The Rabbit

The rabbit’s mouth has a cleft, and it is said to give birth by spitting out its young; therefore, it is called Tu original: 兔 (tù); a pun on the word 吐 (tǔ), which means "to spit" or "to vomit." This reflects an ancient folk belief that the rabbit's harelip was a result of this unusual birth method.. Among creatures that chew their food, most possess nine orifices and are born from a womb; however, the rabbit alone—whether male or female—is said to have only eight orifices.

Accordingly, the writings of Master Tao original: 陶氏 (Táo Shì); referring to the famous Taoist scholar and physician Tao Hongjing. state that a rabbit conceives by licking the "male bristles" original: 雄毫 (xióngháo); referring to the male's fur. of its mate, and after five months, she bears her young. Furthermore, local folk traditions suggest that rabbits conceive by gazing at the Gazing-Rabbitoriginal: 顧兔 (Gùtù); a poetic name for the legendary rabbit that lives in the moon. and absorbing its celestial essence. Consequently, people divine the abundance or scarcity of rabbits by observing the brightness or dimness of the autumn moon. This "Gazing-Rabbit" is the creature that resides within the very center of the moon.

Generally, wild beasts have dens, but only the rabbit has fur covering the soles of its feet, which is known as Erect-Hairoriginal: 建毛 (Jiànmáo). By nature, the rabbit is cunning and skilled at running. In the places where a rabbit dwells, its burrow is consistently made with three openings This is the origin of the Chinese idiom "the wily rabbit has three burrows," which praises the animal's foresight in always having multiple escape routes..