Speaking of the rabbit as the zodiac, there is an interesting folk legend about “the rabbit and the ox race.”
According to legend, the rabbit and the ox are neighbors. They get along well and call each other brothers. The ox lives by hard work, the rabbit lives by being clever and capable, and they all live well.
One day, the rabbit who was good at long-distance running showed off in front of the ox: “I am the long-distance running champion in the animal world, and no one can outrun me!” The ox humbly asks for advice on the trick of long-distance running, “You can’t learn by relying on your innate quality. Besides, long-distance running requires a light and easy body, and with your thick body, I’m afraid you will never be able to run fast.”
The ox’s heart was half-cooled by the rabbit’s words, but he was not convinced. From then on, the ox began to practice long-distance running. With strong and invincible persistence, the ox finally developed a pair of “iron feet.” With a raised tail and four hooves like the wind, he never tires for days and nights.
On the day when the Jade Emperor arranges the zodiac signs, according to the rules, whoever arrives first will be the zodiac sign. The ox and the rabbit agreed that the rooster would get up as soon as it crowed, and go straight to the Heavenly Palace to compete for the Chinese zodiac.
The rooster crowed for the first time, and when the ox got up, the rabbit had already run away alone. The rabbit ran for a while and turned around, but there was no sign of any animal. The rabbit thought to himself, I got up the earliest today, and I ran the fastest when I woke up after I fell asleep. The first name of this zodiac must be me. So it fell asleep on the grass.
Although the ox was lagging behind, with his tenacious endurance and iron feet, he worked hard and ran to the Tiangong first while the rabbit slept soundly.
The sound of hurried footsteps awakened the rabbit. When he opened his eyes, the tiger ran over like a gust of wind. Now the rabbit was in a hurry and chased after it. Unfortunately, it was too late, and he still fell behind the tiger. Because there was an opportunistic little mouse squatting between the ox horns, the rabbit only ranked fourth, and the top three were rat, ox, tiger, and rabbit. Lost to the old cow that he satirized. After returning, he moved his family to the earth hole, and now the hare still lives in the earth hole.
