking is common after the cups are removed. This may be a simple red ring that disappears quickly, or more pronounced deeper bruising. In general, the longer a cup is left on, the more of a circular mark is created. Usually treatments are not painful, but treatment should be discontinued if the person receiving it experiences more than minor discomfort.

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History of the Spring Festival

Posted by sasha 1 Comment
Jan 19 2012

The Spring Festival.

It’s that time of the year again, as China gears up for its most important holiday, the granddaddy of them all –  the Spring Festival (春节 – chūn jié). Also known around the world as Chinese New Year (农历新年 – nóng lì xīn nián), this holiday begins on the first day of the first month (正月 – zhēng yuè) of the lunar calendar and lasts for a solid 15 days. The celebration ends with a bang (literally), during the Lantern Festival (元宵节 – yuán xiāo jié). While China has many festivals, this one is by far the most important and it is also the longest. Students enjoy a lengthy vacation, while all working adults will get seven days off. During the Spring Festival, nearly everyone in China heads home, representing the biggest mass migration of people on Earth every year. This is known in Chinese as Spring Festival travel season (春运 – chūn yùn). During this time, airports, train stations, and bus stations are absolute insanity all across the country. Tickets can be impossible to come by, and the frustration of not being able to return home for the holidays leads some to take drastic measures, like this guy who decided to go streaking through the station in protest.

Tons of fun buying train tickets around the holidays.

This is what a Chinese train station looks like during Spring Festival.

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Video from EuroNews about the start of the 2012 travel rush in China.

There are many traditions and customs associated with this holiday, many of which are known throughout the world – the lighting of fireworks, the zodiac symbols, and the famous lion dances. Before we get to all of the celebrations associated with the Chinese New Year, let’s examine some of the history of this great festival.

The horrible, child-eating beast Nian.

In Chinese language, the character 年 (nián) means year. There’s also a tale from Chinese mythology of a beast called Nian (年兽 – nián shòu), who lived under the mountains or the sea. Once a year, the beast would come out of hiding to attack and even eat people. Worst of all, it was especially fond of children.  As the story goes, it attacked a village one year, ravaging its crops and feasting on its people. From then on, the villagers would flee the village every year in order to avoid the devastation. However, one year an old man came to the village and asked a local grandma if he could stay in her home. She obliged, although she and the others thought the man would surely die. Once again, all of the villagers ran away, while the old man stayed behind.

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A short animation about the old man coming to the village (in Chinese with Chinese characters for subtitles).

That night, Nian showed up just like always. This year, however, things were different, as it noticed red (红色 -hóng sè) paper on the gate. Then it heared the loud noise of firecrackers (烟花 – yān huā), which terrified the monster. In the middle of the home stood the old man, dressed in red from head to toe. The abundance of red and the loud sounds of the firecrackers were too much for Nian to bear, and he fled in fear. The next day, the villagers returned, surprised to see the old man had survived. From that year on, they decided to wear red robes and light firecrackers in order to scare away the beast. Luckily, their plan worked, and the evil Nian was scared away for good. It never bothered that village again, and while it is still believed to exist, it is said that the Nian is scattered amongst the mountains and will never appear in front of humans again. From this story come many of the Spring Festival traditions, such as decorating homes with all things red, lighting firecrackers, and performing a lion dance.

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A cartoon about the story of Nian (in Chinese with English subtitles).

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Live performance of the Nian story from the CCTV New Year’s Eve TV program (in Chinese with Chinese characters for subtitles).

Later this month, we’ll take a look at some of the many customs and traditions associated with the Spring Festival. In the meantime, stock up on red and fireworks to keep Nian away for another year.

Chinese Herbal Medicine (中药)

Posted by Steve 1 Comment
Jan 17 2012

A cornerstone to Chinese traditional medicine is herbal medicine or 中药 (Zhōng yào). Chinese herbal medicines are made from plants, herbs, and occasionally from the organ meats of a wide range of exotic (and strange) animalia. Medicines are typically constructed from ingredients found in the natural world, and are mixed in accordance Traditional Medicine Theory to stimulate certain organ systems or to balance out the undesired aspects of other materials used. Most medicines come in dried form to be steeped into a tea, after being ground up in mortars and tinctures.

Chinese traditional medicine practitioners may suggest herbal remedies as dietary change, adding certain organ meats or herbs to meals to enhance the patient’s overall balance and harmony. There are roughly 13,000 medicinals used in China and over 100,000 medicinal recipes recorded in the ancient literature.

Practice (作法)

Chinese Herbology or 中药学 (zhōngyào xué) or 中药 (zhōngyào), is the study of ingestible natural ingredients and their observable effects on the human body. It includes the basic theory of ”crude medicine,” “prepared drug in slices” called 饮片 (yǐnpiàn) along with the collection and preparation, performance, efficacy, and clinical applications of these drugs on individual patients.

Each herbal medicine prescription is a cocktail of many herbs tailored to the individual patient. One batch of herbs is typically decocted twice over the course of one hour. The practitioner usually designs a remedy using one or two main ingredients that target the illness. Then the practitioner adds many other ingredients to adjust the formula to the patient’s yin/yang conditions.Some herbs require the use of other ingredients as catalyst or else the brew is considered to be ineffective. Unlike western medications, the balance and interaction of all the ingredients are considered more important than the effect of individual ingredients.

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Misuse and Controversy (争议)

Animal products are used in certain Chinese medicine mixtures causing many conservationists, vegans and vegetarians to lash out at the practice. Unfortunately, the use of rare and endangered species in Chinese medicine has increased, forcing the destruction of vital habitats and the near extinction of species. If informed of such restrictions, practitioners can often use alternative substances.

Ecological effects are greater than just on the species used in Chinese traditional medicine. For example, the worldwide shark population has been devastated to a small fraction of its original population by a growing demand for shark fin soup. Once considered only for rare occasions, with a growing Asian middle class, there is an accompanying demand for shark fin. Other instances of hunting endangered species for medicinal properties include the use of ground up tiger bone for impotency, rhinoceros horn used for fever, and black bear bile for the treatment of cirrhosis and other kidney/liver diseases.

Currently, the Chinese government is clamping down on illegal poaching and sale of these endangered animals, but corruption and demand have impeded progress.

 

 

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