Chinese zodiac · 子 Zǐ
Year of the Rat
The Rat is the first of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, the animal of the earthly branch Zǐ. Each Rat year starts at Lì Chūn, the Start of Spring, around February 4, not on January 1.
At a glance
- In Chinese
- 鼠 (shǔ); the branch 子 (zǐ)
- Rat years
- 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032
- Next Rat year
- 2032, from Lì Chūn at 2:49 pm on February 4, Beijing time (Lunar New Year: February 11, 2032)
- The branch's own element
- Water
- Rat hour
- 11 pm to 1 am, by the sun
- Rat month
- From 大雪 (Great Snow), about December 7, to 小寒 (Slight Cold), about January 5
- Matches in tradition
- Six combination: Ox (丑). Three harmony: Monkey (申) and Dragon (辰).
- Clash in tradition
- Horse (午)
- 2027 almanac lists
- Harm (害太岁)
Every Rat year, with exact dates
| Year | Name | By Lunar New Year | By Lì Chūn (Beijing time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 甲子, Wood Rat | 5 Feb 1924 to 23 Jan 1925 | 5 Feb 1924, 9:50 am to 4 Feb 1925, 3:36 pm |
| 1936 | 丙子, Fire Rat | 24 Jan 1936 to 10 Feb 1937 | 5 Feb 1936, 7:29 am to 4 Feb 1937, 1:25 pm |
| 1948 | 戊子, Earth Rat | 10 Feb 1948 to 28 Jan 1949 | 5 Feb 1948, 5:42 am to 4 Feb 1949, 11:23 am |
| 1960 | 庚子, Metal Rat | 28 Jan 1960 to 14 Feb 1961 | 5 Feb 1960, 3:23 am to 4 Feb 1961, 9:22 am |
| 1972 | 壬子, Water Rat | 15 Feb 1972 to 2 Feb 1973 | 5 Feb 1972, 1:19 am to 4 Feb 1973, 7:04 am |
| 1984 | 甲子, Wood Rat | 2 Feb 1984 to 19 Feb 1985 | 4 Feb 1984, 11:18 pm to 4 Feb 1985, 5:12 am |
| 1996 | 丙子, Fire Rat | 19 Feb 1996 to 6 Feb 1997 | 4 Feb 1996, 9:08 pm to 4 Feb 1997, 3:02 am |
| 2008 | 戊子, Earth Rat | 7 Feb 2008 to 25 Jan 2009 | 4 Feb 2008, 7:00 pm to 4 Feb 2009, 12:50 am |
| 2020 | 庚子, Metal Rat | 25 Jan 2020 to 11 Feb 2021 | 4 Feb 2020, 5:03 pm to 3 Feb 2021, 10:59 pm |
| 2032 | 壬子, Water Rat | 11 Feb 2032 to 30 Jan 2033 | 4 Feb 2032, 2:49 pm to 3 Feb 2033, 8:42 pm |
Take a made-up birth on January 25, 2020, the day of Lunar New Year. Many zodiac calendars call that baby a Rat. Lì Chūn didn't come until 5:03 pm on February 4, Beijing time, so in BaZi the year was still 己亥, the Earth Pig. Both answers are in use; this site counts from Lì Chūn.
Check your birthday
Your animal is one character of eight. Enter your birth date to check your animal and see the type BaZi reads from your birth day. It's worked out in your browser and sent nowhere.
The Rat's five elements
Wood Rat, 甲子: 1924, 1984. Na Yin: Gold in the Sea (海中金).
Fire Rat, 丙子: 1936, 1996. Na Yin: Valley Stream Water (涧下水).
Earth Rat, 戊子: 1948, 2008. Na Yin: Thunderbolt Fire (霹雳火).
Metal Rat, 庚子: 1960, 2020. Na Yin: Wall Earth (壁上土).
Water Rat, 壬子: 1972, 2032. Na Yin: Mulberry Wood (桑柘木).
The element comes from the year's heavenly stem, so it changes every two years and comes back every ten. The Na Yin is a second element that tradition gives each of the sixty pairs.
The Rat in folk tradition
In the folk tale of the great race, the Rat hopped onto the Ox's back to cross the river, then jumped ahead of the Ox at the last moment and came in first.
Popular lore describes people born in a Rat year as intelligent, sociable and thrifty.
These are folk descriptions, not facts about anyone born in a Rat year.
Rat compatibility in tradition: matches and clashes
Six combination (六合) with the Ox (丑): each branch has one partner of this kind.
Three harmony (三合) with the Monkey (申) and the Dragon (辰): together, the three make the Water trio.
Clash (冲) with the Horse (午): the branch opposite on the circle of twelve.
Harm (害) with the Goat (未); punishment (刑) with the Rabbit (卯); break (破) with the Rooster (酉).
These are relations between two year branches, one character of eight in each chart. They're tradition, not a verdict on a couple. A full comparison reads both whole charts.
The Rat in 2027
2027 is a Fire Goat year, 丁未, from Lì Chūn on February 4, 2027.
- The 2027 almanac's two lists: Tai Sui, and combining with the year
- Harm (害太岁)
These two lists are printed here as the almanac gives them, with no verdict attached: being on either one, or on neither, says nothing about how the year goes.
The other animals
Sources
Victoria and Albert Museum, China Culture, China Daily (2013), China Daily (2015), China Daily (2023), CGTN
A traditional reading for entertainment, reflection and cultural interest, not a prediction or professional advice. Disclaimer
Last updated: 2026-11-13