作为人类最早饲养的动物之一，羊在十二生肖排行第八。古人以“马牛羊鸡犬豕”为六畜，羊“榜”上有名，足以说明其在中国人心目中的重要位置。

　　The bells rang in China’s Lunar New Year on Feb 19. And this Spring Festival we were celebrating the Year of the Sheep, the eighth of the 12-year animal cycle of the traditional Chinese lunar calendar.

　　Both sheep and goats appear on cards and commercials greeting the Chinese new year. So what stories have you heard about the animal?

　　说文解字篇

　　说文解字：“羊”和“美”

　　“羊”和“美”只差一个“大”字。汉字中的“美”字，由“羊”和“大”两个字组合而成。羊大为美，乃古人实用主义审美倾向的生动体现。

　　Gentle and adorable, the animal has played an important role in the history of the Chinese language. Write the character da (big) underneath yang, and you get a new character mei, which is translated into “beauty” or “goodness”. To our ancestors, a big sheep or goat was probably more than “good”, given that food, especially meat, was in short supply.

　　说文解字：“羊”和“鲜”

　　古时候，由于地理和交通的问题，想能同时吃到羊和鱼实属不易。所以，当这两大美食碰撞到一起，“鱼”和“羊”就组成了“鲜”字。听上去是不是有种口福不浅的赶脚?

　　It was said that in ancient China sheep, or goats, were rare in the southeastern region, while fish was rare in the northwestern inland region of China. If these two delicacies come together, yang on the right, and yu (fish) on the left, you get a new character xian, which means “fresh”.

　　神话故事篇

　　“羊城” 广州的传说

　　广州又被称为“羊城”。相传，很久以前，广州闹饥荒，大家好几天没米下锅，有五位仙人骑着羊，带着谷穗下凡至此，阻止了这场饥荒。不过仙人离去时，五头羊却扎堆变成石头留了下来，成为了广州的标志。

　　City Guangzhou takes yang as its symbol. Legend says that in ancient China thousands of years ago, five fairies came down from heaven riding goats, and left good grain seeds for local people in order to stop the area from suffering a famine. It is said that the fairies flew away, but the goats turned into the stone sculptures which still stand in the city center today. Guangzhou is still called the “City of Goats”.

　　歪果仁眼中的“羊”

　　西方文化中，羊有着不一样的象征意义，特别是在基督教的传统中，小羊象征着天真无邪、平静温和以及十足的耐性。在西方的十二星座中，白羊座(3月21日~4月19日)位列十二星座之首，这段时间出生的人颇具耐性和好胜心，是天生的乐天派。

　　In Western cultures, and especially in the Christian tradition, the sheep has different meanings. The lamb is the symbol of innocence, peacefulness, and patience. The sign of Aries is also the first sign of the Zodiac. Anyone born between March 21 and April 19 is said to share those qualities.

　　羊年出生的小伙伴

　　羊年出生的人大多性格温柔和顺、心思细密、有耐力，遇到困难总能想办法解决。不少人还相信属羊的妹纸最是善良、会照顾人，是理想的贤内助。

　　In China, those who were born under the zodiac sign of the sheep are also said to have certain good qualities. They are said to be considerate, sensitive, creative, daring, quick-witted, and are attracted to the mysterious. It is also said that they are able to find ways to deal with any situation, and are unafraid of hardship. Many people also believe that women born in the Year of the Sheep are kindhearted and supportive, and are ideal life partners.

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