Chinese Rat sign: years, character and compatibility
The Rat opens the cycle of the twelve Chinese animals. Years, element, symbolic portrait, the legend of the Great Race, traditional compatibility and nuances by the five elements.
Key points
| Chinese character | 鼠 (shǔ) |
|---|---|
| Rank in the cycle | 1 of 12 |
| Earthly branch | 子 (zǐ), yang polarity |
| Element of the branch | Water |
| Traditional hour | 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. |
| Season and direction | Winter, north |
| Recent years | 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032 |
| Traditional trio | Rat, Dragon, Monkey |
The Rat in brief
The Rat opens the cycle of the twelve animals. In the tale of the Great Race, it arrives first through cleverness; in the calendar, it marks midnight and the heart of winter. Its image has little in common with the one often attributed to it in the West: in Chinese popular tradition, it evokes above all ingenuity, resourcefulness and fertility, far more than filth or disease.
Its Chinese name is 鼠, pronounced shǔ. It corresponds to the earthly branch 子 (zǐ), which has yang polarity and which carries, in the theory of the five phases, the element Water. Be careful not to confuse this element of the animal with the element of your year of birth, which varies: see below. In the traditional division of the day, the branch 子 designates the hour from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. It is linked to the season of winter and to the north on the traditional compass.
The years of the Rat (1936 to 2032)
Here are the years under the sign of the Rat, with the element of each and the exact dates (Chinese New Year, according to the tables of the Hong Kong Observatory). A person born in January or early February, before the date indicated, generally belongs to the previous sign.
| Year | Sign and element | Polarity | Period (from Chinese New Year to the eve of the next one) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Fire Rat | yang | from 24 January 1936 to 10 February 1937 |
| 1948 | Earth Rat | yang | from 10 February 1948 to 28 January 1949 |
| 1960 | Metal Rat | yang | from 28 January 1960 to 14 February 1961 |
| 1972 | Water Rat | yang | from 15 February 1972 to 2 February 1973 |
| 1984 | Wood Rat | yang | from 2 February 1984 to 19 February 1985 |
| 1996 | Fire Rat | yang | from 19 February 1996 to 6 February 1997 |
| 2008 | Earth Rat | yang | from 7 February 2008 to 25 January 2009 |
| 2020 | Metal Rat | yang | from 25 January 2020 to 11 February 2021 |
| 2032 | Water Rat | yang | from 11 February 2032 to 30 January 2033 |
To understand this calculation, see the page on calculating the Chinese sign.
Symbolic portrait of the Rat
Tradition describes the Rat as lively, curious and adaptable. It spots opportunities, slips through where others get stuck, and always lands on its feet. It is associated with cunning in the good sense of the word (finding a solution), with sociability (rats live in groups), with the habit of putting something aside for hard times, and with a quiet charm that wins people over.
The symbolic downside is well known: worry, a calculating mind, the fear of going without that drives one to hoard, and difficulty letting go. Popular portraits also say that the Rat talks a lot and keeps its secrets, which is not contradictory. None of these traits is “scientific”: they are images from tradition, which one may accept or not for oneself.
A useful detail: in China, the image of the rat varies with context. It is positive in the symbolism of the zodiac and of certain tales, and very negative in others; for example the expression 鼠目寸光 (shǔ mù cùn guāng), “rat’s eyes that see an inch”, which describes someone short-sighted. Both images coexist.
The Rat in Chinese culture
The Great Race. In the best-known version, the Jade Emperor invites the animals to cross a river. The Ox, a strong swimmer, leads the race; the Rat, riding on its back, jumps ahead of it at the finish and takes first place. In several versions, it also pushes the Cat into the water, which is cited to explain the rivalry between cats and rats. It is a tale, not a historical origin: the Rat comes first because the branch 子 zǐ is the first of the series.
The marriage of the rats. A much-illustrated folk tale, Laoshu jia nü (老鼠嫁女), tells of rat parents looking for the most powerful of sons-in-law: the sun, the cloud, the wind, the wall… until they discover that the rat is stronger than the wall. There are New Year prints showing the wedding procession, almost always with a cat at the end of the parade. Depending on the region, a domestic tradition held that one should leave grain out for the rats and go to bed early, often on the night of the third (or nineteenth) day of the New Year, so as not to disturb the wedding. It probably never became general.
A character and a calendar. 子 also means “child” or “seed”, and the month of the Rat, in the traditional lunar calendar, is the eleventh, that of the winter solstice: this connection is sometimes read as the idea of a new beginning in the darkness. It is an appealing symbolic reading, but nothing about it has been proven.
The five Rats by element
In the sixty-year cycle, each animal successively receives each of the five elements. The portraits below are traditional symbolic nuances: they do not describe real personalities and are not universal.
| Variant | Years (1924 to 2043) | Symbolic nuance |
|---|---|---|
| Wood Rat | 1924, 1984 | Curious, inventive, sociable; tends to scatter across too many projects. |
| Fire Rat | 1936, 1996 | More lively and enthusiastic, sometimes impulsive; a taste for movement and for speech. |
| Earth Rat | 1948, 2008 | Calmer and more practical, concerned with security; can become overly cautious. |
| Metal Rat | 1960, 2020 | Determined, demanding, orderly; can be rigid with oneself. |
| Water Rat | 1972, 2032 | Intuitive, discreet, attentive to others; risks being overwhelmed by worry. |
Take the example of a Wood Rat year: the element of the year is Wood, while the element of the animal itself is Water. Some schools look at how the two respond to each other (production, control, harmony). These are frameworks for reading, not verdicts.
Traditional compatibility of the Rat
Tradition compares the animals of two people by looking at their places on the circle of the twelve branches. For the Rat, here are the classic relationships.
| Traditional relationship | Animals concerned | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Trio of affinities (sanhe) | Rat, Dragon and Monkey | Three animals spaced four ranks apart, often presented as sharing the same momentum |
| Union (liuhe, “six harmonies”) | Rat and Ox | A pair of animals linked by tradition, seen as complementary |
| Opposition (liuchong) | Rat and Horse | Two animals six ranks apart, facing each other on the circle: contrast, friction |
| Harm (liuhai) | Rat and Goat | A link described as “troublesome”: possible misunderstandings, according to tradition |
These rules come from the theory of the branches and do not measure the value of a relationship: two people with “opposed” animals can get along very well, and two “united” animals can quarrel. Some sources add other relationships (“punishments”, “destructions”), which shows that these grids vary between schools. Keep them as a set of mirrors, never as a verdict on a couple, a friendship or a hiring decision.
To go further: questions for reflection
If you were born under this sign, or simply want to understand the image it carries, here are some questions to ask yourself, without expecting a right answer.
- When did I manage to “find a way out” of a difficulty? What does that say about my resources?
- Does my taste for foresight help me, or does it sometimes stop me from enjoying what I already have?
- Who do I trust enough to say what I really think?
- What small thing could I let go of this week, without consequence?
Like all Chinese astrology, the portrait of the Rat is a symbolic tradition: with no scientific proof, it predicts neither your character nor your future. For an overview, read the introduction to Chinese astrology.
Frequently asked questions
Which years are Rat years?
1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 and 2032. A Rat year begins at the Chinese New Year: for example, the year 2020 began on 25 January 2020 (Metal Rat) and the year 1996 on 19 February 1996 (Fire Rat).
Why is the Rat the first animal of the Chinese zodiac?
According to the tale of the Great Race, it arrives first by jumping off the Ox’s back. In reality, its rank comes from the branch 子, which opens the series of the twelve earthly branches.
Is the Rat a negative sign in China?
No. In the zodiac, it symbolises ingenuity and abundance. It does not carry the pejorative image it may have in the West, even though other Chinese expressions use it to criticise a narrow view.
What is the element of the Rat?
The element proper to the Rat is Water (branch 子). The element of your year of birth varies: Wood in 1984, Fire in 1996, Earth in 2008, Metal in 2020, Water in 2032.
Which signs does the Rat traditionally get along with?
In the trio of affinities with the Dragon and the Monkey, and in the traditional union with the Ox. Its traditional opposite is the Horse. These are traditional reference points, not guarantees about any relationship.
I was born in January 1996: am I a Rat?
Not necessarily: the Chinese New Year of 1996 fell on 19 February. Someone born before that date belongs to 1995, the year of the Wood Pig.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Chinese astrology.