12生肖排列真正的意义 The Real Meaning Behind the Arrangements of the 12 Zodiacs

12生肖排列真正的意义

 

我研究了很久, 终于可以总结比较逻辑的十二生肖为什么这么排列的看法。把这篇文章

收藏好，这是祖先伟大的智慧。

 

十二生肖排序

关于「生肖」是由何而来，以及「生肖」排序有什么讲究，民间有很多传说。

比如当年黄帝要选十二动物担任宫廷卫士，猫托老鼠报名，老鼠给忘了，结果猫没有

选上，从此与鼠结下冤家…等等，但是，这并不是真的。真实的「十二生肖」排序，

可是大有学问。

上古人就从古代昼夜十二时辰的角度解说「地支」和「肖兽」的配属关系发明了十二

个「生肖」的排序。现在一天被分为24个小时, 古代是以十二时辰来分配一天, 而十二

时辰就以十二生肖来排列排序.

1 子时

又名「子夜」：十二时辰的第一个时辰。时间 23：00-01：00

夜间 11 点至次日凌晨 1 点，属「子时」，「子为鼠」。正是老鼠趁夜深人静，频繁

活动之时, 老鼠这个时候最活跃.

2 丑时

十二时辰的第二个时辰。时间 01：00-03：00

凌晨 1 点至 3 点，属「丑时」。「丑为牛」。牛习惯夜间吃草，农家常在深夜起来挑

灯喂牛

3 寅时

时间 03：00-05：00

凌晨 3 点至 5 点，属「寅Yin时」,「寅为虎」。此时的老虎最凶猛，古人常会在此时

听到虎啸声. [寅]这个字看起来就是个老虎正脸, 不是吗?

4 卯时

清晨 5 点至 7 点，属卯时。「卯为兔」。天刚亮，兔子出窝，喜欢吃带有晨露的青草

5 辰时

早晨 7 点至 9 点，属「辰时」,「辰为龙」。此时一般容易起雾，传说龙喜腾云驾雾，

又值旭4日东升，蒸蒸日上，早晨的晨就是辰上面加个日(太阳), 不是吗?

 

6 巳时

上午 9 点至 11 时，属「巳时」。大雾散去，艳阳高照，蛇类出洞觅Mi食，故称「巳

为蛇」。

7 午时

中午 11 点至午后 1 点，属「午时」。古时野马未被人类驯服，每当「午时」，四处

奔跑嘶鸣，故称「午为马」。

8 未时

午后 1 点至 3 点，属未时。有的地方管此时为「羊出坡」，意思是放羊的好时候，故

称「未为羊」。

9 申时

下午 3 点至 5 点，属申时。太阳偏西了，猴子喜在此时啼叫，故称「申为猴」。

10 酉时

下午 5 点至 7 点，属「酉时」。太阳落山了，鸡在窝前打转，故称「酉为鸡」。

11 戌时

傍晚 7 点至 9 点，属「戌时」。人劳碌一天，闩门准备休息了。狗卧门前守护，一有

动静，就汪汪大叫，故称「戌为狗」。

12 亥时

夜间 9 点至 11 点，属「亥时」。夜深人静，能听见猪拱槽的声音，故称「亥为猪

」。

十二生肖的排列，如果你把它排成个圈子你就可以很清楚地看到为什么老鼠和马是相

冲；牛跟羊是相冲等等。祖先为什么把他们这样排列是很有智慧的。

 

教你一个很容易的方法去把这相冲的关系牢记起来

 

打个比方老鼠最活跃的时候是在凌晨时段，它们会是在暗处，它们总是藏起来的，而

对面的马最活跃时间是在中午的时段，而且它们是在喜欢在晴天里奔跑。

 

牛是勤奋的动物，古时候农耕时代牛是非常重要的动物，在对面的的羊，给人家一种

懒洋洋的感觉。

 

凶猛的老虎给人家一种很稳重的感觉，它如果看到它要捕捉的小动物时, 它会静静的虎

视眈眈, 但在对面调皮的猴子给人一种玩世不恭的感觉。

 

兔子给人家一种很谨慎的感觉，而对面的鸡却给人家一种喜欢管闲事的鸡婆的感觉，

东家看看有什么八卦，又到转到西家看看有什么八卦。

 

最明显的例子就是龙和狗，龙是十二生肖里面，我们最不熟悉的动物，没有人看过它

，龙相传在天上飞，所谓的神龙见首不见尾，它变化无穷；而忠诚的狗是人类最亲近

的朋友，狗会守着主人的地，不会到处跑。一个在天腾云驾雾, 另一个总是守着一塊地

.

 

蛇给人家感觉是非常敏感的动物，但对面的猪卻给人家一种事不关己既不劳心, 动都懒

得动的感觉。

 

周恩来对十二生肖排列的解释也非常有意思

 

周恩来说：

 

「第一组是老鼠和牛。老鼠代表智慧，牛代表勤奋。 智慧和勤奋一定要紧紧结合在一

起。如果光有智慧不勤奋，那就变成小聪明；而光是勤奋，不动脑筋，那就变成愚蠢

。所以这两者一定要结合，这是我们祖先对中国人的第一组期望和要求，也是最重要

的一组。」

 

「第二组是老虎和兔子。老虎代表勇猛，兔子代表谨慎。 勇猛和谨慎一定要紧紧结合

在一起，才能做到所谓的胆大心细。如果勇猛离开了谨慎，就变成了鲁莽mang，而你

没有勇猛，一味的谨慎，谨慎就变成胆怯(卻)。这一组也非常重要，所以放在第二

。」

 

「第三组是龙和蛇。龙代表刚猛，蛇代表柔韧(ren)。所谓刚者易折，太刚了容易折断，

但是如果只有柔的一面，就易失去主见， 所以刚柔并济是我们历代的祖训。」

 

「接下来是马和羊。马代表勇往直前，直奔目标 ，羊代表和顺 。如果一个人只顾自己

直奔目标，不顾周围，必然会和周围不断磕碰，最后不见得能达到目标。但是一个人

如果光顾着和周围和顺，之后他连方向都没有了，目标也失去了。所以一往无前的秉

性一定要与和顺紧紧结合在一起，这是我们祖先对中国人的第四组期望。」

 

「再接下来是猴子和鸡。猴子代表灵活，至于鸡呢，以前的年代没有钟，都是听鸡鸣

声决定一天的开始，所以鸡定时打鸣，代表稳定。灵活和稳定一定要紧紧结合起来。

如果你光灵活，没有稳定，再好的政策最后也得不到收获。但如果说你光是稳定，一

潭死水、一块铁板，那就不会有我们今天的好日子了。只有它们之间非常圆融的结合

，一方面具有稳定性，保持整体的和谐和秩序，另一方面又能不断变通地前进，这才

是最根本的要旨。」

 

「最后是狗和猪。狗是代表忠诚，猪是代表随和。一个人如果太忠诚，不懂得随和，

就会排斥他人。 而反过来 ，一个人太随和，没有忠诚，这个人就失去原则。所以无论

是对一个民族国家的忠诚、对团队的忠诚，还是自己理想的忠诚，一定要与随和紧紧

结合在一起，这样才容易真正保持内心深处的忠诚。这就是我们中国人一直坚持的外

圆内方，君子和而不同。中国人每个人都有属于自己的生肖，有的人属猪，有的人属

狗，这意义何在？ 实际上，我们的祖先期望我们要圆融，不能偏颇，要求我们懂得到

对应面切入。 比如属猪的人能够在他的随和本性中，也去追求忠诚； 而属狗的人则在

忠诚的本性中，去做到随和。」

 

The Real Meaning Behind the Arrangements of the 12 Zodiacs

 

I researched for a long time, finally I am able to summarise my opinions on why the 12

zodiacs are arranged in this way in a more logical sense. Take good care of this article, this is

the ancestors’ great knowledge.

 

Arrangement of the 12 Zodiacs

There are a lot of legends about where the zodiacs came from and what are the significance

of the arrangements of the zodiacs.

For example, in the past the emperor wanted to appoint 12 animals as the palace guards,

the cat requested the rat to help enroll but the rat forgot about it and hence the cat was not

selected, causing the cat and the rat to be enemies from now on etc. However, this is not

the case, the actual arrangement of the 12 zodiacs actually contains significant knowledge.

In ancient times, people invented the order of the twelve zodiac animals by explaining the

relationship between the twelve earthly branches and the twelve animals from the

perspective of the twelve ancient daytime and nighttime hours. Now, a day is divided into

24 hours, but in ancient times, a day was divided into twelve hours, and the twelve hours

were arranged in order of the twelve zodiac animals.

1 ZiShi

Also called [ZiYe]. The first of the twelve time periods of a day. Time: 23:00 - 01:00

From 11:00 pm to 1:00 am the next day, it belongs to [ZiShi], [Zi] is the rat. This is when the

rats are most active, taking advantage of the stillness of the night.

2 ChouShi

The second of the twelve time periods of a day. Time: 01:00 - 03:00

From 1:00 am to 3:00 am, it belongs to [ChouShi]. [Chou] is the ox. Oxens are used to eating

grass at night, farmers often get up late at night to feed the oxens.

3 YinShi

Time 03:00-05:00

From 3:00 am to 5:00 am, it belongs to [YinShi], [Yin] is the tiger. The tigers are the most

ferocious at this time, people often heard the tiger roar in the ancient times. The word [Yin (

寅)] looks just like the face of a tiger, isn’t it?

4 MaoShi

 

From 5:00 am to 7:00 am, it belongs to [MaoShi]. [Mao] is the rabbit. The sky is just getting

bright, and the rabbits come out of their burrows. They like to eat the grass that is covered

with morning dew.

5 ChenShi

From 7:00 am to 9:00 am, it belongs to [ChenShi]. [Chen] is the dragon. This time is

generally prone to fog. It is said that dragons like to ride the clouds and fog, and it is also the

time when the sun rises in the east and is thriving. The morning's morning (晨) is just the

word [Chen (晨)] with a sun (日) on it, isn't it?

6 SiShi

From 9:00 am to 11:00 am, it belongs to [SiShi]. The fog has cleared, the sun is shining

brightly, and snakes come out of their holes to look for food. Therefore, it is called [Si] as the

snake.

7 WuShi

From 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, it belongs to [WuShi]. In ancient times, wild horses were not

trained by humans. At that time, they ran around and whinnied everywhere, so they were

called [Wu] as the horse.

8 WeiShi

From 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm, it belongs to [WeiShi]. In some places, this time is called

[YangChuPo], which means "the time to let the sheep out to graze". Therefore, it is called

[Wei] as the sheep.

9 ShenShi

From 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, it belongs to [ShenShi]. The sun is getting close to the west,

monkeys like to cry at this time. Therefore, it is called [Shen] as the monkey.

10 YouShi

From 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, it belongs to [YouShi]. The sun has set, the chickens are circling in

front of their nests. Therefore, it is called [You] as the chicken.

11 XuShi

From 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, it belongs to [XuShi]. People have worked hard all day and are

ready to rest. The dog lies in front of the door to guard, and barks loudly when it hears any

movement. Therefore, it is called [Xu] as the dog.

12 HaiShi

From 9:00 pm to 11:00 pm, it belongs to [HaiShi]. The night is quiet, and you can hear the

sound of boars rummaging through their troughs. Therefore, it is called [Hai] as the boar.

 

If you tried to arrange the 12 zodiacs into a circle, it would be clear why the rat and the

horse are opposed to each other; why the ox and the sheep are opposed to each other. The

ancestors utilised their knowledge to arrange them in this way.

 

A Very Easy Way to Memorise the Opposing Relationship

 

For example, the rat is the most active during midnight, they always hide in dark places.

Opposing that is the horse, which is most active during the afternoon, and they always like

to run on clear bright days.

 

Ox is a hardworking animal, in the past when farming, ox was an important animal.

Opposing that is the sheep. Which always gives people a feeling of laziness.

 

A ferocious tiger gives people a sense of stability, when it sees the animal it wants to

capture, it will stare at it quietly. Opposing that is the monkey, which gives a sense of

playfulness.

 

The rabbit gives a sense of caution, on the contrary the rooster on the other side gives

people the sense of being nosy and gossipy. It goes from house to house, looking for gossip.

 

The most obvious example is the dragon and the dog. Dragon is the animal in the 12 zodiacs

that we are most unfamiliar with, no one has ever seen it, and it was said to be flying above

the clouds, constantly changing; A loyal dog is the closest friend of mankind, a dog will guard

its owner’s land and will not run around. One always flies around above the clouds, another

one always guards one portion of the land.

 

Snakes give the sense of being very sensitive, on the contrary the boar on the other side

gives a sense of being indifferent and lazy. It doesn't care about anything and doesn't even

bother to move.

 

Zhou Enlai’s Explanation on the Arrangements of the 12 Zodiacs is Also Interesting

 

Zhou Enlai says:

 

「The first group is the rat and ox. The rat represents wisdom, the ox represents diligence.

Wisdom and diligence must work closely. If only wisdom exists but not hard work, it

becomes cunning; but if diligence is achieved but does not use the brain, it becomes stupid.

Therefore, the two of them must be combined. This is the first pair of expectations and

requirements that our ancestors had for the Chinese people, and it is also the most

important set. 」

 

「The second set is the tiger and rabbit. The tiger represents courage and the rabbit

represents caution. Bravery and caution must be closely paired together, to achieve the so-

called “boldness and caution”. If courage is separated from caution, it becomes

recklessness, if there is caution but without courage, caution becomes timidity. This set is

also very important, so it is placed second. 」

 

「The third pair is the dragon and the snake. The dragon represents strength and ferocity,

while the snake represents flexibility. The saying goes, “The strong is easily broken”,

meaning that if something is too strong, it is easy to break. However, if something only has a

soft side, it is easy to lose its will. Therefore, the combination of strength and flexibility has

been the ancestral teaching of our people for generations. 」

 

「Next is the horse and the sheep. Horse represents courage and determination, while the

sheep represents harmony. If a person only cares about moving towards the goal, ignoring

the surrounding, they inevitably will collide with the surrounding and may not even reach

the goal in the end. On the contrary, if a person only harmonizes with their surroundings,

they might even lose their direction and goal. Therefore a person’s unyielding nature must

be closely tied with harmony. This is the fourth pair of expectations our ancestors have

towards the Chinese. 」

 

「Next is the monkey and the rooster. The monkey represents flexibility, while the rooster

represents stability. Flexibility and stability must be closely combined. If you are only flexible

and do not have stability, even the best policies will not lead to results in the end. But if you

are only stable, like a stagnant pond or a piece of iron, there would be no good days for us

today. Only when they are combined in a very harmonious way, on the one hand, with

stability, keeping the overall harmony and order, on the other hand, with the ability to

constantly change and progress, is the most fundamental principle.」

 

「The last pair is the dog and the boar. Dogs represent loyalty while boars represent

easygoing. If a person is too loyal and does not know how to be easygoing, they will be

 

isolated. On the other hand, if a person is too easy going and not loyal, this person will have

lost their principle. Therefore whether it is loyalty to a country, a team or one’s ideal, it

must be closely combined with easygoing, only in this way one can maintain the loyalty

deep in one’s heart. This is what we Chinese have always sought for and determined to

achieve, being outwardly round and inwardly square, being a gentleman who is harmonious

but different. Every Chinese person has their own zodiac, some are born in the year of boar

while some are born in the year of dog, what is the meaning of this? The truth is, our

ancestors hoped that we can be well-rounded and not biased, approaching things from all

angles. For example, people born in the year of the boar can pursue loyalty in their

easygoing nature; while people born in the year of the dog should be able to be easygoing

on top of their loyalt