Traditional Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin
The Great Race: The Twelve Animals
十二生肖
The Great Race: The Twelve Animals (十二生肖, Shí'èr shēngxiào) is a Chinese legend, retold in simple Mandarin as a 5-chapter story with audio for learners at about HSK 1 (Beginner).
Retold from the Chinese folk legend of the zodiac: the Jade Emperor calls a race across a great river, and a clever rat, a sleepy cat and eleven other animals compete for a year of their own.
Meet the voices
- Narrator · 旁白 — An old storyteller who tells the tale of the twelve animals the way grandparents all over China tell it.
- Rat · 老鼠 — A small, clever rat who wants more than anything to be first, and who always has a plan.
- Cat · 猫 — The Rat's best friend, a sleepy cat who can't swim and always wants five more minutes in bed.
- Ox · 牛 — A big, slow, kind ox who gets up early, swims steadily and always says there's no need to hurry.
- The Jade Emperor · 玉帝 — The kind, slightly fussy ruler of heaven, who wants every year to have a name and writes everything down in his big red book.
- Tiger · 老虎 — A proud, loud tiger who calls himself king of the mountain and is sure he's the fastest swimmer of all.
- Rabbit · 兔子 — A small, nervous rabbit who crosses the river by counting “one, two, three, jump!”
- Dragon · 龙 — A kind, powerful dragon who can fly and bring rain, and who always stops to help.
- Snake · 蛇 — A quiet, sly snake who finds a clever way to get a free ride across the river.
- Horse · 马 — A fast, proud horse who is very sure he'll be sixth, and very scared of snakes.
- Goat · 羊 — A polite, gentle goat who is always saying “excuse me” and never says no to a snack.
- Monkey · 猴子 — A quick, cheeky monkey who is good with his hands and never walks when he can jump.
- Rooster · 公鸡 — A proud rooster with sharp eyes and a very loud voice, who likes to sing at the wrong moment.
- Dog · 狗 — A happy dog who swims better than anyone but loves playing in the water even more.
- Pig · 猪 — A cheerful pig who never hurries, especially when there is food or a nap nearby.
5 chapters, one journey
Chapter 1: The Jade Emperor's Race
玉帝的比赛
The Jade Emperor will name the years after the first twelve animals across the great river. Rat can't swim, but he has a plan, and a very sleepy best friend.
Free to read
Chapter 2: A Ride on the Ox
坐在牛头上
Race day dawns. Rat whispers a wake-up call, rides across the river on Ox's head and sings very badly all the way. But back home, someone is still asleep.
Free to read
Chapter 3: The Kind Dragon
好心的龙
Tiger loses a fight with the river, a little rabbit runs out of stepping stones, and the Jade Emperor wonders why the Dragon, who can fly, still hasn't arrived.
Free to read
Chapter 4: The Snake and the Raft
蛇和木筏
Horse gallops in with a secret passenger, three friends float up on a raft, and only two places are left. But where is Cat?
Free to read
Chapter 5: Why Cats Chase Rats
猫为什么追老鼠
The sun is setting, two places are left, and a very wet cat is on her way. How the twelve years got their animals, and why cats still chase rats.
Free to read
Key words in The Great Race: The Twelve Animals
Behind the story
The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the 十二生肖, name the years in a cycle that repeats every twelve years: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Folk tales explain their order with a race called by the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝), the ruler of heaven in Chinese folk religion. The legend is told in many versions; this book follows a familiar one, with the rat's ride on the ox, the dragon who stops to bring rain, and the cat who oversleeps.
Nearly everyone in China knows their animal. 你属什么？ (“What's your animal?”) is an everyday question, and a polite way to work out someone's age. Children learn the order as a chant, 鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪, and every Spring Festival welcomes the new year's animal on decorations, stamps and red envelopes.
Did you know?
- In Vietnam's version of the zodiac, the cat takes the rabbit's place, so there, at least, the cat got a year of its own.
- Your animal's year starts at Chinese New Year (春节), not on January 1, so someone born in January or February may belong to the animal of the year before.
- When your own animal's year comes around again, it is your 本命年, and many people wear something red all year for good luck.