⭐️ Entry Level

十二生肖 (Shí’èr Shēngxiào – The Chinese Zodiac)

1.鼠 shǔ – Rat *Rats are most active at night

2.牛 niú – Ox *Oxen start grazing / early work

3.虎 hǔ – Tiger *Tigers begin hunting / active

4.兔 tù – Rabbit *Rabbits come out at dawn

5.龙 lóng – Dragon *Dragons (legendary) appear / morning energy

6.蛇 shé – Snake *Snakes active in the morning

7.马 mǎ – Horse *Horses most active at noon

8.羊 yáng – Goat / Sheep *Goats grazing / afternoon activity

9.猴 hóu – Monkey *Monkeys active in the late afternoon

10.鸡 jī – Rooster *Roosters return to the coop / evening

11.狗 gǒu – Dog *Dogs guarding / nightfall

12.猪 zhū – Pig *Pigs resting at night

⭐️⭐️How Ancient Chinese Farmers Told Time

In ancient China, people lived in a farming society. Farmers used the Earthly Branches—子丑寅卯 … 亥—to keep track of time during the day. Each branch represented a 2-hour period, and they could tell what animals were active or what work to do at that time. This system helped them plan farming, daily chores, and other activities long before clocks existed.

zǐ, chǒu, yín, mǎo, chén, sì, wǔ, wèi, shēn, yǒu, xū, hài
子    丑     寅     卯      辰    巳  午    未      申      酉    戌  亥

Ancient China divided one day into 12 “shichen” (时辰, time periods). Each shichen lasted 2 hours.

Each shichen was named after one of the Earthly Branches (子丑寅卯 … 亥).The 12 zodiac animals correspond to years, but the Earthly Branches also correspond to 2-hour periods in a day.

Here’s the full connection for the 12 Chinese Zodiac animals:

子 (zǐ) → 鼠 （11PM-1AM）

丑 (chǒu) → 牛（1AM-3AM）

寅 (yín) → 虎（3AM-5AM）

卯 (mǎo) → 兔（5AM-7AM）

辰 (chén) → 龙（7AM-9AM）

巳 (sì) → 蛇（9AM-11AM）

午 (wǔ) → 马（11AM-1PM）

未 (wèi) → 羊（1PM-3PM）

申 (shēn) → 猴（3PM-5PM）

酉 (yǒu) → 鸡（5PM-7PM）

戌 (xū) → 狗（7PM-9PM）

亥 (hài) → 猪（9PM-11PM）