This article is reposted for those who missed out the story before and for the benefit of those who want to know more about the deep cultural aspects of the Chinese Lunar New Year or Spring Festival which calendar is based on the 12 year cycle of the 12 animals of the Chinese Zodiac calendar.
The Chinese people believe that they are the descendants of the dragon. While ‘Western Dragons’ lived in castles and caves the Chinese dragon lived in the sea, rivers, and lakes. The Western Dragon breathed fire, the Chinese Dragon brings rain.
Over the centuries, the Chinese Dragon was associated with the Emperor of China. Only Emperors and high Mandarins were allowed to wear robes depicting Dragon motifs. For the Chinese, dragon festivals with dragon boat races, and dragon dances are part of their culture. Children are named dragon, actors such as Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee were given Chinese names as dragon. Incidentally, Chinese movies named Enter the Dragon, Way of the Dragon, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon were popular.
The West took awhile to understand the difference. The West and East saw the same dragon differently.
This Chinese New Year is “The Year of the Dog”. The Chinese greet each other by saying “Gong Xi Fa Cai” (pronounced goon si fa sai), which means “may you be blessed with prosperity”. In the Chinese zodiac calendar there are 12 animals for each year, in a cycle of 12 years. In the Western zodiac calendar each animal is for a month with 12 zodiac signs for a year.
The story of the Chinese zodiac animals
There are 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac calendar, starting with the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each animal has its own unique characteristics.
The fable goes that the Jade Emperor wanted to invite the animals for dinner and another story says that he wanted to select 12 animals to be his guards. He sent an immortal being into man’s world to spread the message that the first 12 animals that went passed the heavenly gate, would be selected.
Once the news spread across the animal kingdom, the rat got up very early. On his way to the gate, he encountered a river. He had to stop there, owing to the swift current. After waiting a long time, the rat noticed the ox about to cross the river and swiftly jumped onto the ox’s back. The amiable ox did not mind.
The cat too lazily walked up to the ox and jumped. Once upon a time the cat and rat were good friends; so all three of them were on the way to the heavenly gate. In the middle of the river, the cunning rat kicked the sleeping cat off the ox’s back. The cat fell into the river and since cats are poor swimmers never made it to the heavenly gate.
Ever since, the cat has never forgiven the rat. After crossing the river, the rat swiftly jumped off the ox’s back and dashed to the feet of the emperor. The rat won first place and the ox was second.
The tiger and rabbit came third and fourth because both are fast and competitive, but the Tiger was faster. (The rabbit got across the river by hopping on stepping stones and a floating log also with the help of the dragon.)
After the ox, came the tiger, panting away while explaining to the emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made it to shore and was named the third animal in the cycle.
From a distance came a thumping sound and out hopped the rabbit. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the fourth animal in the zodiac cycle.
Coming in fifth place was the gallant dragon. Of course the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth; therefore he was held back a little. Then on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore.
The emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse’s hoof was the slimy sneaky snake whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright thus making it fall back and gave the snake sixth spot whilst the horse took seventh.
Not long after that, a little distance away, the sheep, monkey, and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the sheep and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the sheep as the eighth creature, the monkey as the ninth, and the rooster the tenth.
The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn’t make it to the finish line.
Just as the emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The term “lazy pig” is due here as the pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast, then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the twelfth and last animal of the zodiac cycle.
These 12 animals became guards of the heavenly gate and entered the Chinese zodiac signs.
The Chinese zodiac sign based on the year one is born signifies your character. This is the Chinese belief.
Chinese zodiac signs – meaning and significance
For the western mind, it is unthinkable that a person is associated with an animal. In Chinese culture, by birth one could be a dog, a pig, a monkey, or a snake. These are derogatory terms to be associated with a human being. In the Chinese way of life and thinking, these very animals symbolise salient characteristics. These animal characteristics are part of human nature too. In Chinese martial arts, there are many forms of fighting; fighting like a tiger, a dog on river barges, a snake. The Chinese, in their ancient wisdom, understood the importance of the behaviour and characteristics of animals and used it to benefit them in their daily lives.
It was said that Premier Chou En-lai was once having a meal with his European friends. A person in this group passed an impolite comment when he was drunk. “You Chinese carry the signs of pigs, dogs, and mice at birth. I can’t understand what’s going on in the mind of your ancestors?”
At that point, the distinguished group of friends started to laugh. They started to toast each other boisterously.
The cultured and serene atmosphere was broken.
Some people believe that when someone insults your ancestors, even if you don’t have a response to it, the least you could do is to retort calmly. For a while, not a single word was uttered. It was probably because they have not come across this situation before, especially in the presence of such a distinguished host. Then, Premier Chou En-lai stood up and spoke to everybody in a calm and peaceful way.
“The Chinese ancestors were very wise. They arranged the twelve zodiac signs in pairs; six pairs in a cycle. In this way, they expressed their hopes and wishes for the generation that came after them.” The room became silent. There were some sceptical looks among the audience.
Premier Chou En-lai continued: “The first pair of animals is the rat and ox.
“The rat represents wisdom and the ox represents diligence. Wisdom and diligence must operate in harmony. If there is wisdom but no diligence in applying it, it’s foolishness. On the other hand, if there is diligence but no wisdom, it’s an act of folly.
“That’s why wisdom and diligence must go hand in hand. This is our ancestor’s first wish for us. The first pair of animal also represents the most important hope.
“The second pair is the tiger and rabbit.
“The tiger represents courage and the rabbit represents carefulness. These two qualities must work closely together. In that way, it can have a better chance to achieve success. Without carefulness, courage becomes recklessness. Similarly, without courage, carefulness becomes cowardice. This pair of qualities is very important. That’s why it is the second pair.”
Premier Zhou En-lai looked at the audience and then he added: “Therefore, when we demonstrate our carefulness, please do not think that we do not have the courage to fight for social justice.
“In truth, what our ancestors are pursuing is wisdom through integrity, harmony, and balance. It’s never about a single hope or task.”
When he saw that the audience was deep in thought, Premier Chou En-lai continued: “The third pair is the dragon and snake.
“They represent strength and flexibility. Strength without flexibility becomes brittle. Without strength, flexibility becomes meaningless. That’s why strength with flexibility is an important lesson from our ancestors that has lasted through time.
“The next pair is the horse and goat.
“The horse represents the ability to gallop to success. The goat represents the ability to be considerate and have compassion. If a person only looks after himself as he pursues his goal and with no consideration for others, he will face obstacles from the people around him. Finally, he may not even be successful. However, if a person only looks after others and seek only to be amiable, he will not have a sense of direction. His goal will eventually be lost.
“That’s why the spirit of the horse and virtues of the goat must be applied in harmony with each other. This is our ancestors’ fourth wish for us.
“The next pair is the monkey and the chicken.
“The monkey represents agility. As for chicken, as there were no clocks in the days of old, it is needed to wake humans to start a new day. The chicken represents stability. The qualities of agility and stability must be tightly coupled together.
“If you have agility but no stability, your best plan will not come to pass. However, if you focused on having stability and refuse to change, you will not have a better future. When the two qualities are in harmony, on one side, there will be stability in terms of having, for example, effective system and collaboration.
“On the other side, there will be a release of unrelenting creativity and innovation to achieve progress. When these two qualities operate in synergy, it is one of the basic imperatives to achieve success.
“Lastly, we have the dog and pig.
“The dog represents loyalty while the pig represents good nature. If a person is loyal but does not have a good nature, he will be blindly following others. On the other hand, if he has a good nature but does not have loyalty, he will have no people and principles to guide him.
“That’s why whether its loyalty to a country, loyalty to a team, or loyalty to an ideal, you need to ensure that good nature is tightly coupled with and working alongside with it. In that way, you can have a deep-seated sense of loyalty that comes from the heart.
“This is why the Chinese believe that the outer core must be in alignment with the inner core. At the inner core, we must have a pure heart that subscribes to high moral values. We must seek to live with ethos and positive principles. We must live up to our words and not do anything that will harm others.
“At the external core, we must be knowledgeable about the ways of the world. We must be wise in managing affairs around us. We need to focus on what matters in life and not be influenced by evil.
“We need to live with integrity and in harmony with others and the environment. We must not have any form of prejudice or seek to discriminate against anyone.”
At the end of his speech, there was complete silence.
This is ancient wisdom passed down from Laotze and Confucius and dozens of great thinkers from China. To understand the Chinese, even something as simple as a zodiac sign, one must understand the Chinese way of thinking.
This story was first shared by Mr. Sun Lai Yung.
(Sun Lai Yung has worked in the USA, Singapore, Afghanistan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. He is currently employed as a consultant at a global consultancy company. He has a Masters Degree in Economics from Northeastern University Boston. He can be contacted at laisun.consultancy@gmail.com)
Southernglory1
Wednesday, 2nd February, 2022
9 comments:
Of the 12 animals, only the Dragon is a mythological creature or animal. Was there really this creature in existence in the ancient past, I wonder?
As legend goes, under which animal you are born under does not mean anything. Some born in the year of the dragon are beggars. Some born in the year of the pig are great leaders like our deceased old man..
Similarly, there are those who believe changing their names will change their destiny. It is pure nonsense. With names like Ah Pian or Ah Kow, one can still become Presidents of Taiwan.
The Chinese leaders r very wise in the using of the Zodiac to tell the characters, personality of the people in general. Each of these animals including dragon complement or conflict one another when they r paired up. It's like Yin & Yang. However, do not be too overly obsessed to believe the prediction of some so & so masters saying that one's Zodiac is like tat like tat this year...v good this yr for some Zodiac character is juz for reference only & one fate is not entirely determine by these Zodiac characters..Whatever thing that one do it's all about causes and effects or karma, fate is juz only 1 of the parameters as it can be change on one's deeds.
Why the 3rd animal is Tiger (is the King of all Animals & not Lion)?
...the legend goes like this..becoz Lion was very ferocious and untamed, the Heavenly Jade Emperor was very headache, then Tiger was selected to counter the ferocious Lion..in the end peace was restored and Tiger (its mark of 王) on its head still imprinted on its forehead forever.
Hope that the Evil Empires will be ended by the King of All Animals. Also hope that the Tiger will chase the Coronavirus Covid-19 and its variants away for this year & end the Covid-19 era of vax..vax..vax...again & again
Watch this on the Tiger Zodiac Story.
https://youtu.be/5urQeCqjO6U
祝大家: 虎虎生威 福虎天翼 虎啸疫散 龙腾虎跃 兴旺发啊
Pfizer asks FDA to expand use of Covid vaccine to kids under 5
Pfizer and BioNTech asked the Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday to expand the use of their Covid-19 vaccine to most kids under 5.
The companies said the FDA requested that they start submitting data, which is being submitted on a rolling basis that fast-tracks the approval process, for the authorization of the first two doses of what will eventually be a three-dose vaccine for children six months through 4 years of age. Pfizer and BioNTech said data on the third dose will be completed and submitted to the FDA in the coming months.
Pfizer and BioNTech started submitting their application for emergency approval in response to the "urgent public health need" of younger children as the omicron variant has resulted in a spike in hospitalizations in this age group.
"As hospitalizations of children under 5 due to COVID-19 have soared, our mutual goal with the FDA is to prepare for future variant surges and provide parents with an option to help protect their children from this virus," said Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla in a statement.
Bourla said kids under 5 will ultimately need a third dose to have the best protection against omicron and future Covid variants. By getting the first two-doses FDA authorized, parents can start getting their kids vaccinated while they wait for the third dose, Bourla said. Pfizer and BioNTech expect to complete their application for emergency approval of the first two-doses in the coming days.
Toddlers and kids under 5 years old are the last age group left that is not eligible for vaccination. The FDA is expected to fast track the approval process for 6-month to 4-year-olds like it has for other age groups. Once approved, pediatricians will be able to administer shots within a matter of days.
Parents are anxiously awaiting the vaccine for younger children as the omicron variant sweeps across the nation, causing an unprecedented wave of infection over the past month.
Although children are at much lower risk of developing severe illness from Covid compared to adults, their hospitalizations with the virus have increased during the recent surge of infections, raising concerns about the long-term implications for kids' health.
"Sadly, we are seeing the rates of hospitalizations increasing for children zero to 4, children who are not yet currently eligible for Covid-19 vaccination," Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters in January.
White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said last month that he hoped the FDA would authorize the vaccine for kids sometime in February. Fauci said at the time that younger children would likely need a three-dose vaccine.
Pfizer amended its clinical trial in December to study a third shot after two doses of its 3 microgram vaccine did not produce an adequate immune response in children 2 to 4 years old. Adults receive two 30 microgram doses in their primary series of shots.
Pfizer's vaccine researcher, Dr. Alejandra Gurtman, said last month the drugmaker planned to have the data for kids under 5 ready by the end of March or beginning of April. However, a group of 250 doctors sent a letter last month asking the FDA to cut red tape and authorize the 3 microgram dose for children. The doctors said it was unethical to not give parents the option to vaccinate younger children as the pandemic rages across the country.
"As children re-enter daycare centers, preschools, and other unavoidable group settings, we all know that the number of young children infected with omicron will soar exponentially, creating the largest health risk that kids have faced collectively throughout the entire pandemic," the doctors wrote in their letter.
This is a glaringly clear and confirmed indication that the Pfizer Vaccines are aimed at maximum profiteering monetarily.
Already, it is a fact that 80% to 90% of the top, key and important staff and decision-makers of the FDA have been filled with ex- and present staff of the Pfizer company.
That's why all the approvals by the FDA have been so swift, plain-sailing and just a matter of formality.
The FDA simply takes the words of the Pfizer company without own research and experiment to verify the reliability of whatever Pfizer has submitted.
The FDA even goes all out of the way to protect and delay the Court order to release all the Documents submitted to FDA for public scrutiny - a delay tha will take 76 years to release the Pfizer-submitted documents! How absurdly ridiculous!
It is clear that this is a very well planned and coordinated scam on an extensively large scale at the global level.
If the Pfizer company had deliberately infiltrated the US FDA and replaced the top management and staff of the US FDA, it would be chicken feet for it to infiltrate, corrupt or influence the top decision-makers, with bribes, intimidation or coercion, of many other countries' desperate and weak political leaders and scientists, as well as the mass media.
Moreover, through its sales contracts with the various governments, it has included clauses that bind the countries' leaders to secrecy and no-claim responsibility in any mishaps whatsoever. This gives it the clout to control all the government's it does business with, especially so if those leaders also put money into the Pfizer company to invest big.
Even the top medical scientists of the WHO seem to be complicit in this scam of the century.
That's why some countries are starting to sue them in court for committing mass murders.
Big money makes big people lie big!
For how long will this scam remain unshakeable and untouchable? That's a trillion dollars question.
In the mean time, more and more people are going to be injected with an unknown foreign substance that has unknown long-term effects and consequences, while most of the leaders of the world are keeping very quiet.
What the hell is going on?
How many doctors wrote the letter?
Who are these doctors to serve their masters, you know?
Are they the employees or staff or advisers of the Pfizer organisation?
Are their words 100% truthful and reliable?
Are they not being used as tools of propaganda and manipulations?
Money can make even the most trusted doctors to become dog-ters.
Singapore reported 6,264 new Covid-19 cases as of noon on Tuesday (Feb 1), comprising 6,120 local and 144 imported infections.
There were three fatalities, according to the latest infection statistics on the MOH website. This takes the death toll from coronavirus to at least 858.
Singapore MTF, well done. Keep importing more Covid-19 infected foreigners to come and spread to all Singaporeans. The next time around, you ministers, your wives, your children and grand children will be infected because the locals will spread to you!
There is no escape! You sow your own destruction!
The Merlion, a creation of someone' hallucination, is frankly speaking hideous . . . .
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