If you think the reason people in China wear red underwear is to find love like people in Mexico and other Latin American countries do, you are wrong. There's nothing romantic about it. Instead, people who need to wear it, believe they are likely to face more challenges or troubles than usual in their zodiac year , and that they need to wear red to ward off bad luck every single day of the New Year. Sounds confusing? Here are some stories and explanations behind it.

如果你认为中国人穿红内衣的原因是像墨西哥和其他拉美国家的人那样寻找爱情,那你就错了。一点都不浪漫，相反,那些需要穿它的人,认为他们在本命年可能会比平时面临更多的挑战或麻烦,而且他们需要在新年穿红衣服来驱邪避灾。这听起来很迷惑？来看看这背后的故事和解释。

What and when is Zodiac Year of Birth ？

什么是本命年？本命年是哪一年呢？

There are 12 animals (rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig) in the Chinese zodiac, and each year welcomes a new animal. People are born under one sign and will run into their Zodiac Year of Birth every 12 years, which is on their 12th, 24th, 36th 48th, 60th, 72nd, 84th, 96th birthday etc.

中国十二生肖中有12种动物(鼠、牛、虎、兔、龙、蛇、马、羊、猴、鸡、狗、猪)，每年迎来一种新的动物。人们在一个生肖年里出生，每12年（即12岁、24岁、36岁、48岁、60岁、72岁、84岁、96岁等生日）将迎来他们的本命年。

Every year is considered to be managed by a God of Age；if you were born under the same sign as the Tàisuì of that year, you are more likely to have the Evil Spirit get you in trouble.

每年都由一位太岁来掌管，如果你的年庚与值年太岁相同，你很可能面临凶星给你带来的麻烦（也就是犯太岁）。

How to ward off bad luck in your Běn mìng Nián?

如何在本命年避免坏运气？

Wear red 穿红色衣服

The most common and popular way is to wear red underwear . Other than that, a red waist belt, red bracelet, or any other red clothing is supposed to help. But all this red stuff must be purchased by other people; otherwise the effect is believed to be greatly reduced.

最常见和流行的方式是穿红色内衣。除此之外，红色腰带、红手镯或任何其他红色服装都有所帮助。但是，所有这些红色的东西都必须由他人购买，否则效果会大大降低。

Wear jade, crystal, or gold accessories 戴玉、水晶或黄金饰品

Jade, crystal, and gold are said to have enough spiritual power to drive away the evil spirit in Chinese culture. That's why you can see a lot of people, especially old people, wearing these kinds of accessories in China.

据说玉石、水晶和黄金有足够的精神力量来驱除中国文化中的邪恶。这就是为什么在中国你能看到很多人，特别是老人，都戴着这些饰物。

Worship the God of Age 拜太岁

As each year is controlled by a God of Age, people also choose to go to temples to worship the God of Age and make a wish every year.

每年都是由一位太岁所控制，人们每年也会去寺庙敬拜太岁，许下愿望。

What's special about red in Chinese culture?

在中国文化中，红色有什么特别之处?

In Yijing, one of the Five Classics of Confucianism, red is associated with the “division” trigram of the “Bagua”, which also represents “light”. According to the theory of Yin and Yang , red is Yang, which can kill the darkness and evil spirits. Wearing red is a simple way to avoid the bad luck that considered to be Yin.

在《易经》（儒家的五经之一）中，红色与“八卦”的“划分”三宫联系在一起，也代表“光”。从阴阳论来看，红色是阳，能杀死黑暗和邪恶的灵魂。穿红色是一种避免“阴”的坏运气的简单方法。

In addition, red is a color which means life and hope in Chinese culture. People choose to wear red for good luck for the new year.

此外,在中国文化中，红色是一种象征生命和希望的颜色。人们为了新年的好运而选择穿红色.