2019 is the Year of the Pig. Most people think that pigs are fat, lazy and dirty. However, pigs are more than that.
It is true that pigs are fat. But for people, pigs have many uses. They give us their meat. Their skin（皮）can be used to make shoes. Their hair can be used to make brushes. Pigs also offer us something that can make some medicine.
Pigs are not stupid. In fact, pigs are one of the 10 smartest animals. They have a good memory and can tell different shapes apart. In France, people teach pigs to find truffles（松露）. With their good sense of smell, pigs can find truffles even faster than dogs.
Pigs often appear in cartoons and movies. Every Chinese knows Zhu Bajie. Children and even adults like the cartoon Peppa Pig very much. And there is always laughter in Peppa's family.
People in ancient China thought the pig's big head and ears were a symbol of good luck. Pigs also stood for wealth, as humans used every part of the pig. Piggy banks are a symbol of this. Most children have a piggy bank that they can use to save money.
There are some famous sayings about pigs. For example, "when pigs fly" is used to say that you do not think something will happen. If someone eats a lot of food all at once, we say they "pig out".
