狗的忠诚

传说，在玉帝下旨挑选十二种动物当属相的时候，动物们都想当上属相，封为神。

Legend has it that when the Jade Emperor decreed the selection of twelve animals to serve as zodiac signs, all the animals aspired to be chosen and anointed as deities.

动物们都尽量把自己的优点表现出来。想在玉帝面前证明已是人类的有力助手。

The animals made every effort to showcase their strengths, trying to prove themselves as valuable helpers to humanity in front of the Jade Emperor.

不仅如此，动物们还想让自己的位置排在前面，因此，都在争论谁对人类贡献最大……

Not only that, the animals also wanted to secure a spot at the front of the line, so they debated among themselves who had contributed the most to humans...

猫和狗都同人类关系密切，猫认为狗吃得太多，成天只是趴在门口，没什么贡献。

The cat and the dog both have close relationships with humans. The cat believed that the dog ate too much, spending all day just lying at the door with no real contribution.

狗认为猫成天只吃好的，也没什么事，不过是念念经，吓唬吓唬小老鼠，也没什么贡献。

The dog, on the other hand, thought that the cat only dined on the best food, did nothing all day except chant scriptures and scare the little mice, and thus had no real contribution either.

它们争执不休，于是一同到玉帝面前评理。

They argued back and forth until they decided to seek arbitration from the Jade Emperor.

玉帝问狗：“你一顿吃多少?”

The Jade Emperor asked the dog, "How much do you eat in one meal?"

狗老老实实地回答：“我每天看门守园，一顿一盆。”

The dog honestly replied, "I guard the house and the garden every day, so I eat one bowl per meal."

玉帝又问猫：“你一顿吃多少?”

The Jade Emperor then asked the cat, "How much do you eat in one meal?"

猫灵机一动，说：“我会念经，抓老鼠，每顿吃一灯盏就够了。”

The cat quickly thought of a clever response and said, "I chant scriptures and catch mice. One lamp of food per meal is enough for me."

事实上，猫只吃好东西，也不只吃一灯盏。

In reality, the cat only ate the best food and certainly did not limit itself to just one lamp.

猫只是巧妙地告诉玉帝，自己会自食其力，抓老鼠吃，那么，他的贡献就一定会比狗大了。

The cat cleverly implied to the Jade Emperor that it could fend for itself by catching mice, suggesting that its contribution must be greater than that of the dog.

听了猫和狗的话，玉帝断定，猫吃得少干事多，贡献比狗大。

After hearing the words of the cat and the dog, the Jade Emperor concluded that the cat ate less and did more, thus its contribution was greater than that of the dog.

狗一听，气愤极了，觉得猫用不光彩的谎言来胜自己，于是一边骂，一边追咬猫。

Upon hearing this, the dog became furious, feeling that the cat had used unscrupulous lies to outshine him. Without hesitation, the dog began to bark and chase after the cat.

猫自知理亏，一路跑个不停，到了家也不敢露面，东躲西藏，不敢出来。

The cat, aware it was in the wrong, ran away without stopping, and even after returning home, it dared not show its face, hiding here and there, afraid to come out.

趁着猫躲避它的机会，狗连忙同鸡一块儿去天宫排队当属相。

Taking advantage of the cat's retreat, the dog hurriedly teamed up with the rooster to line up in the Heavenly Palace to become a zodiac sign.

鸡连飞带跑，排到了狗的前面。躲在暗处的猫很久不见狗的影子，出来后才知道狗抢先当属相去了。

The rooster, flying and running, managed to secure a position ahead of the dog. The cat, having not seen the dog's shadow for a long time, eventually found out that the dog had already gotten ahead and become a zodiac sign.

它连忙飞跑到天宫，排在猪的后面，哪知小老鼠耍了个手段，藏在牛角中抢先当了属相。

In a hurry, it dashed to the Heavenly Palace, positioning itself behind the pig, but to its surprise, the little mouse pulled a trick and concealed itself in the ox's horn, becoming the zodiac sign first.

猫结果与属相无缘，从此，猫恨透了鼠，见鼠就咬死。

As a result, the cat was left without a zodiac association, and from that day on, it loathed the mouse, attacking and killing it whenever it encountered one.

狗虽然当上了属相，但诚实正直的他始终不原谅猫，见到猫就追，直到今天也还是这样。

Although the dog had become a zodiac sign, its honest and upright nature led it to never forgive the cat; it chased the cat whenever it saw it, and this continues to this day.

晚上7-9时(即“戌时”)，黑夜来临，狗看家、守夜的警惕性最高，并产生一种特殊的视力和听力，看得最远，听得最清楚。所以戌时属狗。

During the hours of 7 to 9 PM (known as “dog time”), as night falls, the dog is most vigilant in guarding the home and keeping watch, developing heightened vision and hearing, seeing farthest and hearing clearest. Hence, the time for the dog is designated as dog time.