Arbitration of the pig:
- The pig had managed to persuade the Jade Emperor to choose him as the judge of the relative value of the various animals. He first enraged the tiger and the dragon by placing them behind the rat and the ox. They caused such a scandal that they had to be appeased. The monkey drew the character “king” (王) on the tiger’s forehead, which he still bears, to confirm his title as the ruler of the land animals. As for the dragon, the rooster, who at the time wore horns, offered them to him as a crown and he was consecrated king of the water animals.
- But the hare’s nerve was unbeatable. He came out of the ranks to challenge the dragon to a race. The dragon accepted; the two opponents went head to head when the hare headed for a wood. The dragon’s new horns got caught in the branches and he lost. He blamed the rooster, who was offended and demanded the return of his gift. The dragon replied that he would return the horns when the sun rose in the west, and from that day on the rooster begged the sun to rise on that side every morning.
- The hare owed his speed in part to the dog who advised him to cut off his once long tail. After his victory over the dragon, the dog came to congratulate him, hoping for thanks. But the hare denied him any credit for his victory. Furious, the dog bit him and was placed at the back of the line as punishment.
As for the pig, having completed the classification of the animals, he put himself at the top and went to take the list to the Jade Emperor for approval. The god having heard about the incidents degraded him to the last place.