ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ShaoLan Hsueh - Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Why you should listen

ShaoLan is an entrepreneur, angel investor, geek, writer, traveller and dreamer. She is the founder and creator of Chineasy, which she launched after her TED Talk in Long Beach, California in 2013.

In just over three years, she has built Chineasy into one of the most popular methods of learning Chinese across the Internet with several hundred thousand fellow learners. Her first book, Chineasy, The New Way to Read Chinese, was launched in March 2014 and has been translated into 18 languages. Her next book, Chineasy Everyday, was launched in March 2016.

ShaoLan is a tech entrepreneur with extensive business experience. At the age of 22, while studying for her MBA, she wrote four best-selling books on software in Taiwan, and her books were bundled by Microsoft. She co-founded pAsia, one of the major players on Internet in Asia in 1990’s. After a second masters degree at the University of Cambridge, she began Caravel Capital in 2005 to advise young tech companies.

Chineasy represents a return for ShaoLan to her artistic upbringing and in many ways a design project. This project is the culmination of her life’s journey through the East and West. Her aim is to help people to understand China, Chinese culture, its language and to bridge the gap between East and West. Her next step is to help Chinese children to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of their own language. 

 

More profile about the speaker
ShaoLan Hsueh | Speaker | TED.com
TED2016

ShaoLan: The Chinese zodiac, explained

ShaoLan Hsueh: O zodíaco chinês, explicado

Filmed:
2,804,498 views

Um quarto da população mundial dá bastante importância ao zodíaco chinês. Mesmo que você não acredite, seria bom saber como ele funciona, afirma a tecnóloga e empreendedora ShaoLan Hsueh. Nesta palestra divertida e esclarecedora, ShaoLan compartilha algumas dicas para entender essa tradição milenar e explica como ela supostamente influencia a personalidade, a carreira, as perspectivas de casamento, assim como o que determinado ano nos reserva. Mas, afinal, o que o seu signo diz a seu respeito?
- Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:12
Have you ever been asked
by your Chinese friend,
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Já aconteceu de um amigo
chinês lhes perguntar:
00:15
"What is your zodiac sign?"
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"Qual o seu signo?"
00:17
Don't think they are making small talk.
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Não fiquem achando que é conversa mole.
00:20
If you say, "I'm a Monkey,"
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Se você responder: "Sou Macaco",
00:22
they immediately know
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imediatamente ele vai saber
se você tem 24, 36, 48 ou 60 anos.
00:23
you are either 24, 36, 48 or 60 years old.
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00:27
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
00:28
Asking a zodiac sign is a polite way
of asking your age.
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Perguntar o signo é uma forma
educada de perguntar a idade.
Ao revelar seu signo zodiacal,
de imediato você é também analisado.
00:32
By revealing your zodiac sign,
you are also being evaluated.
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00:36
Judgments are being made
about your fortune or misfortune,
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Julgamentos são feitos
sobre sua sorte ou seu azar,
00:40
your personality, career prospects
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sua personalidade,
perspectivas profissionais
00:42
and how you will do in a given year.
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e o que determinado ano lhe reserva.
Se você revelar seu signo
e o do seu companheiro,
00:45
If you share you and your
partner's animal signs,
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00:48
they will paint a picture in their mind
about your private life.
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eles vão fazer um retrato
da sua vida pessoal.
00:52
Maybe you don't believe
in the Chinese zodiac.
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Talvez vocês não acreditem
no zodíaco chinês.
00:55
As a quarter of the world population
is influenced by it,
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Mas, como um quarto da população
mundial é influenciado por ele,
00:59
you'd be wise to do something about that.
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seria bom começar a pensar nisso.
01:02
So what is the Chinese zodiac, exactly?
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Mas o que é exatamente o zodíaco chinês?
01:05
Most Westerners think
of Greco-Roman zodiac,
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A maioria dos ocidentais conhece
o zodíaco greco-romano,
01:09
the signs divided into 12 months.
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com signos divididos pelos 12 meses.
01:11
The Chinese zodiac is different.
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O zodíaco chinês é diferente.
01:13
It's a 12-year cycle labeled with animals,
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É um ciclo de 12 anos
representado por animais,
01:17
starting with a Rat and ending with a Pig,
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que começa com o Rato
e termina com o Porco,
01:19
and has no association
with constellations.
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e não tem a ver com as constelações.
01:23
For example, if you were born
in 1975, you are a Rabbit.
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Por exemplo, quem nasceu em 1975 é Coelho.
01:29
Can you see your zodiac sign there?
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Conseguem ver seu signo aqui?
01:32
Our Chinese ancestors constructed
a very complicated theoretical framework
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Nossos ancestrais chineses construíram
um quadro teórico muito complicado
baseado no yin yang, nos 5 elementos
e nos 12 animais do zodíaco.
01:37
based on yin and yang, the five elements
and the 12 zodiac animals.
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01:42
Over thousands of years,
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Durante milhares de anos,
01:44
this popular culture has affected
people's major decisions,
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essa cultura popular afetou
decisões importantes,
01:48
such as naming, marriage, giving birth
and attitude towards each other.
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como escolha do nome, casamento,
nascimento dos bebês e relacionamentos.
01:54
And some of the implications
are quite amazing.
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E algumas das implicações
disso são incríveis.
01:58
The Chinese believe certain animals
get on better than the others.
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Os chineses acreditam que certos animais
se saem melhor do que outros.
02:03
So parents choose specific years
to give birth to babies,
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Assim, os pais escolhem
anos específicos para ter filhos,
02:07
because they believe the team effort
by the right combination of animals
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por acreditarem que formar um núcleo
com a correta combinação de animais
02:12
can give prosperity to families.
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pode trazer prosperidade para a família.
02:15
We even refer to the zodiac
when entering into romantic relations.
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Consultamos o zodíaco até para
iniciar relacionamentos amorosos.
02:20
I'm a Pig; I should have perfect romance
with Tigers, Goats and Rabbits.
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Sou Porco: meus parceiros ideais
são Tigres, Cabras e Coelhos.
02:27
Chinese people believe some animals
are natural enemies.
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Os chineses acreditam que alguns animais
são inimigos naturais.
02:31
As a Pig, I need
to be careful with a Snake.
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Sendo Porco, preciso
ter cuidado com a Cobra.
02:35
Raise your hand if you are a Snake.
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Levante a mão aqui quem é Cobra.
02:37
Let's have a chat later.
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Vamos bater um papo depois.
02:39
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
02:40
We believe some animals
are luckier than the others,
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Acreditamos que alguns animais
tenham mais sorte do que outros,
tal como o Dragão.
02:43
such as the Dragon.
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02:45
Unlike the Western tradition,
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Diferente da tradição ocidental,
02:47
the Chinese Dragon is a symbol
for power, strength and wealth.
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o Dragão chinês é um símbolo
de poder, força e riqueza.
02:52
It's everyone's dream
to have a Dragon baby.
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O sonho de todos é ter um bebê Dragão.
02:55
Jack Ma's parents
must have been very proud.
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Os pais de Jack Ma devem
ter ficado muito orgulhosos.
02:58
And they are not the only ones.
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E eles não são os únicos.
03:00
In 2012, the Year of the Dragon,
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Em 2012, o Ano do Dragão,
03:03
the birthrate in China,
Hong Kong and Taiwan
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a taxa de natalidade
na China, Hong Kong e Taiwan
03:05
increased by five percent.
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aumentou em torno de 5%.
03:07
That means another
one million more babies.
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Isso significa um milhão de bebês a mais.
03:12
With a traditional
preference to baby boys,
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Com a tradicional preferência
por bebês masculinos,
03:15
the boy-girl ratio that year
was 120 to 100.
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a proporção entre meninos e meninas
naquele ano foi de 120 para 100.
03:20
When those Dragon boys grow up,
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Quando esses meninos Dragão crescem,
03:22
they will face much more severe
competition in love and job markets.
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enfrentam uma competição muito maior
no amor e no mercado de trabalho.
03:27
According to the BBC and the Chinese
government's press release,
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De acordo com a BBC
e a imprensa oficial chinesa,
03:31
January 2015 saw a peak
of Cesarean sections.
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houve, em janeiro de 2015,
um pico de cesarianas.
Por quê?
03:36
Why?
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03:38
That was the last month
for the Year of the Horse.
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Era o último mês do Ano do Cavalo.
03:42
It's not because they like horses so much,
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Não por gostarem tanto assim de cavalos,
03:44
it's because they try to avoid
having unlucky Goat babies.
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mas para evitar o nascimento
de azarados bebês Cabra.
03:48
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:49
If you are a Goat, please don't feel bad.
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Se você for Cabra, por favor,
não fique chateado.
03:52
Those are Goat babies.
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Estes aqui são bebês Cabra.
03:53
They don't look like losers to me.
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Não parecem fracassados para mim.
03:56
(Laughter)
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(Risos)
03:57
Tiger is another undesirable animal,
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O Tigre é outro animal indesejável
devido ao temperamento explosivo.
04:00
due to its volatile temperament.
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04:02
Many Chinese regions
saw a sharp decline of birthrate
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Muitas regiões da China viram um declínio
acentuado na taxa de natalidade
durante tais anos.
04:06
during those years.
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04:08
Perhaps one should consider
zodiac in reverse,
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Talvez devamos considerar
o zodíaco ao contrário,
04:11
as those Tiger and Goat babies
will face much less competition.
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uma vez que os bebês Tigre e Cabra
vão enfrentar muito menos competição.
04:16
Maybe they are the lucky ones.
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Talvez eles sejam os sortudos.
04:20
I went through the Forbes
top 300 richest people in the world,
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Analisando a lista Forbes
das 300 pessoas mais ricas do mundo,
é interessante ver
04:24
and it's interesting to see
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04:26
the most undesirable two animals,
the Goat and Tiger,
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que os animais mais indesejáveis,
a Cabra e o Tigre,
04:30
are at the top of the chart,
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estão no topo da lista,
04:32
even higher than the Dragon.
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acima até mesmo do Dragão.
04:34
So maybe we should consider,
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Talvez devamos reconsiderar.
04:36
maybe it's much better
to have less competition.
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Talvez seja muito melhor
ter menos competição.
04:40
One last but interesting point:
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Um último ponto,
mas não menos interessante:
04:42
many Chinese people make
their investment decisions
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muitos chineses tomam
decisões sobre investimentos
04:45
based on the zodiac sign index.
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com base em indicadores
do signo do zodíaco.
04:48
Although the belief and tradition
of the zodiac sign
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Apesar de a crença e a tradição
do signo do zodíaco serem milenares,
04:52
has been over thousands of years,
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04:55
the trend of using it
in making major decisions
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a tendência de usá-lo
para tomar decisões importantes
04:58
did not really happen
until the past few decades.
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não tinha acontecido
até as últimas décadas.
05:01
Our ancestors were very busy
surviving poverty, drought,
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Nossos ancestrais estavam muito ocupados
sobrevivendo à pobreza, à seca,
05:06
famine, riot, disease and civil war.
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à fome, a rebeliões e à guerra civil.
05:10
And finally, Chinese people
have the time, wealth and technology
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Finalmente, agora os chineses
têm tempo, dinheiro e tecnologia
05:15
to create an ideal life
they've always wanted.
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para criarem a vida ideal
que sempre desejaram.
05:19
The collective decision
made by 1.3 billion people
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A decisão coletiva feita
por 1,3 bilhão de pessoas
05:23
has caused the fluctuation in economics
and demand on everything,
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tem causado oscilação na economia
e demanda por tudo,
05:27
from health care and education
to property and consumer goods.
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de assistência médica e educação
a bens imóveis e de consumo.
05:33
As China plays such an important role
in the global economy and geopolitics,
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Como a China possui um papel importante
na economia e geopolítica globais,
05:38
the decisions made based on the zodiac
and other Chinese traditions
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as decisões baseadas no zodíaco
e noutras tradições chinesas
05:42
end up impacting everyone
around the world.
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acabam impactando todos no mundo.
05:47
Are there any Monkeys here?
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Há algum Macaco aqui?
05:50
2016 is the Year of the Monkey.
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Pois 2016 é o Ano do Macaco.
05:53
Monkeys are clever, curious,
creative and mischievous.
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Os Macacos são inteligentes,
curiosos
criativos
e arteiros.
05:58
Thank you.
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Obrigada.
06:00
(Applause)
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(Aplausos)
Translated by Raissa Mendes
Reviewed by Maricene Crus

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
ShaoLan Hsueh - Technologist, entrepreneur
ShaoLan want to help people understand China's culture and language, and to bridge the gap between East and West.

Why you should listen

ShaoLan is an entrepreneur, angel investor, geek, writer, traveller and dreamer. She is the founder and creator of Chineasy, which she launched after her TED Talk in Long Beach, California in 2013.

In just over three years, she has built Chineasy into one of the most popular methods of learning Chinese across the Internet with several hundred thousand fellow learners. Her first book, Chineasy, The New Way to Read Chinese, was launched in March 2014 and has been translated into 18 languages. Her next book, Chineasy Everyday, was launched in March 2016.

ShaoLan is a tech entrepreneur with extensive business experience. At the age of 22, while studying for her MBA, she wrote four best-selling books on software in Taiwan, and her books were bundled by Microsoft. She co-founded pAsia, one of the major players on Internet in Asia in 1990’s. After a second masters degree at the University of Cambridge, she began Caravel Capital in 2005 to advise young tech companies.

Chineasy represents a return for ShaoLan to her artistic upbringing and in many ways a design project. This project is the culmination of her life’s journey through the East and West. Her aim is to help people to understand China, Chinese culture, its language and to bridge the gap between East and West. Her next step is to help Chinese children to enjoy and appreciate the beauty of their own language. 

 

More profile about the speaker
ShaoLan Hsueh | Speaker | TED.com