In ancient China, the Jade Emperor decided to create a system of twelve animals to represent each year in the Chinese calendar.
在古代中国，玉皇大帝决定创建一个由十二个动物组成的系统，代表中国农历中的每一年。
He organized a race to determine which animals would take part in the zodiac.
他组织了一场比赛，决定哪些动物将成为生肖。
The first twelve animals to finish the race would become the twelve zodiac animals, each representing one year.
前十二个到达终点的动物将成为生肖动物，每个动物代表一年。
The emperor chose a river as the racecourse.
玉皇大帝选择了一条河作为赛道。
The animals had to cross the river to reach the finish line.
动物们必须越过河流到达终点。
The rat, being clever, knew it wasn’t a strong swimmer.
鼠标机智，它知道自己不会游泳。
So, it asked the ox, the strong and kind-hearted animal, for help.
于是，它请求强壮而善良的牛帮忙。
The ox agreed to carry the rat across the river.
牛同意载着鼠过河。
As they were nearing the finish line, the rat, being cunning, jumped off the ox’s back and crossed the finish line first, taking the first place.
当它们接近终点时，鼠标机智地跳下牛背，抢先越过终点线，取得了第一名。
The ox, though surprised, came in second.
牛虽然惊讶，但还是排在第二。
Following them was the tiger, who had great strength and swam across the river fiercely, reaching the third spot.
紧随其后的是老虎，它拥有强大的力量，猛烈地游过河流，最终到达第三名。
The rabbit, light and quick, used a floating log to cross the river and finished in fourth place.
兔子轻巧灵敏，利用漂浮的木头过河，最终排在第四。
The dragon, who could fly, was delayed because it stopped to help some villagers by creating rain.
能飞的龙因为停下来帮助村民降雨而耽搁了，
It arrived fifth.
最终排在第五名。
The snake, who was sneaky, hid in the horse’s hoof and surprised it by slithering out at the last moment, taking sixth place.
蛇非常狡猾，它藏在马的蹄下，在最后一刻突然爬出来，取得了第六名。
The horse, shocked, came in seventh.
马惊讶中排在第七。
The goat, who had a calm demeanor, helped the monkey and the rooster cross the river, finishing eighth.
性格温和的羊帮助了猴子和公鸡过河，排在第八。
The rooster, who was brave, came ninth, while the monkey, quick and smart, finished tenth.
勇敢的公鸡排在第九，而机灵的猴子则排在第十。
The dog, who loved to play and swim, arrived eleventh, and lastly, the pig, who had been enjoying a meal during the race, came in twelfth.
喜欢玩耍和游泳的狗排在第十一，而最后，猪在比赛中享受了一顿美餐，排在了第十二。
Thus, the order of the animals in the Chinese zodiac was determined by the results of this race.
因此，生肖动物的顺序由这场比赛的结果决定。
The rat, as the cleverest, took the first spot, while the pig, the least focused, ended up in the twelfth spot.
鼠最聪明，排在第一，而猪由于最不专注，最终排在了第十二。
