Long ago, the Jade Emperor, ruler of heaven, sought a way to measure time and decided to host a race across a powerful river. He declared that the first twelve animals to reach the shore would each have a year named after them in the order they arrived.
On the day of the race, the clever rat and its friend, the cat, realized they were poor swimmers. Seeking a solution, they asked the strong ox for help. The kind-hearted ox agreed to carry them across on its back. However, as they neared the shore, the rat, driven by ambition, pushed the cat into the water and leaped ahead to claim first place, leaving the ox in second. The cat failed to finish, sparking an eternal feud between cats and rats.
The powerful tiger fought against the strong currents and secured third place. The nimble rabbit, hopping across stones, ran out of footing but spotted a floating log and used it to drift to shore, earning fourth place. The dragon, though capable of flying, arrived fifth because it had stopped to bring rain to a drought-stricken land and had also helped the rabbit by blowing its log to shore.
The swift horse was set to come in sixth, but the snake, having hidden in its hooves, slithered out at the last moment, startling the horse and claiming the spot instead. The horse had to settle for seventh. Soon after, the cooperative trio of the sheep, monkey, and rooster worked together, using a raft to cross, finishing in eighth, ninth, and tenth places, respectively.
Despite being an excellent swimmer, the dog arrived eleventh, having paused for a refreshing bath in the clean river water. Finally, just as the race was about to end, an “oink” was heard. The pig, having stopped to eat and nap midway, woke up and crossed the finish line in twelfth place.
From that day, the Jade Emperor designated the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig as the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, marking the cycle of time for generations to come.
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