Goat (zodiac)

Goat
"Goat" in regular Chinese characters
Chinese羊
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinyáng
Wade–Gilesyang2
IPA[jǎŋ]
Hakka
Romanizationyông
Yue: Cantonese
Yale Romanizationyèuhng
Jyutpingjoeng4
IPA[jœŋ˩]
Southern Min
Hokkien POJiûⁿ
Tâi-lôiûnn
Old Chinese
Baxter (1992)*ljang
Baxter–Sagart (2014)*ɢaŋ
Zodiac goat, showing the yáng (羊) character for goat/sheep

The Goat (Chinese: 羊; pinyin: yáng, sometimes also translated Sheep or Ram) is the eighth of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. This zodiacal sign is often[1] referred to as the "Ram" or "Sheep" sign,[2] since the Chinese word yáng is more accurately translated as Caprinae, a taxonomic subfamily that includes both goats and sheep,[3] but contrasts with other animal subfamily types such as Bovinae, Antilopinae, and other taxonomic considerations which may be encountered in the case of the larger family of Bovidae in Chinese mythology, which also includes the Ox (zodiac). The Year of the Goat is associated with the 8th Earthly Branch symbol, 未 (wèi).[4]

  1. ^ Wen Huang, "Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram?" Chicago Tribune, January 31, 2003. Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  2. ^ Theodora Lau and Laura Lau, Chapter 8: "The Sheep: The Eighth Sign of the Lunar Cycle", The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes, pp. 193–220, Harper Collins, 1979 (paperback edition December 2010) ISBN 978-0061990915
  3. ^ A Lunar New Year With a Name That's a Matter of Opinion, Chris Buckley, New York Times, Feb. 18, 2015: "The reason is that the word for the eighth animal in the Chinese zodiac's 12-year cycle of creatures, yang in Mandarin, does not make the distinction found in English between goats and sheep and other members of the Caprinae subfamily. Without further qualifiers, yang might mean any such hoofed animal that eats grass and bleats."
  4. ^ "Chinese Zodiac – Sheep / Goat / Ram". Travel China Guide. TravelChinaGuide.com. Retrieved 29 December 2014.