我的属相
wǒ de shǔxiàng
The phrase "my zodiac sign" in Chinese is 我的属相 (wǒ de shǔxiàng).
我的属相 refers to the animal sign assigned to a person based on their birth year in the Chinese calendar. In spoken language, people commonly use the term 属相 to refer to these signs.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 属相 is composed of 属, which means to belong to or be part of a group and 相, meaning appearance or form. Together, they literally refer to the animal sign one belongs to.
How does it change in a sentence?
The character 属 acts as a verb in this context, meaning "to belong to" a specific animal sign. For example, a common way to ask someone their zodiac sign is 你属什么？
How do you pronounce it?
wǒ de shǔxiàng
Did you know?
- In China, asking 你属什么？ is a socially acceptable way to calculate someone's age without asking for their birth year. This allows the speaker to avoid the potential rudeness of asking an older person their exact age.
- Because 属相 is based on the lunar calendar, the animal sign changes on the first day of the lunar year rather than January 1st. This means two people born in the same Gregorian year can have different signs.
- Traditional matchmaking often uses 属相 to determine compatibility between couples. If two people's signs are said to 'clash', families might use this as a reason to discourage a marriage.
Examples in context
- 我的生肖是虎。My zodiac sign is the Tiger.
- 我的星座是狮子。My zodiac sign is Leo.
- 我的属相是龙。Wǒ de shǔxiàng shì lóng.My zodiac sign is the dragon.
- 你知道我的属相是什么吗？Nǐ zhīdào wǒ de shǔxiàng shì shénme ma?Do you know what my zodiac sign is?
- 我的属相和他的属相很合。Wǒ de shǔxiàng hé tā de shǔxiàng hěn hé.My zodiac sign matches his very well.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their birth years at a cafe.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你知道我的属相是什么吗？Hàorán, nǐ zhīdào wǒ de shǔxiàng shì shénme ma?Haoran, do you know what my zodiac sign is?
- 浩然 Haoran你是属兔的吗？Nǐ shì shǔ tù de ma?Are you the Year of the Rabbit?
- 雨婷 Yuting不是，我的属相是猴。Bú shì, wǒ de shǔxiàng shì hóu.No, my zodiac sign is the monkey.
- 浩然 Haoran原来如此。Yuánlái rúcǐ.I see.
