A Dictionary of Auspicious Animal Sayings

Author: Wang Ruoyan / Wang Taoyu (editors)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2003-09-01
Features: The Chinese zodiac, also known as "Shengxiao" or "Twelve Animals," represents the twelve Earthly Branches and is used to record a person's birth year. The twelve animals are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. According to scholarly research, the concept of the zodiac originated as early as the Eastern Han Dynasty. Ancient Chinese diviners matched the twelve animals with the twelve Earthly Branches: zi (rat), chou (ox), yin (tiger), mao (rabbit), chen (dragon), si (snake), wu (horse), wei (goat), shen (monkey), you (rooster), xu (dog), and hai (pig). Later, people believed that if one was born in a particular year, they would resemble the corresponding animal, such as those born in the year of zi being like rats, or those born in the year of chou being like oxen. The twelve animals representing the zodiac are closely intertwined with people's lives. Everyone, to some extent, pays attention to things related to their zodiac sign. Since ancient times, there have been numerous idioms, proverbs, colloquialisms, set phrases, and idiomatic expressions in circulation that use the twelve zodiac animals as metaphors or references. These vivid and interesting expressions often reveal themselves through direct narration, association, extension, exaggeration, and metaphor, presenting a subtle, humorous, yet natural and straightforward style. These amusing zodiac idioms, colloquialisms, and rhyming zodiac proverbs, as well as widely beloved set phrases and idiomatic expressions, have spread rapidly among the people, passed down from one generation to the next. They either depict certain phenomena, impart knowledge, praise goodness, criticize evil, or elucidate philosophical truths, inspiring people to gain enlightenment and wisdom through appreciation and reflection. It should be noted that some entries in the book record traditional culture and reflect a certain historical reality. We should approach them with a dialectical historical perspective. This dictionary includes over 11,000 common zodiac expressions (including sub-items), and the appendix contains poems, couplets, riddles, and folk tales related to the twelve zodiac animals. The content is rich and highly readable. This small dictionary can not only serve as a reference tool for quick consultations, helping you to learn and enrich your knowledge about your zodiac sign during work or study breaks; it can also be used as a collection of materials, providing convenience for your research on traditional culture and folk language. May this book bring you a sense of fulfillment, as well as a relaxed and joyful mood. This book includes approximately 11,000 zodiac-related idioms, proverbs, colloquialisms, set phrases, and idiomatic expressions, with annotations on difficult or unfamiliar words and phrases included alongside the text. A classified index is also provided.