Shi'er Shengxiao (the Twelve Animals of Chinese Zodiac)

This combination follows a certain order, which goes like this: zi-shu (rat), chou niu (ox), yin-hu (tiger), mao-tu (rabbit), chen-long (dragon), si-she (snake), wu-ma (horse), wei-yang (ram), shen-hou (monkey), you-ji (rooster), xu-gou (dog), and hai-zhu (boar). It is still uncertain whether the association of it with people's years of birth started in the Eastern Han Dynasty. According to historical records, the clear reference to animals as indications of the years of birth appeared as late as in the Southern and Northern Dynasties (420---581 A. D.). It became more prevalent in the Tang Dynasty (618--907 A. D.) and the patterns of the twelve animals were very popular on handicraft articles then.

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