According to the traditional Chinese custom， 2018 is just the year of Dog． Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac ﹣﹣ the Shengxiao， Dog is a symbol of loyalty （忠诚） and honesty．

● Self﹣mocker （自嘲）

Words and phrases including dogs （Gou in Chinese） are commonly used by young people when telling jokes about themselves． For example， you can say "Valentine's Day has nothing to do with me since I am a single dog．" It is believed that dog﹣related words and phrases usually have good humour．

● Close relationship

Among some young people， adding "dog" to a friend's name has the meaning of a close relationship． One of the most famous examples in China is that the actor Lin Gengxin is called Lin Gou by his close friends and beloved fans．

● Easy to raise

Kids with pleasant names are easy to bring up， according to an ancient Chinese saying． Parents in the countryside prefer to give nicknames including Gou Sheng and Gou Dan to their kids in the hope that they are as easy to be raised as dogs．

● Metaphor （隐喻）

Since dogs are considered to have many good qualities （ 品 质 ）， the word is included in more than 10Chinese metaphors． For example， "serve like a dog or a horse，" is used to describe someone who is ready to work hard for the people who have powers．

	Symbol Dog is a loyal and （1） 　　animal．
	Self﹣mocker The dog﹣related words and phrases are commonly used by young people when telling （2）
	Close relationship Adding "dog" to a person's name （3） 　　that you have a closer relationship with him or her than others．
	Easy to raise Parents hope that kids can grow up   as（4） 　　as dogs by giving nicknames to them．
	Metaphor Please translate "Serve like a dog or a horse．" into Chinese． （5） 　　（不超过 5 个汉字）

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