Many Happy New Years!

Chinese Zodiac - Rabbit - By Master Xu Beihong | Animal paintings, Animal illustration, Chinese artists
Rabbits by Xu Beihong

Happy New Year in different Chinese languages

CBPS Member Teacher in Brighton, Jing Wang shared this:

  • The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao 生肖, is based on a twelve-year-cycle, each year in that cycle is related to an animal sign.
  • The animal year when a person was born is called his /her Ben Ming Nian 本命年 (Zodiac Year of Birth). Although it sounds a bit superstitious, Chinese people take their year of birth seriously. According to the soothsaying, people in their own Ben Ming Nian may offend “Taisui”, also called the God of Age. Most popular solution is wearing red underwear, socks or waist belts given by elders, for red is believed to bring them good luck.
  • I personally suggest wearing a pretty bracelet, necklace or anklet. For doing this kind of thing is to make life filled with fun.

She painted this calligraphy rabbit:


An insight into Huang Yongyu’s blue bunny!

Left: An example of the “Three Hares” motif dating to the Sui Dynasty. From the Beijing Minsheng Art Museum; Right: A stamp lover shows off his “Gui-Mao Blessings” stamp set in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, Jan. 5, 2023. Yang Bo/CNS/VCG

And rabbit stamps from Guernsey, Jersey and New Zealand.   Thanks to Pat M for the pointer.

Rabbits by Qing Leng (Qing) Palace Museum, Beijing
Hare or rabbit?  The Chinese word 兔子 (Tùzǐ) is a general term for Leporidae, and so can be translated as hare or rabbit.  Leporidae are part of the same order (lagomorphs)  as Pika.
Qing Leng’s rabbits (left) may have been influenced by western painters at the Qing Court such as Guiseppe Castiglione.
Here are some more Chinese leporidae: