What animal starts the Chinese zodiac cycle?
Answer
Rat
The animal that starts the Chinese zodiac cycle is the Rat.
The Rat is first in the repeating sequence of 12 zodiac animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. The cycle is part of the traditional Chinese calendar system and is used to label years, as well as months, days, and double-hours in older calendrical traditions.
A famous legend says the Jade Emperor held a race or gathering to determine the animals’ order. The Rat reached the finish first through cleverness, sometimes by riding on the Ox and jumping ahead at the end. This is a traditional story rather than the documented historical origin of the zodiac.
Historically, the animals were linked to the twelve Earthly Branches, a much older timekeeping framework. In English, the first sign may occasionally be called the Mouse, but Rat is the standard answer for the Chinese zodiac. The Ox follows it; the Dragon is fifth and the Monkey ninth.