Chinese New Year is upon us! It’s the time of the year where the Chinese community would usher in the new year with fireworks, mandarin oranges, and ang pows – along with various other traditions to bring luck and prosperity (like the whole idea of li chun). But these are not the only things that link this festive period with the notion of prosperity and money!

Did you know that there are also hidden financial lessons in the ancient myths that are related to Chinese New Year as well? Specifically, we’re referring the story of the 12 zodiacs!

Once upon a time…

We all know about the Chinese zodiacs to some degree: they are a family of twelve animals used to date the years in a twelve-year cycle of the Chinese calendar – starting with the Rat and ending with the Boar. But what’s the full story?

Legend has it that the Jade Emperor (the mythical God-King of ancient China) decided to host a Great Race to determine the sequence of the zodiac cycle, and the first twelve animals to sign up for the Race would be eligible to take part. He also decreed that the years on the calendar would be named after each animal in the order in which they finished the Great Race.

The little tricks and accidents that each animal get into to win the race pepper the whole story with plenty of fun details, explaining how they all arrived at their point on the calendar. More importantly, it is within these details that we can find some choice lessons with regard to financial management – which we’ll share with you here!

The Rat and the Ox

In the fable, an obstacle that the zodiac animals had to overcome during the Great Race was a large and powerful river, which the contestants had to cross in order to reach the finishing line. Of the lot of them, the Ox was considered to be one of the strongest animals, and was also the one most accustomed to crossing rivers. The Rat knew this, and so decided to hop onto the Ox’s back, under the pretence of wanting to sing songs of encouragement to the Ox.

Just as the Ox got out of the water, however, the Rat jumped off onto dry land and crossed the finish line ahead of him, thereby becoming the first animal to complete the Great Race.

The lesson: You may not be a financial expert, but with a little help from someone with better know-how than you, you can still participate and get ahead in the financial race!

Of course, we’re not condoning any form of cheating to get there, but it’s key that you learn to tap into and leverage the various resources that are available to you. These include reaching out to a financial advisor, if necessary, or connecting with an industry expert.

The Goat, the Monkey, and the Rooster

While the Rat and the Ox got up to their own little shenanigans to cross the massive river, the Goat, the Monkey, and the Rooster prudently collaborated to do so. The three zodiac animals built a sensible little raft and rode it together to cross the river, using teamwork to get them to the end. (It’s also why they come one after another in the zodiac cycle!)

The lesson: It can get lonely if you’re embarking on your financial journey alone, so why not rope in your partner or friends to join you? This is particularly helpful if you have a shared financial goal (such as saving for your retirement!). Sharing resources and working together will let you motivate each other, urging one another towards your goals.

On that note, there are also plenty of communities out there that you can join, where individuals are happy to share their advice and thoughts on certain financial concepts and products. That said, be sure to assess them carefully and also do your due diligence to ensure that advices provided are sensible and reasonable.

The Dragon, the Rabbit, and the Villagers

Everyone assumed that the Dragon would win the race because he could fly, but he only ended up coming in fifth. When the Jade Emperor asked him why this was the case, the Dragon explained that it was because he had stumbled upon a village that was filled with people who needed water to drink. So he paused to make some rain for them.

As he neared the infamous river right before the finishing line, however, the Dragon stumbled upon yet another unfortunate character. He noticed the Rabbit that was forced to climb onto a floating log, after accidentally plunging into the river while hopping from stone to stone to cross it. Feeling bad for the Rabbit, the Dragon then blew a gust of wind that propelled the Rabbit to the finishing line ahead of himself.

The lesson: While what the Dragon did was noble indeed, the rules of the race didn’t afford him leeway. The financial world works the same. When charting your own journey to achieve financial success, be careful not to let good intentions derail your efforts.

For example, think twice before agreeing to become a loan guarantor for a “friend”, or straight up lending a large sum of money to someone. Also, do not be hasty in backing a risky investment just because someone you know persuades you to.

The Dog and the Boar

Remember that river that most of the zodiac animals seemed to have trouble crossing? Well, the Dog had the exact opposite problem; while others struggled to cross over, he enjoyed playing in the water so much that he spent too long swimming – which led to him becoming the second last animal to finish the race.

The Boar, meanwhile, crossed the river just fine on his own (somehow), but stopped by the riverbank to search for food because he was hungry. Belly full, he then took a quick nap…and failed to wake himself up in time.

The lesson: The Dog teaches us not to expend our energy or resources doing things that won’t get us anywhere. While it’s nice to have fun and enjoy some of life’s simple pleasures every now and then, overindulgence will bring your downfall. Be responsible with your money!

As for the Boar…the lesson is fairly obvious: Don’t be lazy! It takes some effort to manage your finances and investment– such as reviewing your credit cards and investment portfolios periodically throughout the year – but it’s worth it!

Bonus: The Cat

The Cat had actually also wanted to participate in the Great Race, and being close friends with the Rat, he’d asked for them to go together. The Rat agreed and said that it will wake the Cat up on the day of the race. As you can guess, that did not happen, and the Cat never got the chance to join the race.  

(In another version, the Rat and the Cat managed to persuade the Ox to carry both of them across the sea, but the Rat pushed the Cat into the river, causing them to be mortal enemies from then on.)

The lesson: Simply put, your financial success is your own responsibility. Do not rely on others to take charge of things for you. It’s fine to leverage on your available resources, but you are ultimately accountable for your own finances.

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There’s a lot to be learned from the vibrant stories and mythologies surrounding the festive period! It’s no wonder that these fables have endured well into the 21^st century, and are expected to continue doing so. With that, we hope that you’ve been having a great time celebrating Chinese New Year thus far, with lots of good food and good company!

• TAGS:
• Chinese Zodiac
• Chinese Zodiac Mythology
• Financial Advice