他说，绒毛蓬松的绵羊在中国北方的大草原上很常见，其畜养的时间也比山羊要早，但在汉族聚居地山羊更为常见。

Images on China's zodiac stamps and papercuttings are often bearded goats. The replica of the Yang bronze statue that once formed part of a zodiac fountain in the looted Old Summer Palace also has a goat head.

中国生肖邮票和剪纸上羊的形象往往都是带胡须的山羊。而惨遭洗劫的圆明园生肖喷泉一部分的青铜羊首复制品，也是山羊头。

Fang Binggui, a folklorist based in southeast China's Fuzhou City, says the image of the zodiac Yang is open to regional interpretation. "People depict the zodiac animal based on the most common Yang in their region. So it's often sheep in the north while goats in the south."

中国东南部城市福州的民俗学家方兵贵称，生肖羊的形象常有区域性的解释。他说：“人们基于当地最常见的羊来描绘生肖羊，所以在北方生肖羊往往是绵羊，在南方却是山羊。”

Few ordinary Chinese are troubled by the sheep/goat distinction.

很少有中国百姓因分不清绵羊和山羊感到困扰。

"I've never thought about that question before. Do we have to tell them apart?" asks Chen Xufeng, an office clerk in Beijing.

北京白领陈旭锋说：“我以前从来没想过这个问题。我们有必要区分它们吗？”

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