The twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac, also known as the phases of the genus, are the twelve animals in China that match the twelve Earthly Branches with the year of a person's birth, including the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. The origin of the zodiac is related to animal worship. The twelve signs of the Chinese Zodiac are the figurative representatives of the twelve Earthly Branches, i.e., Zi (Rat), U (Ox), Yin (Tiger), Mao (Rabbit), Chen (Dragon), Si (Snake), Wu (Horse), Wei (Sheep), Shen (Monkey), You (Chicken), Xu (Dog), and Hai (Pig), which gradually merged into the folk belief concepts of phallicism and mutual restraints with the development of history and were reflected in the concepts of marriage, life and yearly fortune, etc., and each of the twelve zodiac signs has a wealth of legends and has formed a conceptual interpretation system. Each zodiac sign has a rich legend, and in this way it forms a conceptual interpretation system and becomes a figurative philosophy in folk culture, such as the phases of the zodiac in marriage, prayers at temples, and the year of the birth of a child. In modern times, more people use the Chinese zodiac as a mascot for the Spring Festival and as a symbol for entertainment and cultural activities.
