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Talking about birthdays
The following words are commonly used when talking about birthdays.
| 生日 | shēngri | birthday |
| 生日快乐 | shēngri dàngāo | birthday cake |
| 生日蛋糕 | shēngri kuàilè | Happy Birthday! |
| 生日礼物 | shēngri lìwǔ | birthday present |
| 寿面 | shòumiàn | birthday noodles (symbolising longevity) |
To say what sign of the zodiac somebody is born under you can use the word 属 (shǔ) followed by one of the twelve animal names.
| Sign | Example year (repeated every 12 years) | ||
| 鼠 | shǔ | rat | 2008 |
| 牛 | niú | ox | 2009 |
| 虎 | hǔ | tiger | 2010 |
| 兔 | tù | rabbit | 2011 |
| 龙 | lóng | dragon | 2012 |
| 蛇 | shé | snake | 2013 |
| 马 | mǎ | horse | 2014 |
| 羊 | yáng | goat | 2015 |
| 猴 | hóu | monkey | 2016 |
| 鸡 | jī | rooster | 2017 |
| 狗 | gǒu | dog | 2018 |
| 猪 | zhū | pig | 2019 |