Fengshui

AAS 220
China:
Language and Culture
Chinese Zodiac: fengshui

Outline
 What is Chinese Zodiac?
 The origin of the Zodiac
 Chinese Zodiac and fundamental cosmic view  Chinese Zodiac and Chinese calendars
 Yin-yang and the Five Elements
 fengshui

The Chinese Zodiac生肖: what is it?
 a 12 year cycle to keep track of time and to relate human experience to the temporal dimension of the universe
 Each year of the 12 year cycle is named after one of 12 animals
 Each animal is assigned a different personality and different characteristics
 The traits of the animal are believed to be embodied in persons who are born in the year named after that animal

Chinese Zodiac: the 12 animals

The Chinese Zodiac: origins
 Shiji: prehistory 黄帝“建造甲子以命岁”
 Qing scholars: A nomadic tradition to the north China
 Guo Moruo: a tradition from ancient
Babylon
 Current consensus: originated in China; the synthesis of animal worship, totem worship and ancient astronomy

Chinese Zodiac and Fundamental Beliefs
 A system to keep track of time, part of ancient astronomy, “zodiac calendar”
 Premised upon the belief that yin and yang and the five elements/five states of being (metal, wood, water, fire and earth) form the basis of the universe (阴阳五行为宇宙之本).
 The world is a self-generating and self-sustaining organism governed by cyclical flows of yin-yang and the five elements/states of being

Chinese Zodiac and Chinese Calendar
 Lunar-solar calendar with a 60-year cycle
 The 60-year cycle consists of two separate cycles interacting with each other.
 The first is the cycle of ten Heavenly Stems, namely the Five
Elements (in order Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) in their Yin and Yang forms.
 The second is the cycle of the twelve Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) or Earthly Branches . They are in order as follows: the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
 The switch