What is Three Ox Spirit? (三牛精神 (Sān niú jīng shén)1 min read

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‘Three Ox Spirit’ was first mentioned in President Xi’s New Year’s speech in January 2021.

Since then it’s become a staple for kicking off meetings, helped by it also being the beginning of an Ox Year and people generally feeling quite bullish about the prospects of the year ahead.

Thee Ox Spirit 牛精神 (Sān niú jīngshén) is a combination of three types of Chinese Ox:

• 孺子牛 (Rú zǐ niú) – willing Ox (serves the people)
• 拓荒牛 (Tuò huāng niú) – pioneering Ox (innovative, brave)
• 老黄牛 (Lǎo huáng niú) – hard working Ox (diligent, dedicated)

Now, armed with all this, you can impress not only knowing what it means, but knowing what the Three Ox are!