What a cool group idea !!! I also love the way the stroke order is displayed, with some characters I get that wrong, but usually, how would I know ?! The translation roll over doesn't work on the computer I am using at the moment, but I am brandnew to groups and really don't know what I am doing - yet;)

Welcome back daphnedawn!  不客气。

How would you say “welcome back”？  Would it be 欢迎回来 huānyíng huílái？

Here are the years of the Zodiac:

子鼠
zǐshǔ
Year 1, year of the Rat
1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008

丑牛       
chǒuniú       
Year 2, year of the Bull / Ox
1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997

寅虎       
yínhǔ       
Year 3, year of the Tiger
1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998

卯兔       
mǎotù       
Year 4, year of the Rabbit
1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999

辰龙 / 辰龍   
chénlóng   
Year 5, year of the Dragon
1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000

巳蛇       
sìshé       
Year 6, year of the Snake
1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001

午马 / 午馬   
wǔmǎ       
Year 7, year of the Horse
1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002

未羊       
wèiyáng       
Year 8, year of the Ram / Goat / Sheep
1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003

申猴       
shēnhóu       
Year 9, year of the Monkey
1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004

酉鸡 / 酉雞   
yǒujī
Year 10, year of the Rooster / Cock
1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005

戌狗       
xūgǒu       
Year 11, year of the Dog
1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006

亥猪 / 亥豬   
hàizhū       
Year 12, year of the Boar / Pig
1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

NOTE!! If you are born in January or February, pay close attention to the dates below because you may not be born in the animal year stated above.

Rat
Jan. 31 1900 - Feb 18 1901
Feb. 18 1912 - Feb. 5 1913
Feb. 5 1924 - Jan. 23 1925
Jan. 24 1936 - Feb. 10 1937
Feb. 10 1948 - Jan. 28 1949
Jan. 28 1960 - Feb. 14 1961
Feb. 15 1972 - Feb. 2 1973
Feb. 2 1984 - Feb. 19 1985
Feb. 19 1996 - Feb. 6 1997
 
Bull / Ox
Feb. 19 1901 - Feb 7 1902
Feb. 6 1913 - Jan. 25 1914
Jan. 24 1925 - Feb. 12 1926
Feb. 11 1937 - Jan. 30 1938
Jan. 29 1949 - Feb. 16 1950
Feb. 15 1961 - Feb. 4 1962
Feb. 3 1973 - Jan. 22 1974
Feb. 20 1985 - Feb. 8 1986
Feb. 7 1997 - Jan. 27 1998
 
Tiger
Feb. 8 1902 - Jan. 28 1903
Jan. 26 1914 - Feb. 13 1915
Feb. 13 1926 - Feb. 1 1927
Jan. 31 1938 - Feb. 18 1939
Feb. 17 1950 - Feb. 5 1951
Feb. 5 1962 - Jan. 24 1963
Jan. 23 1974 - Feb. 10 1975
Feb. 9 1986 - Jan. 28 1987
Jan. 28 1998 - Feb. 15 1999
 
Rabbit
Jan. 29 1903 - Feb. 15 1904
Feb. 14 1915 - Feb. 2 1916
Feb. 2 1927 - Jan. 22 1928
Feb. 19 1939 - Feb. 7 1940
Feb. 6 1951 - Jan. 26 1952
Jan. 25 1963 - Feb. 12 1964
Feb. 11 1975 - Jan. 30 1976
Jan. 29 1987 - Feb. 16 1988
Feb. 16 1999 - Feb. 4 2000
 
Dragon
Feb. 16 1904 - Feb. 3 1905
Feb. 3 1916 - Jan. 22 1917
Jan. 23 1928 - Feb. 9 1929
Feb. 8 1940 - Jan. 26 1941
Jan. 27 1952 - Feb. 13 1953
Feb. 13 1964 - Feb. 1 1965
Jan. 31 1976 - Feb. 17 1977
Feb. 17 1988 - Feb. 5 1989
Feb. 5 2000 - Jan. 23 2001
 
Snake
Feb. 4 1905 - Jan. 24 1906
Jan. 23 1917 - Feb. 10 1918
Feb. 10 1929 - Jan. 29 1930
Jan. 27 1941 - Feb. 14 1942
Feb. 14 1953 - Feb. 1 1954
Feb. 2 1965 - Jan. 20 1966
Feb. 18 1977 - Feb. 6 1978
Feb. 6 1989 - Jan. 26 1990
Jan. 24 2001 - Feb. 11 2002
 
Horse
Jan. 25 1906 - Feb. 12 1907
Feb. 11 1918 - Jan. 31 1919
Jan. 30 1930 - Feb. 16 1931
Feb. 15 1942 - Feb. 4 1943
Feb. 2 1954 - Jan. 23 1955
Jan. 21 1966 - Feb. 8 1967
Feb. 7 1978 - Jan. 27 1979
Jan. 27 1990 - Feb. 14 1991
Feb. 12 2002 - Jan. 31 2003
 
Ram / Goat / Sheep
Feb. 13 1907 - Feb. 1 1908
Feb. 1 1919 - Feb. 19 1920
Feb. 17 1931 - Feb. 5 1932
Feb. 5 1943 - Jan. 24 1944
Jan. 24 1955 - Feb. 11 1956
Feb. 9 1967 - Jan. 29 1968
Jan. 28 1979 - Feb. 15 1980
Feb. 15 1991 - Feb. 3 1992
Feb. 1 2003 - Jan. 21 2004
 
Monkey
Feb. 2 1908 - Jan. 21 1909
Feb. 20 1920 - Feb. 7 1921
Feb. 6 1932 - Jan. 25 1933
Jan. 25 1944 - Feb. 12 1945
Feb. 12 1956 - Jan. 30 1957
Jan. 30 1968 - Feb. 16 1969
Feb. 16 1980 - Feb. 4 1981
Feb. 4 1992 - Jan. 22 1993
Jan. 22 2004 - Feb. 8 2005
 
Rooster / Cock
Jan. 22 1909 - Feb. 9 1910
Feb. 8 1921 - Jan. 27 1922
Jan. 26 1933 - Feb. 13 1934
Feb. 13 1945 - Feb. 1 1946
Jan. 31 1957 - Feb. 17 1958
Feb. 17 1969 - Feb. 5 1970
Feb. 5 1981 - Jan. 24 1982
Jan. 23 1993 - Feb. 9 1994
Feb. 9 2005 - Jan. 28 2006
 
Dog
Feb. 10 1910 - Jan. 29 1911
Jan. 28 1922 - Feb. 15 1923
Feb. 14 1934 - Feb. 3 1935
Feb. 2 1946 - Jan. 21 1947
Feb. 18 1958 - Feb. 7 1959
Feb. 6 1970 - Jan. 26 1971
Jan. 25 1982 - Feb. 12 1983
Feb. 10 1994 - Jan. 30 1995
Jan. 29 2006 - Feb. 17 2007

Boar / Pig
Jan. 30 1911 - Feb. 17 1912
Feb. 16 1923 - Feb. 4 1924
Feb. 4 1935 - Jan. 23 1936
Jan. 22 1947 - Feb. 9 1948
Feb. 8 1959 - Jan. 27 1960
Jan. 27 1971 - Feb. 14 1972
Feb. 13 1983 - Feb. 1 1984
Jan. 31 1995 - Feb. 18 1996
Feb. 18 2007 - Feb. 6 2008

I'm a boar!  So, I'm either 37 or 25.  Ahhhhhhh, 25...where did you go :)

haha, when I started to look at the chart I wondered if I should ask you what sign you are, that is the thing with the Chinese system;) I am a snake, born 1977, I quite like the sign...I don't particulary believe in those things, but one of my cousins has a book on Western and Chinese sign combination, pretty cool...I normally use firefox, but the last couple of days I have been using 'iceweasel'. I will give the rollover another try back home on firefox. I think as long as the rollover works on the most commonly used browsers, you shoud keep it.

The display of stroke order is great! It would be very helpful to have this for all newbie lessons.

Is there any chance that this could be established?

How does displaying the stroke order work, anyways ? I am curious, although explaining it to me might just be hopeless;) Calkins, the roll-over works for me on firefox, that is so cool, too. You guys...

Thanks daphnedawn!

I had a feeling the roll over effect might be tempermental in different browsers (I've checked it in Firefox and Safari so far).  Would you mind telling me what browser you're using?  I may just get rid of the roll over altogether if it doesn't work for everyone.

daphnedawn, the stroke order is pretty simple and I'm sure you could do it!  You just need to know how.  It's really just like inserting any photo into a post, because they are animated GIFs.  Here's how you do it:

1.  Go to MDBG and input either English or Chinese.  We'll use 生 for example.  Paste 生 into the box.  Click the Chinese => English button.

2.  Click on the linked (blue) character under the Simplified Chinese column.

3.  In the Char column, click on this paint brush .

4.  You'll be able to see the animated hanzi.  Right-click on it and select Copy Image Location (or something similar depending on the browser).

5.  Now come back to CPod and in your post, select the Insert/Edit Image button (2nd from the right).  Paste the character location into the Image URL and voila.

Sounds complicated, but if you can learn Chinese, this is a piece of cake :)

changye, thanks for the great info on 亥.  We are self-reliant, very sociable, dependable, and extremely determined ;)  Here's a link to the characteristics of a boar.

And a link to the other animal characteristics.

I am a little Rat,

stroke order is great! I think the chinese kids who begin to write will also like it.

great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!great!

I agree that it is strange that Cpod is not using stroker order on the newbie and elementary levels at least. As for the stroke order data used here that comes originaly from a site named Ocrat. It where around the net for more than a decade until it by some reason disapeared a few years ago. Anyway, another site took up a complete copy of the site and can be found here: http://lost-theory.org/ocrat/chargif/ The material is as I understand it open source and can be used by Cpod. The complete HSK 1 and 2 is there so that is more than 3000 characters. There are also many other free sources for stroke order animations. On mdbg they are also using an java applet (written by the guy behind zhongwen.com) for stroke order. That project is still alive and we are adding more characters to that database gradualy. In the applet version you also get the radical part.

Calkins, a very late and very big THANK YOU...it took me a while to renew my subscription, so I will have my piece of cake after having gone through all the lessons - and pictures - I have missed;) have a nice day !

Hi calkin,

Great job! In China, people just ask you, “你属什么?” And I always reply, “我属猪!” In Japan, the last animal of the zodiac cycle is NOT 猪 (亥, pig), but 野猪 (wild pig). I guess it’s probably because farming pigs was not popular in ancient Japan, and people could only find wild pigs in a mountain.

I proudly say that the character 亥 (my animal) is very important in the history of 汉字. In the ancient dictionary “说文解字”, which had long been a linguistical bible until the end of the 19th century, the first entry character out of 9,353 汉字 is “一”, and the last entry is “亥”, the last animal of the 十二生肖!