document_title: Crowley (Supernatural)

question_text: what episode of supernatural does crowley first appear in

text: Crowley (Supernatural)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Crowley is introduced in mid-way through Season 5 in the episode "Abandon All Hope...", having first been mentioned near the end of the previous episode, "The Real Ghostbusters", when series protagonists Sam and Dean Winchester learn that Crowley—not Lilith, as was previously believed—had been the one who took The Colt from Bela Talbot in the Season 3.[2] The following episode, they track down and confront him. Although his guards capture the brothers, Crowley uses The Colt to kill his own men before explaining that he shares the Winchesters' goal of them killing Lucifer, as he suspects that Lucifer would kill all demons once he has killed all humans. Crowley gives The Colt to the brothers to use to kill Lucifer and then informs them of Lucifer's location so that they can find him.[3] When The Colt fails to kill Lucifer, Crowley is forced to go on the run to evade retribution from the forces of Hell for his betrayal. Learning of the Winchesters' new plan to stop Lucifer by trapping him in his cage in Hell once again using the Horsemen's rings, Crowley again aids the brothers in "The Devil You Know" to help them find Pestilence and retrieve his ring by orchestrating the capture of a high-ranking demonic minion of Pestilence's and ultimately manipulating the demon into revealing Pestilence's location. He then manipulates the Winchesters' long-time ally Bobby Singer to "lend" him his soul in order for them to find Death, with Crowley assuring Bobby that he will rescind his claim on Bobby's soul once Lucifer is imprisoned.[4] It is soon revealed that he actually wants Bobby's soul to prevent the brothers from killing him after they stop Lucifer. Despite ever-increasing animosity between himself and the rest of the group, Crowley helps Dean recover the final ring from Death.[5]

text: The Season 6 episode "Weekend at Bobby's" reveals that Crowley went back on his promise to Bobby and plans to keep Bobby's soul, telling him that he will give him the ten years left of life customary for Faustian deals before he has him killed and brought to Hell. Eventually, however, Crowley is forced to return Bobby's soul to save his own life. The same episode establishes Crowley's backstory: he had been a 17th-century Scotsman named Fergus MacLeod whose own son, Gavin, hated him as much as he himself hated Gavin. It is also revealed that Crowley has become the King of Hell since Lucifer's imprisonment in the Season 5 finale.[6] Several episodes later, Crowley reveals himself to be manipulating hunters into working for him by capturing monsters. He explains that he wants to interrogate the monsters on how to reach Purgatory—the afterlife of monsters—to be able to harvest the souls there and build his own power. He then coerces Sam and Dean into working for him, too, by claiming that he can restore Sam's missing soul;[7] however, once he is forced to admit that he had lied in saying that he could, the angel Castiel seemingly kills him.[8] It is eventually revealed that Crowley is, in fact, still alive and still trying to find Purgatory in secret; furthermore, he and Castiel have been working together all along to find Purgatory.[9][10] They learn how to access Purgatory in the season finale, but Castiel reveals that he has no intentions of letting Crowley have any of the Purgatory souls, thus Crowley forms an alliance with Castiel's enemy Raphael. Castiel sabotages their spell to open Purgatory before taking all of the souls therein for himself, and Crowley makes his escape, leaving Raphael to be killed by Castiel.[11]

text: Though reluctant to risk crossing the new god-like Castiel, Crowley once again secretly aid the Winchesters in Season 7 premiere "Meet the New Boss", this time in trying to defeat Castiel.[12] When the Leviathans are released into the world from Castiel's body, Crowley attempts to strike an alliance with their leader, Dick Roman, but Dick scoffs at the idea of an alliance between their kind, instead insulting and threatening Crowley.[13] In response, Crowley orders his demons to refrain from attacking Sam and Dean, to allow the Winchesters to wipe out the Leviathans.[14] When it turns out that Crowley's blood is needed to construct a weapon to kill the Leviathans, he agrees on the condition that they retrieve the other components of the weapon first. Later, Crowley encounters Dick,[15] who makes a deal with Crowley for the demon to give the Winchesters the wrong blood and thus sabotage the weapon. Despite the deal, Crowley gives Sam and Dean his real blood, resulting in Dick's death and the Leviathans' plan unraveling.[16]

text: In Season 8, Crowley breaks off his alliance with the Winchesters and acts as an antagonist towards them, as they seek to seal all demons in Hell forever by completing three trials described in a Word of God tablet about demons.[17][18] Crowley himself wants to use the tablet to unleash all demons onto Earth,[17] and so hunts the tablet and the only one who can read it—the prophet Kevin Tran—relentlessly, but can only secure one broken-off half of the tablet.[19] He later becomes interested in a tablet on angels as well.[20][21] In "Taxi Driver", he attempts to sabotage the second trial Sam and Dean are trying to finish, by dragging the deceased Bobby's soul back to Hell where he had it trapped earlier through use of a reaper working for him. He flees when the angel Naomi is about to attack him, and the trial is ultimately completed. However, the episode ends with Crowley successfully capturing Kevin once again,[22] trying to kill him after Kevin proves that he cannot be tricked or threatened into translating the half of the demon tablet. Crowley is thwarted by the intervention of the angel Metatron. Although Kevin takes Crowley's half of the demon tablet with him when he is rescued by Metatron, Crowley now has the angel tablet, having earlier found and taken it in a confrontation between Castiel and Naomi.[23] In the next episode, he begins killing people whom Sam and Dean have saved, threatening to kill them all and undo the Winchesters' life work unless Sam and Dean surrender the whole demon tablet and give up the trials.[24] Crowley is lured into a trap by Sam and Dean in the season finale, at which point they take him prisoner and make him the subject of the final trial: restoring a demon's humanity by injecting him with purified human blood. Although Crowley manages to make a distress call to other demons, the only one who shows up is Abaddon, who attacks Crowley, planning to take over Hell after killing him. Sam saves him from Abaddon and Crowley soon starts showing human emotion from the effects of Sam's blood, but the process is stopped before it is fully completed, as Sam and Dean learn that completing the last trial would require Sam's death.[25]

text: Crowley remains the Winchesters' prisoner in the first half of the ninth season,[26] with them using him for information.[27][28][29] He is set free in the episode "Road Trip" when Dean lets him go to help him in saving Sam, and immediately starts trying to defeat Abaddon for rulership of Hell.[30] He stages an elaborate set-up in "First Born" for the purpose of manipulating Dean into taking on the Mark of Cain, which enables Dean to wield the First Blade, the only weapon that can kill Abaddon. Crowley then sets out to find the lost First Blade for Dean to use on Abaddon.[31] At the same time, Crowley is haunted by the memory of almost being cured and eventually turns to injecting himself with human blood to re-experience his lost humanity,[27][29] later developing an addiction to it.[32][33] The Winchesters are forced to help him at his most human in his addiction, but while the three of them manage to retrieve the First Blade by working together, Crowley bitterly concedes that Sam and Dean will try to kill him now that he has gotten them the Blade, and takes off with it to prevent that, planning to give it to Dean only once they have found Abaddon.[32] Ultimately, though Crowley and his time-displaced son Gavin fall into Abaddon's clutches in "King of the Damned", he is able to aid Dean in killing her by giving him the location of the First Blade and discreetly tipping him off to her trap for him and Sam. Crowley's increased humanity prompts him to keep Gavin alive in the present to spare him the death he had experienced in his own time, and to reconcile much of their mutually hateful relationship.[34] In the season finale "Do You Believe in Miracles?", Crowley reveals that he has stopped drinking human blood. At the end of the episode, he oversees Dean's transformation into a demon from the Mark and invites the newborn demon to join him.[35]

text: In "Black" and "Reichenbach", Crowley and Dean are living it up away from everything. However, Crowley gets impatient with Dean's refusal to give up his new life and come to Hell with him to rule at his side. To feed the Mark, Crowley sends Abaddon supporters to Dean to kill and has him fulfill a crossroads deal for him by killing a man's wife and is annoyed when Dean kills the man instead. As Dean starts to get too out of his control, Crowley turns on him, calling Sam and letting him know where Dean is in exchange for the First Blade. In "Soul Survivor", Crowley returns to rule of Hell, executing Abaddon supporters, but finds his time with Dean to be causing him problems. To solve this, Crowley saves Castiel and Hannah from the rogue angel Adina and gives Castiel her grace so he can stop Dean by whatever means necessary, whether they be helping cure him or kill him. In "Girls, Girls, Girls", Crowley learns of the demonic brothel run by two of his demons and while disgusted as he finds it "tacky" rather than evil, orders one to track down the witch who destroyed the brothel. Crowley's demons capture the witch despite the Winchesters interference and Crowley is shocked to learn that the witch is his mother, Rowena. In "The Things We Left Behind", Crowley rebuffs Rowena's efforts to bond with him until she reveals that his demon minion Gerald has been trafficking demons to Earth. Crowley kills Gerald to save her, not knowing that Rowena was lying and lets her out of her cell. More of Crowley's backstory is revealed: Crowley's mother conceived him at an orgy and thus he grew up with no father. Rowena was a terrible mother who ended up abandoning him at age eight and never returning despite promising to, something Crowley holds a great deal of resentment towards her for. In "The Hunter Games", Crowley continues to let Rowena roam free, but mistrusts her. Rowena plots against Crowley, making him have nightmares of being attacked by his demons and spying on a meeting with the Winchesters where they ask him for the First Blade back to help get rid of the Mark of Cain. Crowley reluctantly goes to retrieve the Blade from where he stashed it in a crypt in Guam with his bones, but discovers it missing. Returning to Hell, he finds that Rowena has killed his loyal demon Guthrie who stole the Blade for her. Crowley believes Rowena's lies about Guthrie and informs the Winchesters he will keep the Blade until they are ready to use it to remove the Mark. In Season 10 Episode 17, inside man, Crowley kicks Rowena out because he learns that she has been plotting against him and has been lying to him.

text: After Sam's attempts to cure Dean of the Mark of Cain turn Crowley back to his old villainy, he attempts to 'raise' Amara- a soul-draining young woman who was 'born' when the Mark was removed from Dean- for his own ends, but she soon proves too powerful to control. Lost for better solutions to the threat of Amara, Crowley provides Dean and Sam with a way to communicate with Lucifer in the Cage, but Lucifer subsequently escaped when Castiel, out of desperation against the threat posed by Amara, agrees to act as Lucifer's new vessel himself. Having retaken control of Hell, Lucifer has Crowley act as his 'servant', such as forcing him to clean a floor with a toothbrush, until one of Crowley's remaining followers helps him escape. Attempts to battle Lucifer and the Darkness eventually fail, but they are able to stop the threat by convincing Amara to reconcile with God, her 'brother'.

text: Despite Lucifer being freed from Castiel, he resorts to a random assault on the world, lacking any real plan beyond anger against the world that has 'mistreated' him. Working with Castiel and Rowena, Crowley is able to force Lucifer to keep 'jumping' between vessels, eventually exorcising him from the body of the President of the United States and trapping him back in Nick. He is also forced to send his son Gavin back in time to meet his original death in order to prevent the ghost of Gavin's fiancé Fiona killing more people in the present. Crowley initially plans to use Lucifer as his 'attack dog', having warded Lucifer's body so that he is trapped by his very vessel, but Lucifer feigns compliance so that he can win support from other demons to break the warding and free himself. Lucifer eventually escapes and apparently kills Crowley, something the Winchesters learn about from the British Men of Letters.

text: In "All Along the Watchtower", Crowley is revealed to have survived by possessing a rat before Lucifer "killed" him. Returning to his usual vessel, Crowley offers his help to defeat Lucifer at which point he promises to personally seal the Gates of Hell, tired of his job as the King of Hell and all of the backstabbing that comes with it. After discovering that the Nephilim's power has opened a rift to an alternate reality where the world has ended, Crowley works with the Winchesters to trap Lucifer in the alternate reality. As the spell requires the sacrifice of a life, Crowley says his goodbyes to the Winchesters before killing himself with an angel blade. Crowley's death completes the spell, but Lucifer is able to kill Castiel before he is trapped in the alternate reality with Mary Winchester.

text: Characterization[edit]

text: Originally, Crowley is described as "Lilith's right-hand man and King of the Crossroads", with the latter title referencing his role as the leader and "the most powerful" of the crossroad demons, a special subgroup of demons in Supernatural who fulfill the traditional concept of a "deal with the Devil" for one's soul.[36] By the sixth season, Crowley has usurped[37] leadership of Hell, becoming "the undisputed King of Hell". However, executive producer and current series showrunner, Jeremy Carver, explained that Crowley "actually doesn't care for [Hell] much", in contrast to Abaddon, his challenger for the crown in Season 9.[38] Nicholas Knight, author of various Supernatural supplementary materials, summarized Crowley as "nasty, cocky, brutally honest, and wickedly funny", and wrote that, "If [Crowley] weren't such a bad guy, he'd make one amazing hero—although technically he is a hero to the forces of evil."[37]

text: Starting in the eighth season finale "Sacrifice", Crowley began exposing a "new emotional vulnerability" as a result of an unfinished demon-curing ritual performed on him in the episode and a resulting addiction to human blood in Season 9. On this topic, executive producer Robert Singer said that Crowley's secret enjoyment of his temporary sense of humanity influenced the character throughout the ninth season.[37] However, a statement from Carver raised the possibility that Crowley might not retain this humanity in Season 10.[39]

text: Season 12 revealed he occupied his throne as "King Of Hell" because the prince of hell next in line for the throne, Ramiel, has no interest in the title. He gives Crowley the throne under one condition: that he be left alone, forever. Ramiel lived a solitary life fishing until one day, the Winchesters and Castiel go kicking up that nest. As Cass was dying from being impaled with the Lance of Michael, Crowley subsequently killed the Prince and saved Castiel by breaking the Lance, therefore breaking the spell the Lance of Michael carried.

text: Development[edit]

text: Maureen Ryan of The Chicago Tribune disclosed in her October 9, 2009 review of fifth season episode "Fallen Idols" that "the ubiquitous and talented Mark Sheppard" had been cast as the "pivotal" demon character Crowley in the upcoming episode "Abandon All Hope...".[40] Sheppard had previously worked with Supernatural producer and director Kim Manners on The X-Files. Sheppard revealed in an interview with Variety on November 11, 2014 that he and Manners had discussed the possibility of Sheppard appearing on Supernatural, but that Manners had died before Sheppard ultimately landed his role as Crowley. In the same interview, Sheppard also revealed that when reading the script for "Abandon All Hope", he "got the giggles" and took the part partially to honor Manners and partially out of appreciation for the work of writer Ben Edlund, as Edlund had written for Firefly, another show on which Sheppard appeared.[41]

text: In an exclusive interview with Michael Ausiello on July 15, 2010, series creator Eric Kripke confirmed that Crowley would return in the show's sixth season.[42]

text: Knight felt that "Crowley's journey on the show has been a bold and ambitious one". On the Season 9 subplot of Crowley's human blood addiction, he wrote that it was "one of the most interesting and unexpected subplots of [the] season...and it left a lasting (and often amusing) impression on viewers."[37] Carver, too, enjoys the character, stating, "He's pure evil, but, in an odd sort of way, we find him likeable. He's so much fun to write."[38]

text: When discussing plots that had been either set up or not resolved by the end of Season 9, Knight cited the developments in Crowley's story, questioning what the character plans to do with the demonic version of Dean he beckoned to in the closing moments of "Do You Believe in Miracles?" He also questioned Crowley's plans for demons at large under his control, and how Hell may or may not change.[43]

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response to Sheppard's characterization of Crowley has been largely positive. In a review of the episode "Blade Runners" New York's Vulture website, Price Peterson wrote, "This whole enemy-of-my-enemy relationship between the Winchesters and Crowley is one of the most compelling dynamics this series has seen, and as long as Supernatural keeps Crowley constantly on the verge of redemption, I see no end to its emotional rewards."[44] Of the same episode, The A.V. Club member Phil Dyess-Nugent wrote, "Just how terrific is Mark A. Sheppard? There was a time, not so very long ago, when I would have tagged this as a trick question, but Sheppard has been playing Crowley long enough to have gotten comfortable in the part and grateful for the chance to do new things with it, and he carries 'Blade Runners' in the palm of his hand."[45] On io9, Charlie Jane Anders praised Sheppard's "impeccable comic timing, and his ability to sell an entire scene with afew [sic] well-chosen facial expressions."[46]

text: Fan reaction to Crowley has been described as being positive as well. The character was described as a "fan-favorite"[38] and "one of the most iconic and popular characters on the show" since his first appearance. "He's a villain fans love to hate," Knight wrote, "and no matter how difficult he makes Dean and Sam's lives, viewers are always thrilled by Crowley's devilish ways",[37] adding to Carver's warning that Crowley had not become truly human over the course of his Season 9 story arc, that, "A truly human Crowley is something fans would never really want anyway; it's much more fun rooting for a truly bad guy, especially when he's so darn entertaining."[39]


document_title: Bombay City Improvement Trust

question_text: when was the city of bombay improvement trust established

root

text: Bombay City Improvement Trust

text: The Bombay City Improvement Trust (BIT) was created on December 9, 1898, in response to the Mumbai plague epidemic of 1896. It was created through an Act of the Parliament. The Municipal Corporation and the government handed over all vacant lands to this body. The CIT undertook a host of measures to improve sanitary and living conditions in the city. The planned opening up of suburbs was due to the Trust.

tag: p

text: The CIT widened roads in the central, crowded, parts of the town. A new east-west road, the Princess Street, was constructed to channel the sea air into the centre of the crowded residential areas. The north-south Sydenham Road (now Mohammedali Road) was also constructed with this end in view.

text: The Dadar-Matunga-Wadala-Sion suburban development was started in 1899 with the express purpose of relieving congestion to the south. Well-laid out plots, with mixed land-use patterns marked these sections. Completed in 1900, access to these parts were through the newly completed Mohammedali Road.


document_title: Sima Qian

question_text: when was the letter to ren an written

question_tokens: when was the letter to ren an written

text: Sima Qian

text: Early life and education[edit]

text: Sima Qian was born at Xiayang in Zuopingyi (near modern Hancheng, Shaanxi Province) around 145 BC, though some sources give his birth year as around 135 BC.[2] Sima's precise year of birth is still debated, but it is generally agreed that he lived most of his life during the reign of the Emperor Wu whose long reign lasted from 141–87 BC.[1] Around 136 BC, his father, Sima Tan, received an appointment to the relatively low-ranking position of "grand historian" (tàishǐ 太史, alt. "grand scribe" or "grand astrologer").[3][4] The grand historian's primary duty was to formulate the yearly calendar, identifying which days were ritually auspicious or inauspicious, and present it to the emperor prior to New Year's Day.[4] Besides these duties, the grand historian was also to travel with the emperor for important rituals and to record the daily events both at the court and within the country.[5] By his account, by the age of ten Sima was able to "read the old writings" and was considered to be a promising scholar.[5] Sima grew up in a Confucian environment, and Sima always regarded his historical work as an act of Confucian filial piety to his father.[5]

text: In 126 BC, around the age of twenty, Sima Qian began an extensive tour around China as it existed in the Han dynasty.[4] He started his journey from the imperial capital, Chang'an (modern Xi'an), then went south across the Yangtze River to Changsha (modern Hunan Province), where he visited the Miluo River site where the ancient poet Qu Yuan was traditionally said to have drowned himself.[4] He then went to seek the burial place of the legendary Xia dynasty rulers Yu on Mount Kuaiji and Shun in the Jiuyi Mountains (modern Ningyuan County, Hunan).[4][6] He then went north to Huaiyin (modern Huai'an, Jiangsu Province) to see the grave of Han dynasty general Han Xin, then continued north to Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, where he studied ritual and other traditional subjects.[4]

text: As Han court official[edit]

text: After his travels, Sima was chosen to be a Palace Attendant in the government, whose duties were to inspect different parts of the country with Emperor Wu in 122 BC.[1] Sima married young and had one daughter.[1] In 110 BC, at the age of thirty-five, Sima Qian was sent westward on a military expedition against some "barbarian" tribes. That year, his father fell ill and could not attend the Imperial Feng Sacrifice. Suspecting his time was running out, he summoned his son back home to complete the historical work he had begun. Sima Tan wanted to follow the Annals of Spring and Autumn - the first chronicle in the history of Chinese literature. Fueled by his father's inspiration, Sima Qian started to compile Shiji, which became known in English as the Records of the Grand Historian, in 109 BC. Three years after the death of his father, Sima Qian assumed his father's previous position as Court Astrologer. In 105 BC, Sima was among the scholars chosen to reform the calendar. As a senior imperial official, Sima was also in the position to offer counsel to the emperor on general affairs of state.

text: The Li Ling affair[edit]

text: In 99 BC, Sima Qian became embroiled in the Li Ling affair, where Li Ling and Li Guangli, two military officers who led a campaign against the Xiongnu in the north, were defeated and taken captive. Emperor Wu attributed the defeat to Li Ling, with all government officials subsequently condemning him for it. Sima was the only person to defend Li Ling, who had never been his friend but whom he respected. Emperor Wu interpreted Sima's defence of Li as an attack on his brother-in-law, Li Guangli, who had also fought against the Xiongnu without much success, and sentenced Sima to death. At that time, execution could be commuted either by money or castration. Since Sima did not have enough money to atone his "crime", he chose the latter and was then thrown into prison, where he endured three years. He described his pain thus: "When you see the jailer you abjectly touch the ground with your forehead. At the mere sight of his underlings you are seized with terror... Such ignominy can never be wiped away." Sima called his castration "the worst of all punishments".[5]

text: In 96 BC, on his release from prison, Sima chose to live on as a palace eunuch to complete his histories, rather than commit suicide as was expected of a gentleman-scholar who had been disgraced with castration.[1] As Sima Qian himself explained in his Letter to Ren An:

text: If even the lowest slave and scullion maid can bear to commit suicide, why should not one like myself be able to do what has to be done? But the reason I have not refused to bear these ills and have continued to live, dwelling in vileness and disgrace without taking my leave, is that I grieve that I have things in my heart which I have not been able to express fully, and I am shamed to think that after I am gone my writings will not be known to posterity. Too numerous to record are the men of ancient times who were rich and noble and whose names have yet vanished away. It is only those who were masterful and sure, the truly extraordinary men, who are still remembered. ... I too have ventured not to be modest but have entrusted myself to my useless writings. I have gathered up and brought together the old traditions of the world which were scattered and lost. I have examined the deeds and events of the past and investigated the principles behind their success and failure, their rise and decay, in one hundred and thirty chapters. I wished to examine into all that concerns heaven and man, to penetrate the changes of the past and present, completing all as the work of one family. But before I had finished my rough manuscript, I met with this calamity. It is because I regretted that it had not been completed that I submitted to the extreme penalty without rancor. When I have truly completed this work, I shall deposit it in the Famous Mountain. If it may be handed down to men who will appreciate it, and penetrate to the villages and great cities, then though I should suffer a thousand mutilations, what regret should I have?

text: "The Grand Historian"[edit]

text: Although the style and form of Chinese historical writings varied through the ages, the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji) has defined the quality and style from then onwards. Before Sima, histories were written as certain events or certain periods of history of states; his idea of a general history affected later historiographers like Zheng Qiao (郑樵) in writing Tongzhi and Sima Guang in writing Zizhi Tongjian. The Chinese historical form of dynasty history, or jizhuanti history of dynasties, was codified in the second dynastic history by Ban Gu's Book of Han, but historians regard Sima's work as their model, which stands as the "official format" of the history of China. The Shiji comprises 130 chapters consisting of half-million characters.[1]

text: Sima was greatly influenced by Confucius’s Spring and Autumn Annals, which on the surface is a succinct chronology from the events of the reigns of the twelve dukes of Lu from 722 to 484 BC.[5] Many Chinese scholars have and still do view how Confucius ordered his chronology as the ideal example of how history should be written, especially with regards to what he chose to include and to exclude; and his choice of words as indicating moral judgements [5] Seen in this light, the Spring and Autumn Annals are a moral guide to the proper way of living.[8] Sima took this view himself as he explained:

text: It [Spring and Autumn Annals] distinguishes what is suspicious and doubtful, clarifies right and wrong, and settles points which are uncertain. It calls good good and bad bad, honours the worthy, and condemns the unworthy. It preserves states which are lost and restores the perishing family. It brings to light what was neglected and restores what was abandoned. [8]

text: Sima saw the Shiji as being in the same tradition as he explained in his introduction to chapter 61 of the Shiji where he wrote:

text: “Some people say 'It is Heaven’s way, without distinction of persons, to keep the good perpetually supplied. ' Can we say then that Po I and Shu Ch'I were good men or not? They clung to righteousness and were pure in their deeds…yet they starved to death…Robber Chih day after day killed innocent men, making mincemeat of their flesh…But in the end he lived to a great old age. For what virtue did he deserve this? …I find myself in much perplexity. Is this so-called 'Way of Heaven' right or wrong?”[8]

text: To resolve this theodical problem, Sima argued that while the wicked may succeed and the good may suffer in their own life-times, it is the historian who ensures that in the end good triumphs.[8] For Sima, the writing of history was no mere antiquarian pursuit, but was rather a vital moral task as the historian would “preserve memory”, and thereby ensure the ultimate victory of good over evil.[8] Along these lines, Sima wrote:

text: “Su Ch’in and his two brothers all achieved fame among the feudal lords as itinerant strategists. Their policies laid great stress upon stratagems and shifts of power. But because Su Ch’in died a traitor’s death, the world has united in scoffing at him and has been loath to study his policies…Su Ch’in arouse from the humblest beginnings to lead the Six States in the Vertical Alliance, and this is evidence that he possessed an intelligence surpassing the ordinary person. For this reason I have set forth this account of his deeds, arranging them in proper chronological order, so that he may not forever suffer from an evil reputation and be known for nothing else”.[9]

text: Such a moralizing approach to history with the historian high-guiding the good and evil to provide lessons for the present could be dangerous for the historian as it could bring down the wrath of the state onto to the historian as happened to Sima himself. As such, the historian had to tread carefully and often expressed his judgements in a circuitous way designed to fool the censor.[10] Sima himself in the conclusion to chapter 110 of the Shiji declared that he was a writing in this tradition where he stated:

text: “When Confucius wrote the Spring and Autumn Annals, he was very open in treating the reigns of Yin and Huan, the early dukes of Lu; but when he came to the later period of Dukes Ding and Ai, his writing was much more covert. Because in the latter case he was writing about his own times, he did not express his judgements frankly, but used subtle and guarded language.”[10]

text: Bearing this in mind, not everything that Sima wrote should be understood as conveying didactical moral lessons.[10] But several historians have suggested that parts of the Shiji, such as where Sima placed his section on Confucius’s use of indirect criticism in the part of the book dealing with the Xiongnu “barbarians” might indicate his disapproval of the foreign policy of the Emperor Wu.[10]

text: In writing Shiji, Sima initiated a new writing style by presenting history in a series of biographies. His work extends over 130 chapters — not in historical sequence, but divided into particular subjects, including annals, chronicles, and treatises — on music, ceremonies, calendars, religion, economics, and extended biographies. Sima's work influenced the writing style of other histories outside of China as well, such as the Goryeo (Korean) history the Samguk Sagi. Sima adopted a new method in sorting out the historical data and a new approach to writing historical records. At the beginning of the Shiji, Sima declared himself a follower of Confucius’s approach in the Analects to “hear much but leave to one side that which is doubtful, and speak with due caution concerning the remainder”.[10] Reflecting these rigorous analytic methods, Sima declared that he would not write about periods of history where they was insufficient documentation.[10] As such, Sima wrote “the ages before the Ch’in dynasty are too far away and the material on them too scanty to permit a detailed account of them here”.[10] In the same way, Sima discounted accounts in the traditional records that were “ridiculous” such as the pretense that Prince Tan could via the use of magic make the clouds rain grain and horses grow horns.[10] Sima constantly compared accounts found in the manuscripts with what he considered reliable sources like Confucian classics like the Book of Odes, Book of History, Book of Rites, Book of Music, Book of Changes and Spring and Autumn Annals.[10] When Sima encountered a story that could not be cross-checked with the Confucian classics, he systemically compared the information with other documents. Sima mentioned at least 75 books he used for cross-checking.[11] Furthermore, Sima often questioned people about historical events they had experienced.[10] Sima mentioned after one of his trips across China that: “When I had occasion to pass through Feng and Beiyi questioned the elderly people who were about the place, visited the old home of Xiao He, Cao Can, Fan Kuai and Xiahou Ying, and learned much about the early days. How different it was from the stories one hears!”[11] Reflecting the traditional Chinese reverence for age, Sima stated that he preferred to interview the elderly as he believed that they were the most likely to supply him with correct and truthful information about had happened in the past.[11] During one of this trips, Sima mentioned that he was overcome with emotion when he saw the carriage of Confucius together with his clothes and various other personal items that had belonged to Confucius.[11]

text: Despite his very large debts to Confucian tradition, Sima was an innovator in four ways. To begin with, Sima’s work was concerned with the history of the known world.[11] Previous Chinese historians had only focused on only one dynasty and/or region. [11] Sima’s history of 130 chapters began with the legendary Yellow Emperor to his own time, and covered not only China, but also neighboring nations like Korea and Vietnam.[11] In this regard, Sima was significant as the first Chinese historian to treat the peoples living to the north of the Great Wall like the Xiongnu as human beings who were implicitly the equals of the Middle Kingdom, instead of the traditional approach which had portrayed the Xiongnu as savages who had the appearance of humans, but the minds of animals.[12] In his comments about the Xiongnu, Sima refrained from evoking claims about the innate moral superiority of the Han over the "northern barbarians" that were the standard rhetorical tropes of Chinese historians in this period.[13] Likewise, Sima in his chapter about the Xiongnu condemns those advisors who purse the "expediency of the moment", that is advise the Emperor to carry policies such as conquests of other nations that bring a brief moment of glory, but burden the state with the enormous financial and often human costs of holding on to the conquered land.[14] Sima was engaging in an indirect criticism of the advisors of the Emperor Wu who were urging him to pursue a policy of aggression towards the Xiongnu and conquer all their land, a policy that Sima was apparently opposed to.[14]

text: Sima also broke new ground by using more sources like interviewing witnesses, visiting places where historical occurrences had happened, and examining documents from different regions and/or times.[11] Before Chinese historians had tended to use only reign histories as their sources.[11] The Shiji was further very novel in Chinese historiography by examining historical events outside of the courts, providing a broader history than the traditional court-based histories had done.[11] Lastly, Sima broke with the traditional chronological structure of Chinese history. Sima instead had divided the Shiji into five divisions: the basic annals which comprised the first 12 chapters, the chronological tables which comprised the next 10 chapters, treatises on particular subjects which make up 8 chapters, accounts of the ruling families which take up 30 chapters, and biographies of various eminent people which are the last 70 chapters.[11] The annals follow the traditional Chinese pattern of court-based histories of the lives of various emperors and their families.[11] The chronological tables are graphs recounting the political history of China.[11] The treatises are essays on topics such as astronomy, music, religion, hydraulic engineering and economics.[11] The last section dealing with biographies cover both famous people, both Chinese and foreign.[11] Unlike traditional Chinese historians, Sima went beyond the androcentric, emperor-focused histories by dealing with the lives of women and men such as poets, bureaucrats, merchants, assassins, and philosophers.[15] The treatises section, the biographies sections and the annals section relating to the Qin dynasty (as a former dynasty, there was more freedom to write about the Qin than there was about the reigning Han dynasty) that make up 40% of the Shiji have aroused the most interest from historians and are the only parts of the Shiji that have been translated into English.[1]

text: When Sima placed his subjects was often his way of expressing obliquely moral judgements.[15] Empress Lü and Xiang Yu were the effective rulers of China during reigns Hui of the Han and Yi of Chu respectively, so Sima placed both their lives in the basic annals.[15] Likewise, Confucius is included in the fourth section rather the fifth where he properly belonged as a way of showing his eminent virtue.[15] The structure of the Shiji allowed Sima to tell the same stories in different ways, which allowed him to pass his moral judgements.[15] For example, in the basic annals section, the Emperor Gaozu is portrayed as a good leader whereas in the section dealing with his rival Xiang Yu, the Emperor is portrayed unflatteringly.[15] Likewise, the chapter on Xiang presents him in a favorable light whereas the chapter on Gaozu portrays him in more darker colors.[15] At the end of most of the chapters, Sima usually wrote a commentary in which he judged how the individual lived up to traditional Chinese values like filial piety, humility, self-discipline, hard work and concern for the less fortunate.[15] Sima analyzed the records and sorted out those that could serve the purpose of Shiji. He intended to discover the patterns and principles of the development of human history. Sima also emphasized, for the first time in Chinese history, the role of individual men in affecting the historical development of China and his historical perception that a country cannot escape from the fate of growth and decay.

text: Unlike the Book of Han, which was written under the supervision of the imperial dynasty, Shiji was a privately written history since he refused to write Shiji as an official history covering only those of high rank. The work also covers people of the lower classes and is therefore considered a "veritable record" of the darker side of the dynasty. In Sima's time, literature and history were not seen as separate disciplines as they are now, and Sima wrote his magnum opus in a very literary style, making extensive use of irony, sarcasm, juxtaposition of events, characterization, direct speech and invented speeches, which led the American historian Jennifer Jay to describe parts of the Shiji as reading more like a historical novel than a work of history.[1] For an example, Sima tells the story of a Chinese eunuch named Zhonghang Xue who become an advisor to the Xiongnu kings.[16] Sima provides a long dialogue between Zhonghang and an envoy sent by the Emperor Wen of China during which the latter disparages the Xiongnu as "savages" whose customs are barbaric while Zhonghang defends the Xiongnu customs as either justified and/or as morally equal to Chinese customs, at times even morally superior as Zhonghang draws a contrast between the bloody succession struggles in China where family members would murder one another to be Emperor vs. the more orderly succession of the Xiongnu kings.[17] The American historian Tamara Chin wrote that though Zhonghang did exist, the dialogue is merely a "literacy device" for Sima to make points that he could not otherwise make.[18] The favorable picture of the traitor Zhonghang who went over to the Xiongnu who bests the Emperor's loyal envoy in an ethnographic argument about what is the morally superior nation appears to be Sima's way of attacking the entire Chinese court system where the Emperor preferred the lies told by his sycophantic advisors over the truth told by his honest advisors as inherently corrupt and depraved.[19] The point is reinforced by the fact that Sima has Zhonghang speak the language of an idealized Confucian official whereas the Emperor's envoy's language is dismissed as "mere twittering and chatter".[20] Elsewhere in the Shiji Sima portrayed the Xiongnu less favorably, so the debate was most almost certainly more Sima's way of criticizing the Chinese court system and less genuine praise for the Xiongnu.[21]

text: Sima has often been criticized for "historizing" myths and legends as he assigned dates to mythical and legendary figures from ancient Chinese history together with what appears to be suspiciously precise genealogies of leading families over the course of several millennia (including his own where he traces the descent of the Sima family from legendary emperors in the distant past).[1] However, archaeological discoveries in recent decades have confirmed aspects of the Shiji, and suggested that even if the sections of the Shiji dealing with the ancient past are not totally true, that at least Sima wrote down what he believed to be true. In particular, archaeological finds have confirmed the basic accuracy of the Shiji including the reigns and locations of tombs of ancient rulers.[1]

text: Literary figure[edit]

text: Sima's Shiji is respected as a model of biographical literature with high literary value and still stands as a textbook for the study of classical Chinese. Sima's works were influential to Chinese writing, serving as ideal models for various types of prose within the neo-classical ("renaissance" 复古) movement of the Tang-Song period. The great use of characterisation and plotting also influenced fiction writing, including the classical short stories of the middle and late medieval period (Tang-Ming) as well as the vernacular novel of the late imperial period. Sima had immense influence on historiography not only in China, but also in Japan and Korea. [22] For centuries afterwards, the Shiji was regarded as the greatest history book written in Asia. [22] Sima is little known in the English-speaking world as a full translation of the Shiji has never been attempted. [22]

text: His influence was derived primarily from the following elements of his writing: his skillful depiction of historical characters using details of their speech, conversations, and actions; his innovative use of informal, humorous, and varied language; and the simplicity and conciseness of his style. Even the 20th century literary critic Lu Xun regarded Shiji as "the historians' most perfect song, a "Li Sao" without the rhyme" (史家之绝唱，无韵之离骚) in his "Hanwenxueshi Gangyao" (汉文学史纲要).

text: Other literary works[edit]

text: Sima's famous letter to his friend Ren An about his sufferings during the Li Ling Affair and his perseverance in writing Shiji is today regarded as a highly admired example of literary prose style, studied widely in China even today.

text: Sima Qian wrote eight rhapsodies (fu 赋), which are listed in the bibliographic treatise of the Book of Han. All but one, the "Rhapsody in Lament for Gentleman who do not Meet their Time" (士不遇赋) have been lost, and even the surviving example is probably not complete.

text: Astrologer[edit]

text: Sima and his father were both court astrologers (taishi) 太史 in the Former Han Dynasty. At that time, the astrologer had an important role, responsible for interpreting and predicting the course of government according to the influence of the Sun, Moon, and stars, as well as other phenomena such as solar eclipses and earthquakes.

text: Before compiling Shiji, in 104 BC, Sima Qian created Taichuli (太初历) which can be translated as 'The first calendar' on the basis of the Qin calendar. Taichuli was one of the most advanced calendars of the time. The creation of Taichuli was regarded as a revolution in the Chinese calendar tradition, as it stated that there were 365.25 days in a year and 29.53 days in a month.

text: The minor planet 12620 Simaqian is named in his honour.


document_title: Acid–base titration

question_text: indicator for titration of strong acid with strong base

text: Acid–base titration

text: Alkalimetry and acidimetry[edit]

text: Alkalimetry and acidimetry are a kind of volumetric analysis in which the fundamental reaction is a neutralization reaction. Alkalimetry is the specialized analytic use of acid-base titration to determine the concentration of a basic (synonymous to alkaline) substance. Acidimetry, sometimes spelled acidometry, is the same concept of specialized analytic acid-base titration, but for an acidic substance.[1]

text: Equipment[edit]

text: The key equipment used in a titration are:

text:
Burette
White tile – used to see a colour change in the solution
Pipette
pH indicator (the one used varies depending on the reactants)
Erlenmeyer flask / Conical flask
Titrant or titrator (a standard solution of known concentration, a common one is aqueous sodium carbonate)
Analyte or titrand (solution of unknown concentration)

tag: ul

text: Method[edit]

text: Before starting the titration a suitable pH indicator must be chosen. The equivalence point of the reaction, the point at which equivalent amounts of the reactants have reacted, will have a pH dependent on the relative strengths of the acid and base used. The pH of the equivalence point can be estimated using the following rules:

text:
A strong acid will react with a strong base to form a neutral (pH = 7) solution.
A strong acid will react with a weak base to form an acidic (pH < 7) solution.
A weak acid will react with a strong base to form a basic (pH > 7) solution.

text: When a weak acid reacts with a weak base, the equivalence point solution will be basic if the base is stronger and acidic if the acid is stronger. If both are of equal strength, then the equivalence pH will be neutral. However, weak acids are not often titrated against weak bases because the colour change shown with the indicator is often quick, and therefore very difficult for the observer to see the change of colour.

text: The point at which the indicator changes colour is called the end point. A suitable indicator should be chosen, preferably one that will experience a change in colour (an end point) close to the equivalence point of the reaction.

text: First, the burette should be rinsed with the standard solution, the pipette with the unknown solution, and the conical flask with distilled water.

text: Secondly, a known volume of the unknown concentration solution should be taken with the pipette and placed into the conical flask, along with a small amount of the indicator chosen.

text: The known solution should then be allowed out of the burette, into the conical flask. At this stage we want a rough estimate of the amount of this solution it took to neutralize the unknown solution. The solution should be let out of the burette until the indicator changes colour and the value on the burette should be recorded. This is the first (or rough) titration volume and should be excluded from any calculation.

text: At least three more titrations should be performed, this time more accurately, taking into account roughly where the end point will occur. The initial and final readings on the burette (prior to starting the titration and at the end point, respectively) should be recorded. Subtracting the initial volume from the final volume will yield the amount of titrant used to reach the end point. The end point is reached when the indicator just changes colour permanently.

text: Acid–base titration is performed with a bromothymol blue indicator, when it is a strong acid – strong base titration, a phenolphthalein indicator in weak acid – strong base reactions, and a methyl orange indicator for strong acid – weak base reactions. If the base is off the scale, i.e. a pH of >13.5, and the acid has a pH > 5.5, then an Alizarine yellow indicator may be used. On the other hand, if the acid is off the scale, i.e. a pH of <0.5, and the base has a pH < 8.5, then a Thymol Blue indicator may be used.

text: Titration of weak acid[edit]

text: The pH of a weak acid solution being titrated with a strong base solution can be found at different points along the way. These points fall into one of four categories:[2]

text:
initial pH
pH before the equivalence point
pH at the equivalence point
pH after the equivalence point

tag: ol

text:
The equations and methods below assume that the concentration of the acid and base are at least 1000 times greater than the

K

a

{\displaystyle K_{a}}

of the acid. If not, a more rigorous calculation using an RICE chart is required. In fact the equations below are a simplification of the RICE chart.

text: 1. The initial pH is approximated for a weak acid solution in water using the equation

text:
where

K

a

{\displaystyle K_{a}}

 is the dissociation constant and

F

{\displaystyle F}

 is the concentration of the acid.

text: 2. The pH before the equivalence point depends on the amount of weak acid remaining and the amount of conjugate base formed. The pH can be calculated by the following formula (which is a variation of the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation):

text: where:

text:
p

K

a

{\displaystyle \mathrm {p} K_{a}}

 is the negative log of the acid dissociation constant of the weak acid.

n

O

H

−

{\displaystyle n_{OH^{-}}}

 is the number of moles of added strong base in the solution.

n

H
A

{\displaystyle n_{HA}}

 is the number of moles the weak acid initially present.

text:
When the numerator of the log term equals the denominator (

n

OH

−

added

=

n

HA

initial

−

n

OH

−

added

{\displaystyle {n_{\ce {OH^{-}\ added}}}={n_{\ce {HA\ initial}}-{n_{\ce {OH^{-}\ added}}}}}

), then the ratio goes to 1 and the log term goes to zero. Thus the pH will equal the pKa which occurs half-way to the equivalence point. A half-titration can be used to determine the Ka value of an acid or base that is unknown.

text: 3. At the equivalence point, the weak acid is consumed and converted to its conjugate base. The pH will be greater than 7 and can be calculated from an equation derived from the following relationships:

text:
p
H
+
p
O
H
=
14

{\displaystyle \mathrm {pH+pOH=14} }

K

a

K

b

=

10

−
14

{\displaystyle K_{a}K_{b}=10^{-14}}

at equivalence

C

a

V

a

=

C

b

V

b

{\displaystyle C_{a}V_{a}=C_{b}V_{b}}

text: The previous 3 relationships are used to generate the equivalence point pH formula below:

text:
C

a

{\displaystyle C_{a}}

 = concentration of acid and

C

b

{\displaystyle C_{b}}

 = concentration of base

K

w

{\displaystyle K_{w}}

 = dissociation constant for water and

K

a

{\displaystyle K_{a}}

 = dissociation constant for the acid

text: Note that when an acid neutralizes a base, the pH may or may not be neutral (pH = 7). The pH depends on the strengths of the acid and base.

text: 4. After the equivalence point, the solution will contain two bases: the conjugate base of the acid and the strong base of the titrant. However, the base of the titrant is stronger than the conjugate base of the acid. Therefore, the pH in this region is controlled by the strong base. As such the pH can be found using the following:

text: Single formula. More accurately, a single formula[3] that describes the titration of a weak acid with a strong base from start to finish is given below:

text:
ϕ

{\displaystyle \phi }

 = fraction of completion of the titration (φ < 1 is before the equivalence point, φ = 1 is the equivalence point, and φ > 1 is after the equivalence point)

C

a

,

C

b

{\displaystyle C_{a},C_{b}}

 = the concentrations of the acid and base respectively

V

a

,

V

b

{\displaystyle V_{a},V_{b}}

 = the volumes of the acid and base respectively

α

A

−

{\displaystyle \alpha _{\ce {A^{-}}}}

 = the fraction of the weak acid that is ionized

K

a

{\displaystyle K_{a}}

 = the dissociation constant for the acid

[

H

+

]

,

[

OH

−

]

{\displaystyle {\ce {[H^{+}],[OH^{-}]}}}

 = concentrations of the H+ and OH– ions respectively

text: This formula is somewhat cumbersome, but does describe the titration curve as a single equation.

text: Gallery[edit]

text: Graphical methods[edit]

text: The titration process creates solutions with compositions ranging from pure acid to pure base. Identifying the pH associated with any stage in the titration process is relatively simple for monoprotic acids and bases. The presence of more than one acid or base group complicates these computations. Graphical methods,[4] such as the equiligraph,[5] have long been used to account for the interaction of coupled equilibria. These graphical solution methods are simple to implement, however they are infrequently used.


document_title: Chinese zodiac

question_text: what comes after the horse in the chinese calendar

text: Chinese zodiac

text: Name[edit]

text: The Chinese zodiac is called 生肖 or Shēngxiào in Mandarin. Identifying this scheme using the generic term "zodiac" reflects several superficial similarities to the Western zodiac: both have time cycles divided into 12 parts, each labels at least the majority of those parts with names of animals, and each is widely associated with a culture of ascribing a person's personality or events in his or her life to the supposed influence of the person's particular relationship to the cycle.

text: Nevertheless, there are major differences which render the term inaccurate: the animals of the Chinese zodiac are not associated with constellations spanned by the ecliptic plane. The Chinese 12-part cycle corresponds to years, rather than months. The Chinese zodiac is represented by 12 animals, whereas some of the signs in the Western zodiac are not animals, despite the implication of the Greek etymology of the zodiac.

text: Signs[edit]

text: The zodiac traditionally begins with the sign of the Rat. The following are the twelve zodiac signs (each with its associated Earthly Branch) in order and their characteristics.[2] Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water as nature five elements.

text:
Rat – 鼠 (子) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Water)
Ox – 牛 (丑) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Earth)
Tiger – 虎 (寅) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Wood)
Rabbit – 兔 (卯) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Wood)
Dragon – 龍 (辰) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Earth)
Snake – 蛇 (巳) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Fire)
Horse – 馬 (午) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Fire)
Goat – 羊 (未) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Earth)
Monkey – 猴 (申) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Metal)
Rooster – 雞 (酉) (Yin, 2nd Trine, Fixed Element Metal)
Dog – 狗 (戌) (Yang, 3rd Trine, Fixed Element Earth)
Pig – 豬 (亥) (Yin, 4th Trine, Fixed Element Water)

text: In Chinese astrology the animal signs assigned by year represent what others perceive you as being or how you present yourself. It is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs and many Western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals), by day (called true animals) and hours (called secret animals). The Earth is all 12 signs, 5 seasons.

text: While a person might appear to be a Dragon because they were born in the year of the Dragon, they might also be a Snake internally, an Ox truly, and a Goat secretively.

text: A conflict between a person's zodiac sign and how they live is known as Tai Sui or kai sui.

text: Chinese calendar[edit]

text: Years[edit]

text: Within the Four Pillars, the year is the pillar representing information about the person's family background and society or relationship with their grandparents. The person's age can also be easily deduced from the sign of the person, the current sign of the year and the person's perceived age (teens, mid 20's, 40's and so on). For example, a person who is a Tiger is either 12, 24, 36 or 48 years old in 2010, the year of the Tiger. In 2011, the year of the Rabbit, that person is one year older.

text: The following table shows the 60-year cycle matched up to the Gregorian calendar for the years 1924–2043 (see sexagenary cycle article for years 1804–2043). The sexagenary cycle begins at lichun about February 4 according to some astrological sources.[3]

text:
Year
Associated
Element
Heavenly
Stem
Earthly
Branch
Associated
Animal
Year

1924–1983
1984–2043

1
Feb 05 1924–Jan 23 1925
Yang Wood
甲
子
Rat
Feb 02 1984–Feb 19 1985

2
Jan 24 1925–Feb 12 1926
Yin Wood
乙
丑
Ox
Feb 20 1985–Feb 08 1986

3
Feb 13 1926–Feb 01 1927
Yang Fire
丙
寅
Tiger
Feb 09 1986–Jan 28 1987

4
Feb 02 1927–Jan 22 1928
Yin Fire
丁
卯
Rabbit
Jan 29 1987–Feb 16 1988

5
Jan 23 1928–Feb 09 1929
Yang Earth
戊
辰
Dragon
Feb 17 1988–Feb 05 1989

6
Feb 10 1929–Jan 29 1930
Yin Earth
己
巳
Snake
Feb 06 1989–Jan 26 1990

7
Jan 30 1930–Feb 16 1931
Yang Metal
庚
午
Horse
Jan 27 1990–Feb 14 1991

8
Feb 17 1931–Feb 05 1932
Yin Metal
辛
未
Goat
Feb 15 1991–Feb 03 1992

9
Feb 06 1932–Jan 25 1933
Yang Water
壬
申
Monkey
Feb 04 1992–Jan 22 1993

10
Jan 26 1933–Feb 13 1934
Yin Water
癸
酉
Rooster
Jan 23 1993– Feb 09 1994

11
Feb 14 1934–Feb 03 1935
Yang Wood
甲
戌
Dog
Feb 10 1994–Jan 30 1995

12
Feb 04 1935–Jan 23 1936
Yin Wood
乙
亥
Pig
Jan 31 1995–Feb 18 1996

13
Jan 24 1936–Feb 10 1937
Yang Fire
丙
子
Rat
Feb 19 1996–Feb 06 1997

14
Feb 11 1937–Jan 30 1938
Yin Fire
丁
丑
Ox
Feb 07 1997–Jan 27 1998

15
Jan 31 1938–Feb 18 1939
Yang Earth
戊
寅
Tiger
Jan 28 1998–Feb 15 1999

16
Feb 19 1939–Feb 07 1940
Yin Earth
己
卯
Rabbit
Feb 16 1999–Feb 04 2000

17
Feb 08 1940–Jan 26 1941
Yang Metal
庚
辰
Dragon
Feb 05 2000–Jan 23 2001

18
Jan 27 1941–Feb 14 1942
Yin Metal
辛
巳
Snake
Jan 24 2001–Feb 11 2002

19
Feb 15 1942–Feb 04 1943
Yang Water
壬
午
Horse
Feb 12 2002–Jan 31 2003

20
Feb 05 1943–Jan 24 1944
Yin Water
癸
未
Goat
Feb 01 2003–Jan 21 2004

21
Jan 25 1944–Feb 12 1945
Yang Wood
甲
申
Monkey
Jan 22 2004–Feb 08 2005

22
Feb 13 1945–Feb 01 1946
Yin Wood
乙
酉
Rooster
Feb 09 2005–Jan 28 2006

23
Feb 02 1946–Jan 21 1947
Yang Fire
丙
戌
Dog
Jan 29 2006–Feb 17 2007

24
Jan 22 1947–Feb 09 1948
Yin Fire
丁
亥
Pig
Feb 18 2007–Feb 06 2008

25
Feb 10 1948–Jan 28 1949
Yang Earth
戊
子
Rat
Feb 07 2008–Jan 25 2009

26
Jan 29 1949–Feb 16 1950
Yin Earth
己
丑
Ox
Jan 26 2009–Feb 13 2010

27
Feb 17 1950–Feb 05 1951
Yang Metal
庚
寅
Tiger
Feb 14 2010–Feb 02 2011

28
Feb 06 1951–Jan 26 1952
Yin Metal
辛
卯
Rabbit
Feb 03 2011–Jan 22 2012

29
Jan 27 1952–Feb 13 1953
Yang Water
壬
辰
Dragon
Jan 23 2012–Feb 09 2013

30
Feb 14 1953–Feb 02 1954
Yin Water
癸
巳
Snake
Feb 10 2013–Jan 30 2014

31
Feb 03 1954–Jan 23 1955
Yang Wood
甲
午
Horse
Jan 31 2014–Feb 18 2015

32
Jan 24 1955–Feb 11 1956
Yin Wood
乙
未
Goat
Feb 19 2015–Feb 07 2016

33
Feb 12 1956–Jan 30 1957
Yang Fire
丙
申
Monkey
Feb 08 2016–Jan 27 2017

34
Jan 31 1957–Feb 17 1958
Yin Fire
丁
酉
Rooster
Jan 28 2017–Feb 15 2018

35
Feb 18 1958–Feb 07 1959
Yang Earth
戊
戌
Dog
Feb 16 2018–Feb 04 2019

36
Feb 08 1959–Jan 27 1960
Yin Earth
己
亥
Pig
Feb 05 2019–Jan 24 2020

37
Jan 28 1960–Feb 14 1961
Yang Metal
庚
子
Rat
Jan 25 2020–Feb. 11 2021

38
Feb 15 1961–Feb 04 1962
Yin Metal
辛
丑
Ox
Feb 12 2021–Jan 31 2022

39
Feb 05 1962–Jan 24 1963
Yang Water
壬
寅
Tiger
Feb 01 2022–Jan 21 2023

40
Jan 25 1963–Feb 12 1964
Yin Water
癸
卯
Rabbit
Jan 22 2023–Feb 09 2024

41
Feb 13 1964–Feb 01 1965
Yang Wood
甲
辰
Dragon
Feb 10 2024–Jan 28 2025

42
Feb 02 1965–Jan 20 1966
Yin Wood
乙
巳
Snake
Jan 29 2025–Feb 16 2026

43
Jan 21 1966–Feb 08 1967
Yang Fire
丙
午
Horse
Feb 17 2026–Feb 05 2027

44
Feb 09 1967–Jan 29 1968
Yin Fire
丁
未
Goat
Feb 06 2027–Jan 25 2028

45
Jan 30 1968–Feb 16 1969
Yang Earth
戊
申
Monkey
Jan 26 2028–Feb 12 2029

46
Feb 17 1969–Feb 05 1970
Yin Earth
己
酉
Rooster
Feb 13 2029–Feb 02 2030

47
Feb 06 1970–Jan 26 1971
Yang Metal
庚
戌
Dog
Feb 03 2030–Jan 22 2031

48
Jan 27 1971–Feb 14 1972
Yin Metal
辛
亥
Pig
Jan 23 2031–Feb 10 2032

49
Feb 15 1972–Feb 02 1973
Yang Water
壬
子
Rat
Feb 11 2032–Jan 30 2033

50
Feb 03 1973–Jan 22 1974
Yin Water
癸
丑
Ox
Jan 31 2033–Feb 18 2034

51
Jan 23 1974–Feb 10 1975
Yang Wood
甲
寅
Tiger
Feb 19 2034–Feb 07 2035

52
Feb 11 1975–Jan 30 1976
Yin Wood
乙
卯
Rabbit
Feb 08 2035–Jan 27 2036

53
Jan 31 1976–Feb 17 1977
Yang Fire
丙
辰
Dragon
Jan 28 2036–Feb 14 2037

54
Feb 18 1977–Feb 06 1978
Yin Fire
丁
巳
Snake
Feb 15 2037–Feb 03 2038

55
Feb 07 1978–Jan 27 1979
Yang Earth
戊
午
Horse
Feb 04 2038–Jan 23 2039

56
Jan 28 1979–Feb 15 1980
Yin Earth
己
未
Goat
Jan 24 2039–Feb 11 2040

57
Feb 16 1980–Feb 04 1981
Yang Metal
庚
申
Monkey
Feb 12 2040–Jan 31 2041

58
Feb 05 1981–Jan 24 1982
Yin Metal
辛
酉
Rooster
Feb 01 2041–Jan 21 2042

59
Jan 25 1982–Feb 12 1983
Yang Water
壬
戌
Dog
Jan 22 2042–Feb 09 2043

60
Feb 13 1983–Feb 01 1984
Yin Water
癸
亥
Pig
Feb 10 2043–Jan 29 2044

tag: table

text: Months and solar terms[edit]

text: Within the Four Pillars, the month is the pillar representing information about the person's parents or childhood. Many Chinese astrologers consider the month pillar to be the most important one in determining the circumstances of one's adult life.

text: The 12 animals are also linked to traditional Chinese agricultural calendar, which runs alongside the better known Lunar calendar. Instead of months, this calendar is divided into 24 two week segments known as Solar Terms. Each animal is linked to two of these solar terms for a period similar to the Western month. Unlike the 60 year Lunar calendar, which can vary by as much as a month in relation to the Gregorian calendar, the agricultural calendar varies by only one day, beginning on the Gregorian calendar on February 3 or 4 every year. Again unlike the cycle of the lunar years, which begins with the Rat, the agricultural calendar begins with the Tiger as it is the first animal of spring. Around summer days are longer than winter days, because it occurs differences of perihelion and aphelion.

text: As each sign is linked to a month of the solar year, it is thereby also linked to a season. Each of the elements is also linked to a season (see above), and the element that shares a season with a sign is known as that sign's fixed element. In other words, that element is believed to impart some of its characteristics to the sign concerned. The fixed element of each sign applies also to the year and hour signs, and not just the monthly sign. It is important to note that the fixed element is separate from the cycle of elements which interact with the signs in the 60-year cycle.

text:
Season
Lunar month
Fixed element
Solar longitude
Solar term
Gregorian date
Approx. Western zodiac

Spring
1st – 寅 (yin) Tiger
Wood
314°
立春 lìchūn
Feb 4 – Feb 19
Aquarius

329°
雨水 yǔshuǐ
Feb 20 – Mar 5
Pisces

2nd – 卯 (mao) Rabbit
Wood
344°
啓蟄 qǐzhé (驚蟄 jīngzhé)
Mar 6 – Mar 20

359°
春分 chūnfēn
Mar 21 – Apr 4
Aries

3rd – 辰 (chen) Dragon
Wood
14°
清明 qīngmíng
Apr 5 – Apr 20

29°
穀雨 gǔyǔ
Apr 21 – May 4
Taurus

Summer
4th – 巳 (si) Snake
Fire
44°
立夏 lìxià
May 5 – May 21

59°
小滿 xiǎomǎn
May 22 – Jun 5
Gemini

5th – 午 (wu) Horse
Fire
74°
芒種 mángzhòng
Jun 6 – Jun 21

89°
夏至 xiàzhì
Jun 22 – Jul 6
Cancer

6th – 未 (wei) Goat
Fire
104°
小暑 xiǎoshǔ
Jul 7 – Jul 22

119°
大暑 dàshǔ
Jul 23 – Aug 6
Leo

Autumn
7th – 申 (shen) Monkey
Metal
134°
立秋 lìqiū
Aug 7 – Aug 22

149°
處暑 chùshǔ
Aug 23 – Sep 7
Virgo

8th – 酉 (you) Rooster
Metal
164°
白露 báilù
Sep 8 – Sep 23

181°
秋分 qiūfēn
Sep 24 – Oct 7
Libra

9th – 戌 (xu) Dog
Metal
194°
寒露 hánlù
Oct 8 – Oct 23

211°
霜降 shuāngjiàng
Oct 24 – Nov 6
Scorpio

Winter
10th – 亥 (hai) Pig
Water
224°
立冬 lìdōng
Nov 7 – Nov 22

244°
小雪 xiǎoxuě
Nov 23 – Dec 6
Sagittarius

11th – 子 (zi) Rat
Water
251°
大雪 dàxuě
Dec 7 – Dec 21

271°
冬至 dōngzhì
Dec 22 – Jan 5
Capricorn

12th – 丑 (chou) Ox
Water
284°
小寒 xiǎohán
Jan 6 – Jan 20

299°
大寒 dàhán
Jan 21 – Feb 3
Aquarius

text: Day[edit]

text: Four pillars calculator can determine the zodiac animal of the day.[4] Chinese animal signs rule over days of the week, too. The term for them is “True Animals”. If your astrologer wishes to prepare a chart, it is essential he or she knows the animals of your day of birth. Given there are only seven days of the week and 12 animals, there is some repetition or doubling up. The animals for each day are as follows:

text:
Monday: Goat
Tuesday: Dragon, Pig
Wednesday: Horse, Rooster
Thursday: Rat
Friday: Rabbit, Snake, Dog
Saturday: Ox, Tiger
Sunday: Monkey

text: Compatibility[edit]

text: As the Chinese zodiac is derived according to the ancient Five Elements Theory, every Chinese Sign is composed of five elements[citation needed] with relations, among those elements, of interpolation, interaction, over-action, and counter-action—believed to be the common law of motions and changes of creatures in the universe. Different people born under each animal sign supposedly have different personalities,[citation needed] and practitioners of Chinese astrology consult such traditional details and compatibilities to offer putative guidance in life or for love and marriage.[5]

text: Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Grid[6]

text:
Sign
Best Match
Match
No Match

Rat
Rat, Dragon, Monkey
Snake, Rooster, Ox, Pig, Rabbit, Goat, Dog, Tiger
Horse

Ox
Ox, Snake, Rooster
Dragon, Monkey, Rat, Dog, Tiger, Horse, Pig, Rabbit
Goat

Tiger
Tiger, Dog, Horse
Pig, Rabbit, Goat, Snake, Rooster, Ox, Dragon, Rat
Monkey

Rabbit
Rabbit, Pig, Goat
Dog, Tiger, Horse, Dragon, Monkey, Rat, Snake, Ox
Rooster

Dragon
Dragon, Monkey, Rat
Snake, Rooster, Ox, Pig, Rabbit, Goat, Tiger, Horse
Dog

Snake
Snake, Rooster, Ox
Dragon, Monkey, Rat, Dog, Tiger, Horse, Rabbit, Goat
Pig

Horse
Horse, Dog, Tiger
Pig, Rabbit, Goat, Snake, Rooster, Ox, Dragon, Monkey
Rat

Goat
Goat, Pig, Rabbit
Dog, Tiger, Horse, Dragon, Monkey, Rat, Snake, Rooster
Ox

Monkey
Monkey, Dragon, Rat
Snake, Rooster, Ox, Pig, Rabbit, Goat, Dog, Horse
Tiger

Rooster
Rooster, Snake, Ox
Dragon, Monkey, Rat, Dog, Tiger, Horse, Pig, Goat
Rabbit

Dog
Dog, Tiger, Horse
Pig, Rabbit, Goat, Snake, Rooster, Ox, Monkey, Rat
Dragon

Pig
Pig, Rabbit, Goat
Dog, Tiger, Horse, Dragon, Monkey, Rat, Rooster, Ox
Snake

text: Four Pillars[edit]

text: The Four Pillars method can be traced back to the Han dynasty (201 BC – 220 AD), and is still much used in Feng shui astrology and general analysis today. The Four Pillars or Columns chart is called such as the Chinese writing causes it to fall into columns. Each pillar or column contains a stem and a branch—and each column relates to the year, month, day and hour of birth. The first column refers to the year animal and element, the second to the month animal and element, the third to the day animal and element, and the last to the hour animal and element.

text: Within the 'Four Pillars', the Year column purports to provide information about one's ancestor or early age, and the Month column about one's parents or growing age. The Day column purports to offer information about oneself (upper character) and one's spouse (lower character) or adult age, and the Hour column about children or late age.[7]

text: Four Animal Trines[edit]

text: First Trine[edit]

text: The first trine consists of the Rat, Dragon and Monkey. These three signs are said to be intense and powerful individuals capable of great good, who make great leaders but are rather unpredictable. The three are said to be intelligent, magnanimous, charismatic, charming, authoritative, confident, eloquent and artistic, but can be manipulative, jealous, selfish, aggressive, vindictive or deceitful.

text: Second Trine[edit]

text: The second trine consists of the Ox, Snake and Rooster. These three signs are said to possess endurance and application, with slow accumulation of energy, meticulous at planning but tending to hold fixed opinions. The three are said to be intelligent, hard-working, modest, industrious, loyal, philosophical, patient, goodhearted and morally upright, but can also be self-righteous, egotistical, vain, judgmental, narrow-minded or petty.

text: Third Trine[edit]

text: The third trine consists of the Tiger, Horse and Dog. These three signs are said to seek true love, to pursue humanitarian causes, to be idealistic and independent but tending to be impulsive. The three are said to be productive, enthusiastic, independent, engaging, dynamic, honorable, loyal and protective, but can also be rash, rebellious, quarrelsome, anxious, disagreeable or stubborn.

text: Fourth Trine[edit]

text: The fourth trine consists of the Rabbit, Goat and Pig. These three signs are said to have a calm nature and somewhat reasonable approach; they seek aesthetic beauty and are artistic, well-mannered and compassionate, yet detached and resigned to their condition. The three are said to be caring, self-sacrificing, obliging, sensible, creative, empathetic, tactful and prudent, but can also be naive, pedantic, insecure, selfish, indecisive or pessimistic.

text: Zodiac origin stories[edit]

text: There are many stories and fables to explain the beginning of the zodiac. Since the Han Dynasty, the 12 Earthly Branches have been used to record the time of day. However, for the sake of entertainment and convenience, they have been replaced by the 12 animals. The 24 hours are divided into 12 periods, and a mnemonic refers to the behaviour of the animals:[8][9]

text: Earthly Branches may refer to a double-hour period. In the latter case it is the center of the period; for instance, 马 (Horse) means noon or a period from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m..

text:
Rat (Zishi): 23:00 to 00:59. This is the time when Rats are most active in seeking food. Rats also have a different number of digits on front and hind legs, thus earning Rat the symbol of "turn over" or "new start".
Ox (Choushi): 01:00 to 02:59. This is the time when Oxen begin to chew the cud slowly and comfortably.
Tiger (Yinshi): 03:00 to 04:59. This is the time when Tigers hunt their prey more and show their ferocity.
Rabbit (Maoshi): 05:00 to 06:59. This is the time when the Jade Rabbit is busy pounding herbal medicine on the Moon according to the tale.
Dragon (Chenshi): 07:00 to 08:59. This is the time when Dragons are hovering in the sky to give rain.
Snake (Sishi): 09:00 to 10:59. This is the time when Snakes are leaving their caves.
Horse (Wushi): 11:00 to 12:59. This is the time when the sun is high overhead and while other animals are lying down for a rest, Horses are still standing.
Goat (Weishi): 13:00 to 14:59. This is the time when Goats eat grass and urinate frequently.
Monkey (Shenshi): 15:00 to 16:59. This is the time when Monkeys are lively.
Rooster (Youshi): 17:00 to 18:59. This is the time when Roosters begin to get back to their coops.
Dog (Xushi): 19:00 to 20:59. This is the time when Dogs carry out their duty of guarding the houses.
Pig (Haishi): 21:00 to 22:59. This is the time when Pigs are sleeping sweetly.

text: The Great Race[edit]

text: An ancient folk story tells that Cat and Rat were both very bad at swimming. Although they were poor swimmers, they were both quite intelligent. To get to the meeting called by the Jade Emperor, they had to cross a river to reach the meeting place. The Jade Emperor had also decreed that the years on the calendar would be named for each animal in the order they arrived to the meeting. Cat and Rat decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of Ox. Ox, being kindhearted and naive, agreed to carry them both across.[9]

text: Midway across the river, the Rat pushed the Cat into the water. Approaching the other side, the Rat jumped off the Ox and rushed to the Jade Emperor. It was named as the first animal of the zodiac calendar. The Ox, came in second. The third one to come was the Tiger. Even though it was strong and powerful it explained to the Jade Emperor that the currents were pushing him downstream.[9]

text: Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the Rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race, but it was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the fourth animal in the zodiac cycle. In fifth place was the flying Dragon. The Jade Emperor was wondering why such a swift airborne creature such as the Dragon failed to come in first.

text: The Dragon explained that it had to stop by a village and brought rain for all the people, and therefore it was held back. Then, on its way to the finish, it saw the helpless Rabbit clinging onto a log so it did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore. The Jade Emperor was astonished of the Dragon's good nature, and it was named as the fifth animal. As soon as it had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the Horse appeared.

text: Hidden on its hoof was the Snake, whose sudden appearance gave it a fright, thus making it fall back and giving the Snake the sixth spot, while the Horse placed seventh. After a while, the Goat, Monkey and Rooster came to the heavenly gate. With combined efforts they managed to arrive to the other side. The Rooster found a raft and the Monkey and the Goat tugged and pulled trying to get all the weeds out of the way.

text: The Jade Emperor was pleased with their teamwork and decided to name the Goat as the eighth animal followed by the Monkey and then the Rooster. The eleventh animal placed in the zodiac cycle was the Dog. Although it should have been the best swimmer it wanted to stay in the water and play for a bit. Though his explanation for being late was because it needed a good bath after a long spell. For that, it almost did not make it to the finish line.

text: Right when the Emperor was going to close the race, an "oink" sound was heard: it was the Pig. "Lazy little Pig" originated from this story. The Pig felt hungry in the middle of the race, so it stopped, ate something and then fell asleep. After it awoke, it finished the race in twelfth place and became the last animal to arrive. The cat eventually drowned, and did not make it in the zodiac. It is said that this is the reason cats always hunt Rats.

text: Another folk story tells that the Rat deceived the Ox into letting it jump on its back, in order for the Ox to hear the Rat sing, before jumping off at the finish line and finishing first.

text: In Chinese mythology, a story tells that the cat was tricked by the Rat so it could not go to the banquet. This is why the cat is not part of the Chinese zodiac.

text: In Buddhism, legend has it that Gautama Buddha summoned all of the animals of the Earth to come before him before his departure from this Earth, but only 12 animals actually came to bid him farewell. To reward the animals who came to him, he named a year after each of them. The years were given to them in the order they had arrived.

text: The twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were developed in the early stages of Chinese civilization, over hundreds of years before it developed into the current version; it is difficult to investigate its real origins. Most historians agree that the cat is not included, as they had not yet been introduced to China from India, with the arrival of Buddhism.

text: Problems with English translation[edit]

text: Due to confusion with synonyms during translation, some of the animals depicted by the English words did not exist in ancient China. For example, 羊 can mean Goat, ram or sheep. Similarly, 鼠 Rat can also be translated as mouse, as there are no distinctive words for the two genera in Chinese. Further, 豬 Pig is sometimes translated to boar after its Japanese name, and 牛 plainly means Ox and Cow, and not water buffalo, 水牛. 雞 Rooster may mean Chicken. However, Rooster is the most commonly used one among all the synonyms, same for 羊, 鼠, etc.

text: Chinese zodiac in other countries[edit]

text: The Chinese zodiac signs are also used by cultures other than Chinese. For one example, they usually appear on Korean New Year and Japanese New Year's cards and stamps. The United States Postal Service and those of several other countries issue a "Year of the ____" postage stamp each year to honor this Chinese heritage.

text: The Chinese lunar coins, depicting the zodiac animals, inspired the Canadian Silver Maple Leaf coins, as well as varieties from Australia, Korea, and Mongolia. The Chinese zodiac is an internationally popular theme, available from many of the world's government and private mints.

text: The Chinese zodiac is also used in some other Asian countries that have been under the cultural influence of China. However, some of the animals in the zodiac may differ by country.

text: Asia [edit]

text: The Korean zodiac is essentially identical to the Chinese zodiac, but the Sino-Korean word 양 (yang) normally refers specifically to a sheep in the Korean language (where a native Korean word 염소 yeomso is used to mean "Goat"), although the Chinese source of the loanword yang may refer to any goat-antelope.

text: The Japanese zodiac includes the Sheep (hitsuji) instead of the Goat (which would be yagi), and the Wild boar (inoshishi, i) instead of the Pig (buta).[10] The Japanese have, since 1873, celebrated the beginning of the new year on January 1 as per the Gregorian calendar.

text: The Vietnamese zodiac is almost identical to the Chinese zodiac except the second animal is the Water Buffalo instead of the Ox, and the fourth animal is the Cat instead of the Rabbit.

text: The Cham zodiac uses the same animals and order as the Chinese zodiac, but replaces the Monkey with the turtle (known locally as kra). Similarly the Malay zodiac is identical to the Chinese but replaces two of the animals with the turtle (kura-kura) and mousedeer (kancil). One of the replaced animals is always the Rabbit, the other being either the Pig or Monkey.

text: The Thai zodiac includes a nāga in place of the Dragon[11] and begins, not at Chinese New Year, but either on the first day of fifth month in Thai lunar calendar, or during the Songkran festival (now celebrated every 13–15 April), depending on the purpose of the use.[12]

text: Bulgars, Huns and Turkic people [edit]

text: The European Huns used the Chinese zodiac.[citation needed] This common Chinese-Turkic Zodiac was in use in Balkan Bulgaria well into the Bulgars' adoption of Slavic languages and Orthodox Christianity[citation needed]. Following is the Hunnish or Bulgarian Pagan zodiac calendar, distinctive from the Greek zodiac but much in conformity with the Chinese one:

text: Torè calendar[edit]

text: Names of years

text:
Kuzgé – [Year of] Saravana - Rat
Shiger (Syger) – Ox
Kuman (Imén)
Ügur – Tiger, Myachè Ügur – Tiger
Taushan – Rabbit
Samar – Dragon Birgün (Bergen, Birig, Baradj) – Dragon
Dilan – Snake
Tykha – Horse
Téké – Goat
Bichin, Michin – Monkey
Tavuk – Rooster (also written tağuk—ğ is pronounced as v in Turk. verbs döğmek and öğmek)
It – Dog
Shushma – Pig (many[who?] mistake it as boar though) (Turk., Russ. "Kaban"—Translator's[who?] Note, also cognate of Turkish şişman, "fat")

text: In Kazakhstan, an animal cycle similar to the Chinese is used, but the Dragon is substituted by a snail (Kazakh: улу), and Tiger appears as a leopard (Kazakh: барыс).

text: In Mongolia, 12 year beasts are called "Арван хоёр жил" meaning "12 years"

text:
Hulgana - Хулгана - Rat
Ukher - Үхэр - Ox
Bar - Бар - Tiger
Tuulai - Туулай - Rabbit
Luu - Луу - Dragon
Mogoi - Могой - Snake
Mori - Морь - Horse
Honi - Хонь - Goat
Bichin, Michin, Mechin - Бич/Мич, Бичин, Мичин, Мэчин - Monkey
Tahiya - Тахиа - Rooster
Nohoi - Нохой - Dog
Gahai - Гахай - Pig

text: In Kyrgyz 12-year cycle is called "Мүчөл", words for Tiger, Dragon and Monkey are only used in 12-year cycle.

text:
Chychkan - Чычкан - Mouse
Uy - Уй - Cow
Bars - Барс - Tiger
Koyon - Коён - Rabbit
Uluu - Улуу - Dragon
Jylan - Жылан - Snake
Jylky - Жылкы - Horse
Koy - Кой - Sheep
Mechin - Мечин - Monkey
Took - Тоок - Chicken
It - Ит - Dog
Donuz - Доңуз - Wild boar

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
A chart indicating good and bad bloodletting days and when to guard against demons. Detail: The chart contains a sme ba (9 figures symbolizing the elements in geomancy) in the center with the Chinese pa-kua (8 trigrams) surrounded by 12 animals of months and years.

Soyombo and several Buddhist, tengrist and Chinese zodiac symbols in a wall mosaic.

Twelve Chinese zodiac jade figurines. Capital Museum, Beijing, China.