Have you ever been asked by your Chinese friend, "What is your zodiac sign?" Don't think they are making small talk. If you say, "I'm a Monkey," they immediately know you are either 24, 36, 48 or 60 years old.
你是否曾經被你的中國朋友問過, "你的生肖是甚麼?" 不要以為他們要聊無關緊要的事。 如果你說"我屬猴" 他們馬上就能知道, 你不是24歲、就是36、48或60歲。
(Laughter) Asking a zodiac sign is a polite way of asking your age.
(笑聲) 從問你的生肖來知道你的年齡 是一個比較禮貌的問法。
By revealing your zodiac sign, you are also being evaluated. Judgments are being made about your fortune or misfortune, your personality, career prospects and how you will do in a given year. If you share you and your partner's animal signs, they will paint a picture in their mind about your private life. Maybe you don't believe in the Chinese zodiac. As a quarter of the world population is influenced by it, you'd be wise to do something about that.
知道你的生肖後,你也可以算命。 關於你好的或不好的事, 都可以算出來, 你的個人特質、職場方向, 還有你今年會過的如何。 如果你分享了你和 你另一半的動物生肖, 他們就會在他們的腦海裡 描繪出你的私人生活。 也許你不相信中國的 12 生肖, 但世界上有四分之一的人口受它影響, 你最好多少懂一點。
So what is the Chinese zodiac, exactly? Most Westerners think of Greco-Roman zodiac, the signs divided into 12 months. The Chinese zodiac is different. It's a 12-year cycle labeled with animals, starting with a Rat and ending with a Pig, and has no association with constellations. For example, if you were born in 1975, you are a Rabbit. Can you see your zodiac sign there? Our Chinese ancestors constructed a very complicated theoretical framework based on yin and yang, the five elements and the 12 zodiac animals. Over thousands of years, this popular culture has affected people's major decisions, such as naming, marriage, giving birth and attitude towards each other. And some of the implications are quite amazing.
那到底 12 生肖是在講些什麼? 大部分的西方人會聯想到 希臘羅馬的 12 星座, 分別代表不同的月份。 中國的 12 生肖不一樣 它是由 12 種動物循環組成的, 從 「鼠 」開始到 「豬 」結束, 而且與西方的星座無關。 舉例,如果你是 1975 年生,你屬兔。 你們可以看到自己的生肖嗎? 我們中國的古代先人, 建立了一個相當複雜的理論架構, 以陰陽、五行、12生肖 為基礎所架構出來的。 這股流行文化 已經影響了人們的重要決策 好幾千年了, 像是,命名、婚姻、出生 以及彼此的相處之道。 有些用法也相當神奇,
The Chinese believe certain animals get on better than the others. So parents choose specific years to give birth to babies, because they believe the team effort by the right combination of animals can give prosperity to families. We even refer to the zodiac when entering into romantic relations. I'm a Pig; I should have perfect romance with Tigers, Goats and Rabbits. Chinese people believe some animals are natural enemies. As a Pig, I need to be careful with a Snake. Raise your hand if you are a Snake. Let's have a chat later.
中國人相信某些生肖與 某些生肖比較處的來。 所以有些父母親會傾向在 某一年生下小孩, 因為他們相信正確的生肖組合, 可以為家族帶來好運。 我們甚至連談戀愛都會參考生肖。 我屬豬:我跟虎、羊、兔 會有美好的婚姻。 中國人相信有些生肖會跟自己的相剋。 屬豬的我,要小心屬蛇的。 在場屬蛇的人請舉一下手, 我們晚點再聊。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
We believe some animals are luckier than the others, such as the Dragon. Unlike the Western tradition, the Chinese Dragon is a symbol for power, strength and wealth. It's everyone's dream to have a Dragon baby. Jack Ma's parents must have been very proud. And they are not the only ones. In 2012, the Year of the Dragon, the birthrate in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan increased by five percent. That means another one million more babies. With a traditional preference to baby boys, the boy-girl ratio that year was 120 to 100. When those Dragon boys grow up, they will face much more severe competition in love and job markets.
我們相信有些生肖比其它生肖來的好, 像是「龍」。 不同於西方傳統, 東方的龍是權利財富的象徵。 每個人都夢想能生出「龍子」。 馬雲的爸媽一定很驕傲能生出龍子。 不只他們,很多人也是。 在 2012 的龍年, 中國、香港、台灣的出生率, 增加了 5% 。 意思就是比正常 多出了 100 萬個小寶寶。 傳統上中國人比較喜歡生男孩, 那一年男女生的比例是 120:100 。 當這些屬龍的男生長大後, 他們在愛情及職場上 會面臨更嚴峻的挑戰。
According to the BBC and the Chinese government's press release, January 2015 saw a peak of Cesarean sections. Why? That was the last month for the Year of the Horse. It's not because they like horses so much, it's because they try to avoid having unlucky Goat babies.
根據 BBC 及中國官方媒體報導, 2015年的一月, 是剖腹產的高峰月。 為什麼? 那個月是馬年的最後一個月, 不是因為他們比較喜歡屬馬的, 是因為他們想避免生下 命運不佳的屬羊寶寶。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
If you are a Goat, please don't feel bad. Those are Goat babies. They don't look like losers to me.
如果你屬羊的,也不要難過。 這些人是羊年出生的。 對我而言,他們看起來 可不像是魯蛇啊!
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Tiger is another undesirable animal, due to its volatile temperament. Many Chinese regions saw a sharp decline of birthrate during those years. Perhaps one should consider zodiac in reverse, as those Tiger and Goat babies will face much less competition. Maybe they are the lucky ones. I went through the Forbes top 300 richest people in the world, and it's interesting to see the most undesirable two animals, the Goat and Tiger, are at the top of the chart, even higher than the Dragon. So maybe we should consider, maybe it's much better to have less competition.
老虎也是另一個不受歡迎的動物, 因為牠的脾氣暴躁。 在很多中國地區, 虎年的出生率都有急遽下降的現象。 也許他們可以換個角度想, 這些屬虎屬羊的寶寶, 比較不會面對那麼多的競爭。 也許他們就是幸運之子。 我統計了富比世全世界 前300名有錢人的生肖, 發現了一件有趣的事, 兩個最不受歡迎的虎跟羊 是圖表上最多人數的動物, 甚至比龍還要多。 所以,也許我們要想想, 比較少的競爭或許對你比較好。
One last but interesting point: many Chinese people make their investment decisions based on the zodiac sign index. Although the belief and tradition of the zodiac sign has been over thousands of years, the trend of using it in making major decisions did not really happen until the past few decades. Our ancestors were very busy surviving poverty, drought, famine, riot, disease and civil war. And finally, Chinese people have the time, wealth and technology to create an ideal life they've always wanted. The collective decision made by 1.3 billion people has caused the fluctuation in economics and demand on everything, from health care and education to property and consumer goods. As China plays such an important role in the global economy and geopolitics, the decisions made based on the zodiac and other Chinese traditions end up impacting everyone around the world.
還有一個有趣的現象: 很多中國人會參考他們的生辰八字 來擬定他們的投資決策。 雖然信仰與傳統生肖 已經流傳了好幾千年, 使用生肖作重大決定的風潮 直到近幾十年才開始出現。 我們的祖先也是得忙於應付貧窮、乾旱 飢荒、暴動、疾病和戰爭。 但最後,中國人擁有了時間、財富與科技 來創造出他們所渴望的理想生活。 這 13 億人口的集體決策, 對於經濟的起伏與 對每樣東西的需求已造成影響, 包含健康醫療、教育、財產及消費品。 因為中國扮演了重要的角色 在全球經濟及地緣政治上。 基於黃道 12 宮及其它中國傳統 所做出的決策, 最後都會影響全世界所有的人。
Are there any Monkeys here? 2016 is the Year of the Monkey. Monkeys are clever, curious, creative and mischievous.
這裡有屬猴的人嗎? 2016 年是猴年, 猴子是聰明的、好奇的、 富有創造力且頑皮的。
Thank you.
謝謝各位!
(Applause)
(掌聲)