The Chinese zodiac, explained | ShaoLan

A quarter of the world's population cares a lot about the Chinese zodiac. Even if you don't believe in it, you'd be wise to know how it works, says technologist and entrepreneur ShaoLan Hseuh. In this fun, informative talk, ShaoLan shares some tips for understanding the ancient tradition and describes how it's believed to influence your personality, career, marriage prospects and how you'll do in a given year. What does your sign say about you?

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[genuineangusbeef]

I think a lot of people miss some of the points made in this presentation. Even if you don't believe in any of this, if you work with any number of Chinese people (who believe this, plenty see it as bs) this would be useful to gauge how they might act around others and how they try to understand others.

Understanding Culture is never a bad thing

[slylover]

My favorite part of the presentation are the icons with the Chinese characters combined with it's corresponding graphic

[davetran]

I've met Shaolan in person and she is very friendly, kind, and incredible to talk to.

[CJusticeHappen]

I am a horse.
No, this has nothing to do with the video, or the Chinese, or any mythos they might hold. I am just a horse.
I thought you should know.

[Borderose]

Dad's a rat, mom's a snake, I'm a goat, and my sister's a dog.

I love my family.

[bubbles]

Personally, I thought this was an excellent talk. In the amount of time she had, she was able to describe the basics of the Chinese zodiac. It does not matter whether you agree with it or not, but it is important to learn about other people's cultures and their traditions. Plus, it's an interesting conversation starter :)

[karina]

I love this woman. Her speech is entertaining, intriguing, and well-spoken.

[Maracujakeks]

Well, I'm a tiger and I hope I end up rich as well lol

[lucylemiszczuk]

It's quite interesting how the chinese zodiac signs are suprisingly very accurate. I was born in the year of the dragon, and many teachers at my school have said that our year level is one of the most intelligent and talented that they have seen in a long time.

[hermanloud]

Regardless of what people say, I love Chinese traditional culture and I am glad she shared this with enthusiasm.

[weirdzfully]

Both my parents are dragons and I am a pig. You can just imagine my life 😓

[kalpssays]

This was one of the best analytical explanation provided for Zodiac....brilliant work

[MrPoe]

To understand the Chinese zodiac is to understand the inner workings of each individual. I’ve been studying it as long as I can remember(I’m an analytical snake). I use it as a tool, to help me understand others and what makes them tick. It’s easy to see how this can not only help you relate to others, thereby mitigating potential conflict, but it also gives you a leg up on potential competition, be it in your business or personal life!
I truly believe people who choose not to invest time into understanding the Chinese zodiac are doing themselves a great disservice!

[LamanKnight]

(*For anyone concerned, this was something I wrote on the day this video was posted, when people in the comments were really being mean. It doesn't apply so much to the comments on this video anymore. I mean no offense to anyone here. Actually, I think it's nice to know that so many people wanted to watch this video, and have positive things to say these days.)

Reading this comment section has reminded me of something I've recently been trying to ignore: the majority of YouTube commenters are some of the stupidest and most bigoted people in the world.

For those of you who missed it, this video was explaining what the Chinese zodiac is, and what effects the belief system has in the real world, including some of the modern-day effects on global culture. She is not trying to make a stand on whether this is good or bad, and she is not trying to convince people to believe in it or follow it. All this presenter does is point out that this exists, and says that you would be wise to acknowledge that this belief system exists, and that you should pay attention to how it affects the world around you. It would be in your best interests to take into consideration how widespread beliefs affect attitudes, behaviours, and policy -- especially because, in spite of first appearances, this will have some level of effect on your own personal life.

That's what this presentation is about. But apparently a lot of you viewers out there fail to see that and complain, "Blah blah, is not scientific, meh meh, waste uf my time." How nice to see how close-minded you still are.

[moonskeetz]

I was hoping for a more in depth explanation, like how or what determines the animals and how lucky they are.

[lucky-hdyv]

I loved this. The compatibility is accurate and on point!😊

[ladypangaea]

Ever since I was a kid, learning about the Chinese zodiac for the first time, I always thought I was a rabbit. I was born in 1999, year of the rabbit, and my dad is even a rabbit himself. But a few years ago, I discovered that it wasn't the case; in 1999, the lunar new year didn't start until the 16th of February, and I was born on the 15th, three hours before midnight! So in actuality, I'm a tiger; a yang-earth-tiger to be exact. Coming to terms with it, I feel like tiger resonates with me more than rabbit ever did.

Moral of the story: if you're looking into your Chinese zodiac sign and your birthday is anywhere between January and February, double check to see if the new year was before or after your birthday. You're welcome in advance.

[BettyAlexandriaPride]

She was so cute. :) I really enjoyed her explanation.

[nr]

The Fire type Pokemon starters are based on the Chinese zodiac

[DonnaStellhorn]

Thank you #ShaoLan for a really interesting talk. I agree it's so important to understand the culture and history of different people in the world if we're to make a lasting connection with others in the global community. We in the West benefit greatly learning from cultures that have survived for thousands of years. Chinese Astrology, as well as many other ancient systems of tracking time cycles, trends and more recently insights into personality, is a fascinating subject and worthy of study. When watching your +Chineasy videos I'm reminded how much our thinking, and therefore our actions, are influenced by the words and pictures in our minds. And by understanding the building blocks of a culture which include the stories, symbols and metaphors of it's past and present citizens, we can more understand other people and ourselves.