he Chinese Year of the
Rabbit (
兔 ) is actually the Chinese Year of the
Hare, as China has seven native species of hares and no native species of rabbits. The Chinese applied their word for hare to the first rabbits to be taken to China, and the word is now erronously back-translated into English as "rabbit".
The hare is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. The
Year of the Hare is associated with the earthly branch symbol
卯.
In the related Vietnamese zodiac, the cat takes the place of the hare
Thanks to Kristen