Some people are born lucky. Parents in China, however, would rather not leave their kids' fate to chance.

有些人生来就是幸运儿，可是，中国父母不靠机遇来定夺孩子的命运。

For the past few weeks, many couples have been trying desperately¹ to conceive, racing² against time to have a baby in the fortuitous Year of the Horse. Their reasoning: No one wants a baby born in 2015, the dreaded³ Year of the Sheep.

数周来，许多夫妻都在拼命努力尝试受孕，分秒必争地想要在幸运的马年生下马宝宝。原因很简单：谁都不想在可怕的羊年要孩子。

Sheep are meek⁴ creatures, raised for nothing more than slaughter⁵. Babies born in the Year of the Sheep, therefore, will grow up to be followers⁶ rather than leaders, according to some superstitions⁷. The children are destined⁸ for heartbreak and failed marriages, and they will be unlucky in business, many Chinese believe. One popular folk saying holds that only one out of 10 people born in the Year of the Sheep finds happiness.

羊生来就很温顺，养着就是为了养成后宰掉吃肉。据迷信说法，羊年出生的孩子长大后会像温顺的羊一样，始终追随着别人做不上领导者。中国很多人都认为，羊年出生的孩子命里注定要遭受心碎痛苦、婚姻失败和生意失败。民间有流传甚广的“十羊九不全”的说法，即十个羊年生人只有一人能寻找到幸福。

Health professionals say fertility consultations⁹ have spiked¹⁰ in recent months. Some doctors even have expressed worries that there may be a corresponding jump in abortions¹¹ later this year, as couples realize they missed the horse-year cutoff.

健康专家表示，近几个月的生育咨询数量大增。有些医生担忧下半年会有大量夫妇因错过马年生育而选择堕胎。

According to the Chinese lunar calendar, the Year of the Sheep (also called goat or ram) begins Feb. 19, 2015, so the window for conception closes around the end of this month.

按中国农历，羊年从2015年二月十九日开始，所以截止本月末是怀孕的最后时机。

Many patients have inquired about early delivery via Caesarean section to ensure a horse-year birth, said Li Jianjun, an obstetrician at Beijing's United Family Hospital.

北京和睦家医院产科医师李建军表示，很多夫妇都询问过可否通过剖腹产以提前在马年产下孩子。

Some doubt the furor¹² will have a significant effect on the Chinese birthrate this year. But the babymania is so widespread that the state-run China News Service issued a report trying to debunk¹³ the “unfounded” myth of bad luck for those born in Year of the Sheep.

有些人认为今年这种“马宝宝”的狂热会给中国的出生率带来巨大影响。这种过度狂热激增的婴儿潮促使官方的中新社专门发表了一期报道：揭穿羊年生人命不好这种“毫无根据”的民间传说。

It’s unclear how the Year of the Sheep came to acquire its bad reputation.

没有人清楚羊年霉运的臭名是从哪里得来的。

Each of the 12 animals in the Chinese zodiac has it virtues¹⁴ and faults. The undisputed favorite is the dragon, often followed by the tiger and the horse — an energetic animal closely associated with success, according to Chinese sayings.

中国的十二生肖各有其优缺点。龙、虎和马的属相最受欢迎，据中国民间说法，这三种力量型的动物往往都与成功密切相关。

Even rats (considered clever and agile) and snakes (which look like mini-dragons) are considered lucky. But sheep have fewer advantageous¹⁵ qualities, according to some interpretations¹⁶.

就连属鼠（常被认为机灵聪明）还有属蛇（看着像小龙）都被认为是幸运的属相。但就一些生肖的解读，羊的优点却少之甚少。

Those born in sheep years are thought of as passive, loyal, generous and kind. Some of those virtues may be wonderful in an ideal world, but not so useful in the dog-eat-dog real world.

羊年生人消极被动、忠诚老实、善良大方。这些性格特质生活在理想的世界里或许是美好的，但在竞争激烈的现实世界中却没什么用途。

“It’s an unfair and outdated¹⁷ superstition,” said Dong Mengzhi, 74, honorary president of Beijing's Folk Literature and Art Society. “But it's a convenient way for many to explain an unpredictable world.”

“这是个不公平的、古老的迷信说法，” 74岁的北京民间文艺家协会名誉主席董梦枝说，“但对很多人来说，这是一种便于解释不可预知的神秘世界的方法。”