鼠年说鼠（1）

Do you know why the cat is the enemy of the rat?
你知道猫为什么是老鼠的天敌吗？
As Chinese folklore goes, the rat and cat made an appointment to attend a competition held by the Jade Emperor. It would decide the zodiac animals. However, the quick-witted rat did not wake the cat up and at last won by riding on the ox’s back to sneak ahead.

在中国民间传说中，猫和老鼠约好一起参加玉皇大帝举办的比赛，决出生肖动物。但机灵的老鼠却没有叫醒猫，它藏在牛的背上溜到了前面。
Thus, the rat ranked first on the 12 Chinese zodiac signs and became an enemy of the cat. So when Chinese people talk about the rat, they are likely to see it as greedy and dishonest. For example, there is the phrase “a thief’s eyebrow and a rat’s eyes”, to describe someone who looks untrustworthy.

因此，老鼠成了中国十二生肖之首，也成了猫的死对头。所以，当中国人谈论老鼠时，大家都认为它贪婪又狡诈。比如，“贼眉鼠眼”一词便用来形容看起来不可信的人。