< Return to Video

The Chinese zodiac, explained

  • 0:01 - 0:04
    Have you ever been asked
    by your Chinese friend,
  • 0:04 - 0:06
    "What is your Zodiac sign?"
  • 0:06 - 0:09
    Don't think they are making small talk.
  • 0:09 - 0:11
    If you say, "I'm a monkey,"
  • 0:11 - 0:16
    they immediately know
    you either 24, 36, 48, or 60 years old.
  • 0:16 - 0:21
    Asking a Zodiac sign is a polite way
    of asking your age.
  • 0:21 - 0:25
    By revealing your Zodiac sign,
    you are also being evaluated.
  • 0:25 - 0:29
    Judgments are being made
    about your fortune or misfortune,
  • 0:29 - 0:31
    your personality, career prospects,
  • 0:31 - 0:33
    and how you will do in a given year.
  • 0:33 - 0:36
    If you share you and your
    partner's animal signs,
  • 0:36 - 0:41
    they will paint a picture in their mind
    about your private life.
  • 0:41 - 0:44
    Maybe you don't believe
    in the Chinese Zodiac.
  • 0:44 - 0:47
    As a quarter of the world's population
    is influenced by it,
  • 0:47 - 0:50
    you'd be wise to do something about that.
  • 0:50 - 0:54
    So what is exactly Chinese Zodiac?
  • 0:54 - 0:57
    Most Westerners think
    of Greco-Roman Zodiac,
  • 0:57 - 1:00
    the sign divided into 12 months.
  • 1:00 - 1:02
    Chinese Zodiac is different.
  • 1:02 - 1:04
    It's a 12-year cycle
  • 1:04 - 1:07
    labeled with animals,
    starting with the rat
  • 1:07 - 1:08
    and ending with the pig,
  • 1:08 - 1:12
    and has no association
    with constellations.
  • 1:12 - 1:17
    For example, if you were born
    in 1975, you are a rabbit.
  • 1:17 - 1:20
    Can you see your Zodiac sign there?
  • 1:20 - 1:24
    Our Chinese ancestors
    constructed a very complicated
  • 1:24 - 1:27
    theoretical framework
    based on inner yang,
  • 1:27 - 1:31
    the five elements,
    and the 12 Zodiac animals.
  • 1:31 - 1:34
    Over the thousands of years,
    this popular culture
  • 1:34 - 1:37
    has affected people's major decisions,
  • 1:37 - 1:41
    such as naming, marriage, giving birth,
  • 1:41 - 1:43
    and attitude towards each other,
  • 1:43 - 1:46
    and some of the implications
    are quite amazing.
  • 1:46 - 1:49
    Chinese believe certain animals
  • 1:49 - 1:51
    get on more well than the others.
  • 1:51 - 1:56
    So parents, they choose specific years
    to give birth to babies,
  • 1:56 - 2:01
    because they believe the team effort
    by the right combination of animals
  • 2:01 - 2:04
    can give prosperity to the families.
  • 2:04 - 2:09
    We even refer to the Zodiac
    when entering into romantic relations.
  • 2:09 - 2:15
    I'm a pig. I should have perfect romance
    with tigers, goats, and rabbits.
  • 2:15 - 2:20
    Chinese people believe some animals
    are natural enemies.
  • 2:20 - 2:23
    As a pig, I need to be careful
    with a snake.
  • 2:23 - 2:26
    Raise your hands if you are a snake.
  • 2:26 - 2:28
    Let's have a chat later.
  • 2:28 - 2:29
    (Laughter)
  • 2:29 - 2:32
    We believe some animals
    are luckier than the others,
  • 2:32 - 2:34
    such as the dragon.
  • 2:34 - 2:36
    Unlike the Western tradition,
  • 2:36 - 2:39
    Chinese dragon is a symbol for power,
  • 2:39 - 2:40
    strength, and wealth.
  • 2:40 - 2:44
    It's everyone's dream
    to have a dragon baby.
  • 2:44 - 2:46
    Jack Ma's parents
    must have been very proud,
  • 2:46 - 2:48
    and they are not the only one.
  • 2:48 - 2:51
    In 2012, the Year of the Dragon,
  • 2:51 - 2:54
    the birth rate in China,
    Hong Kong, and Taiwan
  • 2:54 - 2:56
    increased by 5 percent.
  • 2:56 - 3:00
    That means another
    one million more babies.
  • 3:00 - 3:04
    With a traditional preference
    to baby boys,
  • 3:04 - 3:09
    the boy-girl ratio of that year
    was 120 to 100.
  • 3:09 - 3:12
    When those dragon boys grow up,
    they will face much more severe
  • 3:12 - 3:16
    competition in love and job markets.
  • 3:16 - 3:20
    According to the BBC and the Chinese
    government's press release,
  • 3:20 - 3:25
    January 2015 saw a peak
    of Cesarean sections.
  • 3:25 - 3:26
    Why?
  • 3:26 - 3:30
    That was the last month
    for the Year of the Horse.
  • 3:30 - 3:33
    It's not because they like
    horses so much,
  • 3:33 - 3:37
    it's because they try to avoid
    having unlucky goat babies.
  • 3:37 - 3:40
    If you are a goat,
    please don't feel bad.
  • 3:40 - 3:42
    Those a goat babies.
  • 3:42 - 3:44
    They don't like losers to me.
  • 3:44 - 3:46
    (Laughter)
  • 3:46 - 3:48
    Tiger is another undesirable animal
  • 3:48 - 3:50
    due to its volatile temperament.
  • 3:50 - 3:54
    Many Chinese regions
    saw a sharp decline of birthrate
  • 3:54 - 3:56
    during those years.
  • 3:56 - 4:00
    Perhaps, on should consider
    Zodiac in reverse,
  • 4:00 - 4:04
    as those tiger and goat babies
    will face much less competition.
  • 4:04 - 4:06
    Maybe they are the lucky ones.
  • 4:06 - 4:12
    I went through the Forbes
    top 300 richest people in the world,
  • 4:12 - 4:15
    and it's interesting to see
  • 4:15 - 4:18
    the most undesirable two animals,
    the goat and tiger,
  • 4:18 - 4:21
    are at the top of the chart,
  • 4:21 - 4:23
    even higher than the dragon.
  • 4:23 - 4:26
    So maybe we should consider,
    maybe it's much better
  • 4:26 - 4:29
    to have much less competition.
  • 4:29 - 4:31
    One last but interesting point:
  • 4:31 - 4:33
    many Chinese people make
    their investment decisions
  • 4:33 - 4:36
    based on the Zodiac sign index.
  • 4:36 - 4:40
    Although the belief and the tradition
    of the Zodiac sign
  • 4:40 - 4:43
    has been over thousands of years,
  • 4:43 - 4:45
    the trend of using it
  • 4:45 - 4:48
    in making major decisions
    did not really happen
  • 4:48 - 4:50
    until the past few decades.
  • 4:50 - 4:54
    Our ancestors were very busy
    to survive from poverty,
  • 4:54 - 4:57
    drought, famine, riot, disease,
  • 4:57 - 4:58
    and civil war.
  • 4:58 - 5:03
    And finally, Chinese people
    have the time, wealth,
  • 5:03 - 5:07
    and technology to create
    and ideal life they've always wanted.
  • 5:07 - 5:11
    The collective decision
    made by 1.3 billion people
  • 5:11 - 5:16
    has caused the fluctuation in economics
    and demand on everything,
  • 5:16 - 5:21
    from health care and education
    to property and consumer goods.
  • 5:21 - 5:26
    As China plays such an important role
    in the global economy and geopolitics,
  • 5:26 - 5:30
    the decision made based on Zodiac
    and other Chinese traditions
  • 5:30 - 5:35
    end up impacting everyone
    around the world.
  • 5:35 - 5:38
    Is there any monkeys here?
  • 5:38 - 5:41
    2016 is the Year of the Monkey.
  • 5:41 - 5:43
    Monkeys are clever,
  • 5:43 - 5:47
    curious, creative, and mischievous.
  • 5:47 - 5:49
    Thank you.
  • 5:49 - 5:51
    (Applause)
Title:
The Chinese zodiac, explained
Speaker:
ShaoLan Hsueh
Description:

more » « less
Video Language:
English
Team:
closed TED
Project:
TEDTalks
Duration:
06:04
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Yasushi Aoki commented on English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Yasushi Aoki commented on English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Brian Greene approved English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Brian Greene edited English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Camille Martínez accepted English subtitles for The Chinese zodiac, explained
Show all

English subtitles

Revisions Compare revisions