Editor’s note: Thanks to all the readers who pointed out that mao is not rabbit in Mandarin or Cantonese. We got this information from a news source that quoted Philippe Papin, an expert on Vietnamese history at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. He was quoted as saying, “The Chinese word for rabbit is ‘mao’, which sounds like ‘meo’ in Vietnamese, where it means cat. As the sound of the word changed, so did its meaning.” Vivian (reporter) sent Papin an e-mail to find out more on what he meant and he responded with:
Actually, the article of AFP has been printed before I could check what was written exactly, and the consequence is that my quoting is a bit confusing, too fast, not precise enough. But it’s not false. I will try to explain the problem.
1/ The Chinese word for Rabbit is “tu” (兔), while “mao” (猫) also means Cat. No possible confusion at this step.
2/ But there is a little-used word for Rabbit in old Chinese (卯) that’s also pronounced mao. Chinese people used this little-used word since a long time, and even now (year 乙卯 for example). They could have confused both, because of the sound, but they did not.
3/ But in Vietnam, people made the confusion (willingly or not, I dont’t know) : (Rabbit 卯 sounds mao) —> (mao read like 猫 = Cat). And this mao becomes mèo in vietnamese, since a long time, strengthened the confusion
4/ Vietnamese people used to do that, I mean they used to change the meaning of some Chinese character following the sound. It’s not the first time, and that’s why I believe they did it in this precise case.
We also found this explanation, which echoes Papin.
Does it all make sense? Let us know your thoughts.
By Vivian Nguyen
Northwest Asian Weekly
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People who celebrate the Lunar New Year have a lot to look forward to in the Year of the Rabbit. 2011 is a rarity in the 12 zodiac animals. While the Chinese celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, the Vietnamese celebrate the Year of the Cat.
The Chinese zodiac has 12 signs with an animal to represent each branch of the 12-year cycle. The animals that make up the cycle (in order) are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.
Legend of the cat’s absence in the Chinese zodiac
There is a folk story that explains how each animal in the Chinese zodiac was given their place in the 12-year cycle.
According to the website of the American Chamber of Commerce in Vietnam, Ho Chi Minh chapter, the Buddha summoned all the animals together for a banquet, so he could assign them a particular year in the cycle.
Animals were bestowed a year in the order of their arrivals. When the cat heard the news, he notified his friend, the rat, and the two made plans to go together the next day.
However, the cat lived up to its lazy reputation and slept in the next morning. As the rat did not bother to wake up his friend, the cat did not make it to Buddha’s meeting. He was not given a year in the Chinese zodiac. This legend not only clarifies the cat’s absence from the zodiac, but also explains why cats hate rats — the rat betrayed the cat.
Meanwhile, the rat made its way to the assembly, but not without more tricks.
Knowing that it would be hard to beat the larger animals to the meeting, the rat enlisted the help of the ox, who allowed the rodent to ride on its head. The two continued on their journey together. But right before their arrival, the rat jumped off the ox’s head and rushed to the finish line first.
The rat’s wily ways earned him the first year in the zodiac cycle followed by the ox.
How did the cat replace the rabbit in the Vietnamese zodiac?
Though there are various explanations of why the cat replaced the rabbit in the Vietnamese zodiac, the most plausible and popular theory suggests that the word for rabbit in Chinese, mao, sounds like the word for cat in Vietnamese. Because the two words sound similar, the Vietnamese may have accidentally written down cat, instead of rabbit, when transcribing the Chinese zodiac.
There are three types of horoscope cats in the Vietnamese zodiac: water cats, wood cats, and metal cats. 2011 is a metal cat year, which is considered lucky for the Vietnamese. The metal cat represents strength, resilience, and determination. People born in the Year of the Cat are known for their attentiveness, sensitivity, and compassion.
However, one should not give others a cat for the Lunar New Year, according to Vietnamese superstitions.
In the Vietnamese language, the word cat, mèo, sounds similar to the word nghèo, which means poverty in Vietnamese. Pronunciation, yet again, wreaks havoc for the cat. Thus, the gift of a cat would indicate that the giver wishes poverty upon its recipient.
The cat is not the only animal replaced in the Vietnamese zodiac. The Year of the Goat replaces its sheep counterpart in the Chinese zodiac, although the word for the two animals is the same in Chinese.
And while the Vietnamese zodiac uses the same animals as the Chinese zodiac for the remaining 10 years of the cycle, the ox sign is usually considered to be a water buffalo in the Vietnamese zodiac. ♦
Vivian Nguyen can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
My father told me that story when I was a kid:
There were no rabbits in the region that was Vietnam when they were still part of China (current North Vietnam) and the calendar was introduced. When the locals saw the pictures of the animals of the chinese calendar, they thought the rabbit was a cat because the picture was also quite bad.
They are some rabbits in Vietnam but more in the center of the country.
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Chinese-Year of the Rabbit vs Vietnamese-Year of the Cat.
Chinese Jade Emperor Legend
There is no sign for the cat in the Chinese Zodiac. This is because according to the legend, the rat pushed the cat off the ox while the ox was carrying both of them across the river. Since then, cats have sought revenge by going after rats.
A Vietnamese Legend
The cat is a superior hunter, while the rat is not a good hunter at all. To make up for his weakness, the rat uses his mind to steal the cat’s food. Since that time, cats have always gone after rats.
Here are famous people under rabbit or cat’s sign
Jessie Ventura was born in 1951- Rabbit or Cat. He is a strong fighter and loves to hunt down his prey.
Michael Jordan was born in 1963-Rabbit or Cat. He can jump, defend, and steal the ball. He used his forearm to keep his opponent at bay in order to make a jump shot. That’s why they call him a black cat.
Rafael Nadal was born in 1986-Tiger vs Novak Djokovic was born in 1987-Rabbit or Cat. Tigers and Cats are both great on defense, but the cat is more skilled at defense. Because of this, the cat wears down his opponents.
Lionel Messi was born in 1987-Rabbit or Cat. He always weasels his way in to score a goal.
In order to stop a cat, bring in the cat’s natural enemy-a dog. Because of this fact, whoever was born in the year of the dog can stop a cat. To the European Football League: if you want to stop Lionel Messi. Put a defense player who was born in the year of the dog (1982 or 1994).
If you know someone born in the year of the Rabbit or Cat(1951, 1963, 1975 or 1987). Observe their character and ask this question: do they behave more like a Rabbit or a Cat? You make the call. Remember: not every legend came from China.
Maria Sharapova April 19, 1987
Thanks for posting this!!! But I like to explain something more for those who like culture and history.
Sorry that I’m not agree about: “But there is a little-used word for Rabbit in old Chinese (卯) that’s also pronounced mao..”
First, I have researched and learned that no old Chinese world for Rabbit pronounce “mao”, some may pronounce “tao” but clearly not “mao”…
So, please confirm the source where did you get this story from.
Second, for a major group to follow minor group’s culture to said “mao” instead of “tu”, I don’t think so. Except the major group just use it from the start without understand it correct.
As you know in old Asian history, Northern Vietnamese & Southern Chinese people came from a same group of ethic people. After century, they have separated to become 2 countries. Vietnam which sum up from Northern Vietnam, an old country named Champa, and a part of old Cambodia. While, China sum up from many small countries in the North of China, South of China, and North of Vietnam.
The zodiac was original created by this Northern Vietnamese + Southern Chinese people group. Northern Chinese country during time to conquest others Southern Chinese countries have also adopt these cultures to make the current Chinese culture. Military force at that time became more important than carefully learning culture and education. As a result, the culture and language was passing without written, and had created many confusion.
Not only “Cat” vs “Rabbit”, but also the current Chinese zodiac different with Vietnamese zodiac between “Ox” vs “Buffalo”, and “sheep” vs “goat”.
Thanks Stephan,
Your commend is very interesting.
I found that after the first King of Qin Dynasty (Qin Shi Huang) united his kingdom, there are still many other dependent South China countries speak different languages and had different cultures. Just until Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty, these South China countries, North Vietnam, old Korea and more.. had been taken and united to his kingdom which had a similar size to nowadays China.
However, many local Chinese languages were still using, and also culture (Mandarin & Cantonese are just 2 of them). Mandarin was became the only official Chinese language just until Mao Zedong lead this country. However, Hongkong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Korea… was dependent from modern China at that time so they still speak their own languages as Cantonese, Vietnamese, Korean and Taiwanese as well as culture until now.
So far I can agree with you that Chinese Zodiac is created by one of the old China countries which we don’t know exactly nowadays. Because China is a big country that sum up from many small old China countries, they can of course claim that Chinese people created Zodiac. Therefore, I think try to figure out if Rabbit over Cat or Cat over Rabbit is something very ridiculous.
卯 pronounce “mao” is a rabbit or a cat is hard to find out because there are nobody speak, read or write this language anymore after Mao Zedong period. There are so many rabbit than cat in North China so they see 卯 as a rabbit. And, there are more cat than rabbit in South China and Vietnam so they see 卯 as a cat.
Also, Chinese Zodiac was used as a math formula and science to help people calculate time so they of course will use something that close to their everyday life to name it like rat, ox, tiger… It is created by people for easy to memorized that is why they not chose some difficult names but basic. Similar, when we learn modern math, chemistry or modern physic which develop by western country, we also convert it to our Asian style to memorize easier. Therefore, if there are no rabbit in Vietnam at that time, cat will be chosen for memorize easier rather than explain “what is a rabbit” to native people. Or, if there are no cat in North China at that time, rabbit will be chosen rather than open class and teach them about “what is cat”…
Not only zodiac but also if you search for Lion Dance in North China and South China, Vietnam, Korea, Japan, Taiwan… it is all appear in a different shape and dance steps. For an old country like China, culture shouldn’t be seen as a unique original form, but a united and adopted from many smaller culture around.
Why the cat? Why the rabbit? A new book that describes the very new discovery of the hidden message artfully created by the positions and contrasts of all the symbolic animals inside the Vietnamese zodiac and all its derivations has put the true origin of all Asian zodiacs back to Vietnam, not China as we have been said for so long through the Emperor Jade legend.
http://www.amazon.com/Decoding-Ancient-Chinese-Vietnamese-Zodiacs-ebook/dp/B00HLYTNQA
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Editor
This is a good article. Just add that in Chinese zodiac, rabbit, daily uses as 兔 (Tu) is formally written as 卯 (Mao) in zodiac term, which has same pronunciation with cat (貓). So the article make sense.
This article is culturally misleading – the author name suggests Vietnamese origin but sadly did not reflect a basic understanding of this culture.
The difference has been there and widespread from north to south of Vietnam for years – so, very unconvincing if it was made by mistake or confusion. More importantly, the system of twelve animals was invented, adopted and spread by Vietnamese intellectuals in ancient times. Then, the chance for a stupid mistake is simply impossible.
It would make more sense when simply saying that rabbit is not popular in Vietnamese culture.
Also, rabbit in Vietnamese culture is symbol of coward.
In Mandarin Chinese, rabbit is pronounced Tu. So, unless there’s some dialect of Chinese that pronounces it as “cat” then maybe there’s another reason.
They should change it back to rabbit. Rabbits are cooler. heh
Hey, Marc–thanks for pointing that out. I wrote a note at the beginning of the story. Hope it clears up SOMETHING. 🙂
Rabbit cool? No. Rabbit is nervous, easily frightened prey, & breeds so much he eats crops and so makes himself a pest to the farmer who kills and eats him.
Cat is COOL. . . Cat is predator, cat is elegant; makes himself friend to farmer because he catches mice which eat farmer’s grain.
Cat makes himself friend to farmer’s wife by flattering her and being charming pet. Cat is clever: he can be domestic pet by day, wild predator by night.
Cat makes best of both worlds. Cat is COOL– cat eats rabbit for lunch.
I am not an expert at all, but I thought “rabbit” in Mandarin Chinese was pronounced Tù which does not resemble Mao at all. What dialect of Chinese do you think would explain the confusion made by the Vietnamese regarding the correct animal for this sign?
Thanks!
Thanks, Phac. We’re not sure it’s a dialect so much as something far more convoluted. I’ve written an editor’s note above. Hopefully it’s somewhat helpful. Thanks for reading!