… or is that goat?
From a language point of view, sheep and goats are the same in Chinese. This dawned on me whilst looking at the curious Loghtan sheep on the Isle of Man with my mother. She commented on their unusual appearance, and how some types of yang have two/four/straight/curly horns, some have beards, some … Beards? Hang on mum, you’re thinking of … erm, yang! You see, it’s the same word as they’re just variations of the same animal to the Chinese; a goat is basically a sheep up a mountain!
Regarding the Chinese zodiac, people born in the year of the Sheep are thought to be peace-loving, thoughtful, and kind, but with a tendency to be overly anxious, not very well organised, and a bit pessimistic! If you were born in the year of the Sheep (your age in this lunar year is divisible by 12) then it’s your year, starting today, February 19th 2015. Get out there and shake your fleece (or whatever it is sheep do).
The wonder of Chinese New Year is that it creeps up on you just when you thought your ‘new year, new you’ resolutions had all gone to pot, giving you the opportunity to have another go. So Happy New Year! Here’s a little GIF from us to you, proving that ‘you are what you think’ … so make them good thoughts.
Thinking of ewe in the Year of the Sheep (see what I did there?)
Mo and Dave
