Long, long ago, before heaven and earth were clearly divided, the world was shrouded in chaos and mist.
When the Heavenly Emperor finally took control of the Three Realms, he wanted an easy way to keep track of years. So he decided to select twelve animals from the mortal world—each representing a year in a repeating cycle.
The news spread quickly, and all the animals grew excited. Each hoped to be chosen as one of the twelve honored creatures in the new zodiac.
Among them lived a cat and a rat, who were once the best of friends. They lived in neighboring holes and spent their days playing and hunting together.
When the cat heard about the selection, it became eager to join—but since it loved to sleep, it worried it might oversleep and miss the event.
So, the cat asked the rat with pleading eyes,
“Dear Rat, I really want to take part in the zodiac selection, but I’m afraid I might sleep too long. Could you please wake me up when it’s time to go?”
The rat nodded eagerly and patted its chest.
“Don’t worry, Brother Cat! I’ll definitely call you when it’s time.”
But when the big day came, the rat completely forgot its promise. All it could think about was getting there early to secure its place. Before dawn, it quietly set off alone.
On the way, the rat met an ox trudging steadily toward the registration site. The ox was large, strong, and reliable—just the kind of animal everyone admired.
The rat’s clever mind began to spin. It flattered the ox, saying:
“Brother Ox, you’re so kind and powerful! I’m sure you’ll be chosen as one of the zodiac animals. Could you please let me ride on your back? That way, I can admire your strength up close.”
The ox, humble and honest, agreed without a second thought. The rat climbed onto its back, sitting comfortably as they continued toward the Heavenly Gate.
Just as they arrived, the rat suddenly jumped from the ox’s back and dashed ahead—becoming the first animal to reach the Heavenly Emperor.
The emperor, impressed by the rat’s quick wit, gave it the first position in the zodiac. The ox followed right behind, earning the second place.
Then came the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig, each arriving one after another to fill the twelve spots.
When the cat finally woke up and realized it had overslept, it rushed to ask the rat what had happened.
Only then did the rat remember its forgotten promise. Embarrassed, it stammered out the truth.
The cat was furious.
“You traitor! I trusted you, and you left me behind!”
Enraged, the cat leapt at the rat, who fled for its life.
From that day on, cats have chased rats wherever they see them—an endless feud born from broken trust.
And so, the twelve zodiac animals were set in their eternal order, cycling every twelve years. This ancient tale reminds people to keep their promises and never let selfishness destroy friendship.
References
- Traditional Chinese folklore and zodiac legends
- Oral tales passed through Han culture
