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The Chinese zodiac monkey is similar to Leo in western philosophy — both enjoy being treated like kings.Legend has it that when the tiger became king of the beasts, all the animals in the mountains shunned him, causing him to feel lonely. At the time, the monkey was the tiger’s neighbor and the two got along well. While the tiger was away, the monkey acted on his behalf and governed the other beasts. Such was the origin of the Chinese idiom, “When the tiger is away from the mountain, the monkey becomes the king.”One day, the tiger got caught in a net set up by hunters. Despite all his struggles, he could not escape. Luckily, the monkey came to his rescue. The monkey climbed the tree, untied the knot and saved the tiger. Following their escape from the woods, the tiger told the monkey he would repay him one day for his brave efforts. After the incident, the two became even tighter.Many years later, the Jade Emperor was picking 12 animals as zodiac gods. As king of beasts, the tiger was naturally chosen. The monkey also wanted to be selected and asked the tiger to put in the good word for him. As the tiger owed the monkey for saving him, the tiger tried his best to persuade the Jade Emperor by gushing over the monkey’s cleverness. Though the Emperor was not entirely pleased with the nomination, the monkey eventually became a horoscope animal.Ironically, the tiger and the monkey parted ways after this. Thus, the idiom took on a sarcastic implication.