Nowadays， we divide a day and night into 24 hours while ancient astronomers divide it into 12 “Shichen”， which is a two-hour period， namely， Zi， Chou， Yin， Mao， Chen， Si， Wu， Wei， Shen， You， Xu and Hai. In astronomical observation， they choose 12 animal signs corresponding to each “Shichen” according to the living habits and the time of activity of the animals.

现在我们将一昼夜划分为二十四个小时，而古代天文学家将昼夜分为十二时辰，即：子、丑、寅、卯、辰、巳、午、未、申、酉、戌、亥。同时他们在观天象时，依照十二种动物的生活习性和活动的时辰，确定了与时辰相对应的十二生肖。

From 11 pm to 1 am of the next day， it is the time of “Zi”. It is the time for rats to run around while people fall asleep， so we have “Zi”， rat.

夜间十一点至次日凌晨一点，属子时，正是老鼠趁夜深人静频繁活动之时，故称“子鼠”。

From 1 am to 3 am， it is the time of “Chou”. The ox is used to eating grass at night and farmers often get up in the midnight and feed them， so we have “Chou”， ox.

一点至三点，属丑时。牛习惯在夜间吃草，农夫常在深夜起来挑灯喂牛，故称“丑牛”。

From 3 am to 5 am， it is the time of “Yin”. Because the tiger often moves about at night and ancient people often hear it roaring at this time， we call it “Yin”， tiger.

凌晨三点至五点，属寅时。此时昼伏夜行的老虎最凶猛，古人常会在此时听到虎啸声，故称“寅虎”。

From 5 am to 7 am， it is the time of “Mao”. The hare goes out of its nest and eats green grass with morning dew on it， so we call it “Mao”， hare.

清晨五点至七点，属卯时。天刚亮，兔子出窝，它们喜欢吃带有晨露的青草，故称“卯兔”。

From 7 am to 9 am， it is the time of “Chen”. It often mists at this time and legend says that dragons like to ride clouds and mist. Its also the time for the sun to rise， so we have “Chen”， dragon.

早晨七点至九点，属辰时。此时一般容易起雾，传说龙喜腾云驾雾，又值旭日东升，故称“辰龙”。

It is the time of “Si” from 9 am to 11 am. The mist has vanished and the sun has risen up in the sky. Snakes will go out to find food， so we call it “Si”， snake.

上午九点至十一时，属巳时。大雾散去，艳阳高照，蛇类出洞觅食，故称“巳蛇”。

It is the time of “Wu” from 11 am to 1 pm. Before the wild horse was domesticated in the ancient time， they usually ran around and neighed at this time. Thats why we call “Wu”， horse.

中午十一点至一点，属午时。古时野马未被人类驯服时，每当午时四处奔跑嘶鸣，故称“午马”。

From 1 pm to 3 pm， it is the time of “Wei”. In some places， people call this period “sheep on the slope” because its the right time for herding sheep. Thats why we call it “Wei”， sheep.

午后一点至三点，属未时。有的地方称此时为“羊出坡”，意思是放羊的好时候，故称“未羊”。

Its the time of “Shen” from 3 pm to 5 pm. The sun has moved to the western half of the sky. Monkeys love to screech at this time， so we call it “Shen”， monkey.

下午三点至五点，属申时。太阳偏西了，猴子喜欢在此时啼叫，故称“申猴”。

Its the time of “You” from 5 pm to 7 pm. The sun has set. Roosters go back to their nest， so we call it “You”， rooster.

下午五点至七点，属酉时。太阳落山了，鸡回到它们自己的小窝，故称“酉鸡”。

From 7 pm to 9 pm， its the time of “Xu”. After a busy day， people close their gates and go to sleep. Dogs guard the gates and will bark in case of any noise， so we call it “Xu”， dog.

傍晚七点至九点，属戌时。人们劳碌一天，关门准备休息了。狗卧在门前守护，一有动静，就汪汪大叫，故称“戌狗”。

Its the time of “Hai” from 9 pm to 11 pm. In the still of night， we can hear pigs dig the trough with their snouts， so we call it “Hai”， pig.

夜间九点至十一点，属亥时。夜深人静，能听见猪拱槽的声音，故称“亥猪”。

Vocabulary

astronomer n. 天文学家

correspond v. 符合; 相当于

vanish v. 消失; 突然不見; 灭绝

domesticate v. 驯养; 使爱家