鼠年到了，關(guān)于鼠在中國文化當(dāng)中的符號你知道嗎？本文對鼠在中國文化當(dāng)中的形象做了一個簡單的說明。

Do you know why the cat is the enemy of the rat?

你知道貓為什么是老鼠的天敵嗎？

As Chinese folklore goes, the rat and cat made an appointment to attend a competition held by the Jade Emperor. It would decide the zodiac animals. However, the quick-witted rat did not wake the cat up and at last won by riding on the ox’s back to sneak ahead.

在中國民間傳說中，貓和老鼠約好一起參加玉皇大帝舉辦的比賽，決出生肖動物。但機(jī)靈的老鼠卻沒有叫醒貓，它藏在牛的背上溜到了前面。

Thus, the rat ranked first on the 12 Chinese zodiac signs and became an enemy of the cat. So when Chinese people talk about the rat, they are likely to see it as greedy and dishonest. For example, there is the phrase “a thief’s eyebrow and a rat’s eyes”, to describe someone who looks untrustworthy.

因此，老鼠成了中國十二生肖之首，也成了貓的死對頭。所以，當(dāng)中國人談?wù)摾鲜髸r，大家都認(rèn)為它貪婪又狡詐。比如，“賊眉鼠眼”一詞便用來形容看起來不可信的人。

Chinese literature has some positive views of rats. In the novel Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, written by Qing dynasty writer Pu Songling, a courageous, smart and faithful rat, smaller in size and weaker in strength, battles with a fierce snake to save its companion.

老鼠在中國文學(xué)中也有一些正面的形象。在清朝作家蒲松齡所著的小說《聊齋志異》中，一只勇敢聰明又忠心耿耿的小老鼠，在體型和力量都處于下風(fēng)的情況下，為救自己的同伴與一條兇猛的蛇一戰(zhàn)。

There is also folklore treating the rat as a great hero. It is said that the rat created the world by taking a bite of heaven, bringing light to humans. It helped people survive by stealing firewood and grain seeds. As a result, many people worship the rat by offering sacrifices and praying for success.

也有民間傳說將老鼠視為大英雄。據(jù)說老鼠把天咬開了一個洞，為人類帶來了光明，從而創(chuàng)造了世界。它還為人們偷來了賴以生存的火種和谷種。因此，許多人都有崇拜老鼠的風(fēng)俗，向其獻(xiàn)祭，祈求成功。

Since rats live together in societies and have many babies with a high survival rate, they also represent cooperation and reproduction.

因為老鼠是群居動物，繁衍快，生命力強(qiáng)，它們也象征著合作與繁衍。

With all these qualities, it is believed that people born in the Year of the Rat are smart and good at making money.

這些品質(zhì)令人們認(rèn)為，生肖屬鼠的人都聰明伶俐，且善于生財。

參考文獻(xiàn)：21世紀(jì)英文報（id: i21stcentry）