十二生肖(Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs )是中国人习惯上用来表示出生年份的十二种动物，即鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪。每十二年循坏一次，每年都与一个属相对应。长期以来，人类与十二生肖有着一种特殊的关系。 据说这些动物所代表的年份能影响人的性格，这和西方文化中的十二星座(constellation)类似。

　　【参考译文】

　　Twelve Chinese Zodiac Signs are the twelve kinds of animals which Chinese people customarily use to mark the year in which a person was bom. They are Rat，Ox, Tiger，Rabbit，Dragon，Snake，Horse，Goat，Monkey，Rooster，Dog and Pig. It is based on a twelve-year cycle; each year in that cycle corresponds to an animal sign. For a long time there has been a special relationship between humans and the twelve zodiacal animals. It is believed that the year represented by the animal affects one’s character in the same manner as the constellation adopted by western culture.