There are five zodiac animals that eat grass, namely cattle, rabbits, horses, sheep and pigs. The Chinese zodiac is the representative of Chinese traditional culture. Its initial purpose was to facilitate people to estimate time. Later, it was used to calculate the year and express people's zodiac.
The twelve animals specifically referred to in the Chinese zodiac are rats, cattle, tigers, rabbits, dragons, snakes, horses, sheep, monkeys, chickens, dogs and pigs, which is also the order of the Chinese zodiac. But the dragon does not exist in reality. The dragon is a divine object imagined by ancient people, representing health and auspiciousness.
The appearance of the twelve zodiac is convenient for people outside to estimate the time. Each animal is separated by two hours. People can judge the approximate range of time according to the active time of the twelve animals. The appearance of the Chinese Zodiac also reflects the breadth and depth of Chinese traditional culture.
People began to calculate the year according to the twelve zodiac, and changed an animal every year. They took turns according to the order of the twelve zodiac, with a cycle of twelve years. Later, they used the year in which the child was born, which corresponds to the animal as the child's zodiac.