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Xiang Li Pintura tradicional china

Sign 4 of twelve

Conejo 兔

Conejo 兔 — signo 4 del zodiaco chino, pintado por Xiang Li con su nombre en escritura de oráculo óseo. El que vive en la luna.

The one in the moon

  • Gentle
  • Diplomatic
  • Careful
  • Lucky
Two rabbits, one white and one fawn, in a basket of carrots and sweet potatoes, sharing a single carrot between them, with a wash of pink and orange flowers behind. The only painting where the glyph sits in the top right. Watercolor and gouache on paper, by Xiang Li.

The Rabbit is the mildest sign of the twelve and the luckiest to be born under: tactful, elegant, averse to conflict, good at getting what it wants without a fight. It came fourth in the race by hopping across on stepping stones, which is exactly how a Rabbit would do it.

In Chinese sky-lore the rabbit lives on the moon, grinding the elixir of immortality with a mortar and pestle beside the goddess Chang'e — which is why the Mid-Autumn Festival is full of them, and why a Chinese child looking at a full moon is more likely to see a rabbit than a face.

Two of them here, nose to nose over one carrot. The sign of the Rabbit is a sign of company.

The name in the corner

Top right, black ink: the old form of 兔 — a hare in profile, ears laid back, the short cocked tail that distinguishes it from every other four-legged character.

Why oracle-bone script →