Something's funny about the bunny

While depictions of these long-eared animals are everywhere as Year of the Rabbit begins, what the creature represents as a totem is as fuzzy as its fur.

In a Year of the Rabbit, images of the zodiac animal are ubiquitous. But despite its omnipresence, it lacks a clear-cut focus ?and even worse, it does not have a well-delineated essence. What does the rabbit stand for? People answering this question will cite so many positive qualities as to render the whole point meaningless.

Well, they tend to do that to every zodiac animal during its reign except that, ahem, they have to lie low during the years of the pig or mouse.