The myth behind the Chinese zodiac - Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen

Want to support TED-Ed’s nonprofit mission? Check out our Patreon page: View full lesson: What’s your sign? In Western astrology, it’s a constellation determined by when your birthday falls in the calendar. But according to the Chinese zodiac (生肖), it’s your shuxiang, meaning the animal assigned to your birth year. Of the many myths explaining these animal signs and their arrangement, the most enduring one is that of The Great Race. Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen recounts this classic myth. Lesson by Megan Campisi and Pen-Pen Chen, animation by Marta Prokopová.