Why Were These 12 Animals Chosen for the Chinese Zodiac?

Origins of the Chinese Zodiac Animals

There are countless animals in the world. Why did the ancient Chinese choose these twelve particular animals as the Chinese Zodiac? Was it a deliberate choice or a random decision? We can find reference answers from ancient legends and scholarly research.

Folklore: The Yellow Emperor’s Race

According to traditional Chinese folklore, some stories explain the origin of the twelve zodiac animals. One tale says that the Yellow Emperor held a running competition to select the zodiac signs fairly. Among all the animals, the Ox ran fastest, but just before the finish line, the Rat riding on the Ox’s back jumped ahead and won first place. The Ox came second, followed by the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, and others.

Zodiac Legends of Ethnic Minorities

Using this folk story to explain "why these animals were chosen" lacks scientific evidence and is not fully convincing. Yet it shows that ancient people liked to explain the origin and order of the zodiac in simple, popular ways. This is also true among China’s ethnic minorities. The Kyrgyz and Yi peoples, for example, have their own zodiac legends. The Kyrgyz zodiac includes Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Fish, Snake, Horse, Goat, Fox, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. In their legend, the Rat won first place in a swimming competition by its own effort.

Scholarly Research Is More Reliable

While zodiac legends are interesting, they do not fully answer our question. Compared with folklore, the research of ancient scholars is more helpful in explaining why these twelve animals were chosen.

Hong Xun: Toes and Claws Match Yin-Yang

Hong Xun of the Song Dynasty wrote in *Yanggu Manlu*: “Zi, Yin, Chen, Wu, Shen, Xu are yang, so animals with odd toes or claws are matched: Rat, Tiger, Dragon, Monkey, Dog have five toes, and Horse has one hoof. Chou, Mao, Si, Wei, You, Hai are yin, so animals with even toes or claws are matched: Ox, Goat, Rooster, Pig have four claws; Rabbit has two; Snake has a forked tongue.” He believed the number of toes corresponds to the yin-yang principle.

Lang Ying’s Criticism of Hong Xun’s Idea

The Ming scholar Lang Ying questioned this view: “Many other animals also have similar numbers of toes. Why were they not chosen?” Hong Xun’s theory only explains the matching between animals and the Earthly Branches, not why these specific twelve animals were selected.

Lang Ying: Living Habits Determine the Order

Lang Ying accepted part of Hong Xun’s idea but developed his own theory. He argued that the twelve animals were chosen and ordered based on their natural living habits.

Animals and Earthly Branches by Habits

Lang Ying explained: Zi represents midnight, the peak of yin, when rats come out to look for food, so it matches the Rat. Yin is early morning, when yang energy rises and tigers are active, so it matches the Tiger. Wu is noon, the peak of yang, when horses run freely, so it matches the Horse.

The Habit Theory Is More Reasonable

Compared with the “toe-count yin-yang theory,” Lang Ying’s habit-based explanation is more logical. Ancient people understood animal behavior well, and connecting these habits to the twelve Earthly Branches makes the origin of the zodiac understandable.

Zodiac Culture Evolved Over Time

Notably, the Chinese Zodiac was not created by one person or one generation. Over a long history, many animals may have been used as zodiac signs, but only these twelve were widely accepted and passed down. We should study the zodiac based on existing archaeology and documents. As research continues, even older records may be discovered.