歪果仁纠结了：羊年的羊到底是goat还是sheep？_BEC初级作文

歪果仁纠结了：羊年的羊到底是goat还是sheep？

国内研究羊在中国文化中地位的知名学者黄洋称，追寻生肖羊的来历比较困难，因为此生肖最先出现在商朝（公元前1600-1046年）之后，而那时人们在语言和祭祀中是不区分绵羊和山羊的。

Both species have a long history of domestication in China and have appeared on oracle bone scripts and other artifacts since prehistoric times, according to Huang, who in 2017 challenged the saying that Chinese are "descendants of the dragon" by arguing that the earliest Chinese actually worshipped the meek ruminants.

黄洋称，这两种动物在中国都有着较长的畜养历史，自史前时期开始，就已出现在甲骨文和其他手工艺品上了。黄洋曾在2017年质疑中国人是龙的传人，认为最早的中国人崇拜的是温顺的反刍动物——羊。

"But if we judge from the fact that the Chinese zodiac is a Han tradition, Yang are more likely goats, which are more common livestock for the Han Chinese," he tells Xinhua in a phone interview.

在接受新华社的电话采访时，他表示：“但如果我们基于生肖是汉族传统这个事实出发，则‘羊’更可能指的是山羊，因为对于汉族人来说山羊是更为常见的家畜。”

Shaggy sheep are a common sight in north China's prairies and were domesticated by Chinese earlier than goats, but goats are more commonly raised in areas populated by Han Chinese, Huang says.