Chinese zodiac
The Rat in the Chinese zodiac
The Rat is the 1st animal of the Chinese zodiac, a yang sign whose fixed element is Water. Tradition associates it with being quick-witted, resourceful and adaptable — the first to arrive, as the race story tells it. Rat years include 1996 (Fire), 2008 (Earth), 2020 (Metal), 2032 (Water).
| Order | 1 of 12 |
|---|---|
| Earthly branch | Zi 子 |
| Chinese character | 鼠 |
| Fixed element | Water |
| Polarity | Yang |
| Best matches (San He trine) | Dragon and Monkey |
| Secret friend (Liu He) | Ox |
| Clash (Chong) | Horse |
| Harm (Liu Hai) | Goat |
| Solar month | about 7 December – 5 January |
| Double-hour | 23:00 – 01:00 |
Each year's element comes from its heavenly stem, so a Rat year is Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water in turn and the same combination returns every sixty years. The start dates above are computed from the Sun's position: Li Chun is the moment it reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude.
A year does not begin on 1 January. The popular zodiac changes at Chinese New Year (between 21 January and 20 February); BaZi changes it at Li Chun, the start of spring, around 4 February. Anyone born in January or early February belongs to the previous year's animal.
In compatibility, the Rat forms a San He trine with the Dragon and Monkey, a Liu He pair ("secret friend") with the Ox, clashes (Chong) with the Horse, the animal six places away, and harms (Liu Hai) the Goat.
The Rat is also the Zi branch of the day, ruling the double-hour 23:00 – 01:00, and of the solar month that runs from about 7 December to 5 January. In a BaZi chart it can appear in any of the four pillars — year, month, day or hour — not only the year.
| Year | Element | Begins (Li Chun, Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | Yang Fire | 5 Feb, 07:29 |
| 1948 | Yang Earth | 5 Feb, 05:42 |
| 1960 | Yang Metal | 5 Feb, 03:23 |
| 1972 | Yang Water | 5 Feb, 01:20 |
| 1984 | Yang Wood | 4 Feb, 23:19 |
| 1996 | Yang Fire | 4 Feb, 21:08 |
| 2008 | Yang Earth | 4 Feb, 19:00 |
| 2020 | Yang Metal | 4 Feb, 17:04 |
| 2032 | Yang Water | 4 Feb, 14:49 |
Questions
What years are the Year of the Rat?
1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032. Remember the year starts at Chinese New Year (or Li Chun, around 4 February, in BaZi), not on 1 January.
Who is the Rat most compatible with?
The Dragon and Monkey (its San He trine) and the Ox (its Liu He secret friend). Its traditional clash is with the Horse, and it harms the Goat.
What element is the Rat?
The Rat's fixed element is Water. Each Rat year also has its own element from the heavenly stem — for example 2032 is a Water Rat.
What time is the hour of the Rat?
23:00 – 01:00, the Zi hour. It gives the branch of the hour pillar in BaZi; many practitioners first correct clock time to local solar time.
In Plutto
Plutto reads all four of your animals — year, month, day and hour — in your BaZi chart. Background: Chinese astrology (BaZi).
Ask it something you actually want to know.