Western Horoscopes

Almost 30% of British people read the “star sign” section of the newspaper every day. They claim not to take the messages printed there too seriously. But many people do believe that the stars influence our lives and enjoy reading what experts — the astrologers — say about their future prospects.

Pisces, February 19–March 20

Business matters are most important at this time. Be very careful in dealing with new partners. At home you need to spend more time with your family. Now is also a good time to prepare for your future by considering what you really need and what you can do without.

There are twelve star signs — these are the signs of the zodiac — into which a year is divided. Your sign is the one during which you were born so, for example, someone born between May 22 and June 21 is a Gemini. Each of the signs is named after a star constellation in the sky. Each sign is supposed to have its own characteristics and someone born under that sign is thought to share those characteristics.

Libra, September 23–October 23

You have the chance to learn more about yourself so don’t ignore what your heart and head tell you. You also have the opportunity to become involved with someone romantically but you should look before you leap. Take the time to review your finances as the future is not looking too rosy.

The problem with the kind of advice found in these horoscopes is that the advice is so general and so vague that it can mean almost anything — in other words it can mean what you want it to mean! We can all agree that it would be good to spend more time with one’s family or think about the future and we do not need the stars to tell us that! Still, these light-hearted columns in the press serve to entertain people going about their daily lives and they are really no more than harmless fun — rather like the cartoons and crosswords that often appear on the same page in the newspaper.

Leo, July 23–August 23

Your ambitions and goals are becoming clearer but are unlikely to fall into place in the next few weeks. Be patient. Try not to upset your work colleagues. Now would be a good time to have a dinner or celebration with a friend or partner. Avoid overseas travel if possible.

The Chinese horoscope is organized into twelve animal signs. It is said that Buddha called all the animals in the world to come to him before he died. Only twelve animals appeared and as a reward he named a year after each animal that arrived in the order in which they came. First came the Rat, then the Ox, followed by the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep (or Goat), Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.

The animal ruling the year in which you were born influences your life and character. The Chinese say: “This is the animal that hides in your heart.”

Year of the Tiger: Year 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Closest Friend: Dog; Horse

Worst Enemy: Monkey

In China the tiger symbolizes power, passion and daring. The tiger commands obedience and respect from everyone but is rebellious and unpredictable. A person born in the year of the tiger has a dynamic character. He loves life and can arouse great emotion from all he meets. The tiger always wants to dominate a room and be the centre of attention.

The Chinese year begins with the second new-moon day after the winter solstice. Therefore in any year the actual date of Chinese New Year can move but is always between January 21 and February 20. So anyone born between these times needs to know exactly what dates the New Year fell on in the year they were born in order to work out their true animal sign.

Traditionally parents tried to plan when to have children so that they might have better prospects in life. A favourite sign is the dragon and so many people planned for their children to be born in that year. It was also important to know which animal signs were compatible so that bad marriages could be avoided.

So, unlike the Western horoscope, which is supposed to tell you what to do and how to behave on a day-to-day basis, the Chinese horoscope is more concerned with describing your fate. Being born a horse, for example, determines your character, but then it is up to you to maximize the positive aspects of this animal and minimize its negative features. You can become a very good horse, but you can never stop being a horse!

Today, these traditions are becoming less important, especially in big cities, but most Chinese people know their animal sign and it is always a good topic of conversation with people you do not know too well. Talking to Westerners about their star signs might also be a good “ice-breaker” to start a conversation.

西方星象

几乎30％的英国人每天阅读报纸上“星座”这一部分。他们宣称不会太把那些信息当真。但很多人的确相信星宿决定人生，并且喜欢看专家们——占星家们——对于其未来前途的说法。

双鱼座(双鱼宫) 2月19日—3月20日 

生意上的事情在这一时期最为重要。和新伙伴打交道时要非常小心。在家你需要与家人共度更多时光。这也是思考自己真正需要什么，不需要什么，为将来做准备的最佳时期。

一年分为12个星座——这就是黄道十二宫。你的星座取决于你的生日。比如说，一个出生在5月22日和6月21日之间的人属双子座。每一个星座都以天上的一个星群命名。每一个星座都被认为有自己的特点，而出生在这个星座的人则被认为拥有这些共同点。

天秤座(天平宫) 9月23日—10月23日 

你有机会更多地了解自己，因此不要忽略你的心灵和大脑所告知你的一切。你有机会和某人发生浪漫关系，但应该三思而后行。抽时间审视自己的经济状况，因为前景看上去并不乐观。

在星象里找到的这些忠告最大的问题在于太宽泛，太模糊，几乎具有任何意思——换句话说，它可以具有任何你所希望的意思！我们都认可花更多时间与家人相处或思考未来是有好处的，这并不需要星象来告诉我们！尽管如此，出版物上的这些轻松的专栏为忙于日常生活的人们提供了娱乐，它们的确只是无害的玩笑——就像常常出现在报纸同一页的卡通和填字游戏一样。

狮子座(狮子宫) 7月23日—8月23日 

你的抱负和目标正逐渐明确，但不太可能在未来的几周内变得明朗。耐心点。尽量别让同事反感。现在是和朋友、搭档聚餐或庆祝的好时候。尽可能避免海外旅行。

中国星象

中国的星象是十二生肖。据说佛祖死前曾召唤所有动物前去。只有12只动物去了，作为回报，佛祖按到达的先后顺序，用这些动物的名字为每一年命名。首先到达的是鼠，然后是牛， 接下来是虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗和猪。

你出生年的生肖影响你的人生和个性。中国人说：“这就是你命中的属相。”

虎年：1962年，1974年，1986年，1998年，2010年 

最亲密的朋友：狗；马

最大的敌人：猴

在中国，虎代表着力量、激情和胆量。虎为每个人所服从和尊敬，但自身却叛逆而难以预测。生在虎年的人精力充沛。他热爱生命，并能唤起每一个与之相遇的人强烈的情感。虎总想支配局面，成为受关注的焦点。

农历年始于冬至后的第二个新月日。因此，每年农历新年的具体日期都可能有所变化，但总是在1月21日和2月20日之间。所以在这段时间内出生的人要弄清自己的属相，就要清楚地知道自己出生年的新年是何时到来的。

依照传统，父母会尽量安排生育时间，以使孩子的一生更有前途。龙是令人中意的生肖，很多父母都会安排让孩子在龙年出生。弄清哪些生肖相配对于避免不幸的婚姻也很重要。

因此，和西方星象旨在告诉人们每天应该做什么、如何做所不同的是，中国星象更关注算命。比如，生而属马决定你的个性，但以后怎样扬马之长、避马之短就要看自己的了。你可以成为一匹好马，但永远无法逃脱马的命运。

现在，这些传统变得不那么重要了，尤其是在大城市。不过大多数中国人都知道自己的属相，这向来是与不太熟悉的人交谈时的一个很好的话题。和西方人谈论他们的星座也不失为“打破坚冰”、开始交谈的好办法。