牛的故事

古时，牛正是玉帝殿前的差役，时常往返于天宫和大地之间。

In ancient times, the Ox was a servant in front of the Jade Emperor's palace, often traveling back and forth between the heavenly realm and the earth.

有一天，农夫托牛给玉帝传个口信，说是人间寸草不生，大地光秃秃的，太难看，请玉帝带点母草籽给人间，把人间打扮得好看些。

One day, a farmer asked the Ox to deliver a message to the Jade Emperor, saying that the land was barren and lifeless, looking quite unappealing. He requested the Jade Emperor to bring some grass seeds to beautify the earth.

玉帝听了，觉得有道理，便问殿下众神谁愿去人间撒草种。

Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor found it reasonable and asked the gathered gods who would be willing to go to the mortal realm to scatter seeds.

玉帝，我愿去人间撒草种。”牛王自告奋勇地说。

"I wish to go to the mortal realm to scatter the seeds," the Ox King volunteered.

“你是个粗心大意的家伙，恐怕不行吧。”玉帝不放心地说。

"You are a careless fellow; I doubt you can handle this," the Jade Emperor said with concern.

“玉帝放心，这点小事我都办不好，甘愿受罚。”牛王坚持要去。

"Rest assured, Jade Emperor. If I cannot manage this small task, I am willing to accept punishment," the Ox King insisted he would go.

玉帝同意了牛王的请求，属咐牛王到人间后，走三步撒一把草籽。

The Jade Emperor agreed to the Ox King's request and instructed him to scatter a handful of seeds every three steps after arriving on earth.

牛王带着草籽，走出天宫，在跨出南天门时，不小心跌了一跤，附下人间后，头脑晕乎乎的，误以为玉帝的旨意是走一步撒了三把草籽。

With the grass seeds in tow, the Ox King exited the heavenly palace. Unfortunately, while crossing the Southern Heavenly Gate, he accidentally stumbled and, after landing on earth, felt dazed, misinterpreting the Jade Emperor’s order as to scatter three handfuls of seeds for every step.

于是，大把的草籽撒在了大地。

Thus, he scattered large amounts of seeds across the land.

第二年，野草丛生，农夫根本无法种庄稼了。

The next year, wild grass grew thickly, making it impossible for the farmers to cultivate crops.

他们托灶神告诉玉帝，野草太多，庄稼无法生长。

They informed the Kitchen God to tell the Jade Emperor that the wild grass was so abundant that the crops could not grow.

玉帝知道坏事了，召来牛王一问才知道粗心的牛王是一步撒三把草籽，把一件好事办坏了。

Understanding that something had gone awry, the Jade Emperor summoned the Ox King for questioning and found out that the careless Ox King had indeed scattered three handfuls of seeds with each step, ruining what was intended to be a good deed.

“你这粗心的老牛，弄得人间遍地里草，当初你怎么保证的？从今以后，你和你的子子孙孙都只准吃草，帮助农夫除草，同时，祖祖辈辈是帮助农夫干活儿。”

"You careless old ox! You've caused the earth to be overrun with grass. How could you claim it would go well? From now on, you and your descendants are only allowed to eat grass and must help the farmers remove the weeds. Furthermore, your ancestors will have to work alongside the farmers for generations to come," the Jade Emperor declared, still seething with anger. He then kicked the old ox, which tumbled from the heavens to the earth, landing with its mouth down and losing a row of upper teeth in the process.

玉帝说完，怒气未消，飞起一脚踢向老牛，牛王一个筋斗从天上落到人间，嘴巴朝下，被摔掉一排上牙。

From that point on, the ox had to toil as a laborer for the farmers, and it never stopped grazing on grass.

于是，牛从此便一辈子给农夫当苦力，并且人未停止啃青草。

Even today, that row of upper teeth has yet to grow back.

直到今天，它的那排上牙也还没有长出来。

However, the ox is a good animal that knows how to learn from its mistakes. It works diligently and steadfastly, pulling carts and plowing fields without slacking off, earning praise from the people.

但是，牛是个知过即改的好动物，它任劳任怨，勤恳踏实，拉车犁田从不松套，为农夫做了不少工作，博得人们的好评。

When it came time to select the zodiac animals, everyone unanimously nominated him as one of the twelve.

在排生肖的时候，人们一致推举他为生肖。

If it weren’t for the opportunistic little Mouse hiding on the Ox’s horn and getting ahead of it, the Ox King would surely have become the leader of the zodiac.

如果不是投机的小老鼠藏在牛角上，抢先得了头名，牛王肯定还会当上生肖首领呢。

The Ox was granted a place in the zodiac due to its contributions to humanity.

牛凭自己对人类的贡献当上了人类的生肖。

The time between 1 to 3 AM (known as “Chou time”) is when the Ox has eaten its fill of grass and chews comfortably, hence it is associated with the hour of the Ox.

凌晨1——3时（即“丑时”）。这时候牛吃足了草，“倒嚼”最细、最舒适，所以丑时同牛搭配。