Chinese Zodiac
Rat

What does the Chinese Zodiac Rat
tell you about yourself?

Here is a basic list of years and a short description of those born under the Chinese Zodiac Rat. (Keep reading if you are looking for a more detailed depiction of your character.)

The Chinese Lunar Zodiac is just as involved and complex as the Western Solar Zodiac. You may want to check out the detailed descriptions of the Chinese elements to get a more accurate and complete picture of your character.

Lunar Sign of
The Chinese Zodiac Rat

1900, 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020, 2032

Chinese Zodiac Rat: You are imaginative, charming and truly generous to the person you love. However, you have a tendency to be quick-tempered and overly critical. You are also inclined to be somewhat of an opportunist. Born under this sign, you should be happy in sales or as a writer, critic, or publicist. (Found on just about any Chinese restaurant place mat)

The Rat

I am the self-proclaimed acquisitor.
I am a link yet I function as
a complete unit.
I aim at encompassing heights
and strike my target,
sure and steady.
Life is one joyous journey for me.
Each search must end with a new quest.
I am progress, exploration and insight.
I am the womb of activity.

I AM THE RAT.


-From The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes
-By Theodora Lau

If your birthday falls in January or early February, use this table to see if your birthday actually falls into the Chinese Zodiac Rat sign.

*All dates figured using Universal Time (UT).

To find out how to convert to your local time, click here

Chinese Zodiac Rat Characteristics

In the Chinese Zodiac Rat is the first animal in the lunar cycle.

About the Chinese Zodiac Rat

The Rat has a very social personality. He loves large crowds and parties. His honest and inquisitive nature will always find him surrounded by admiring people. Rats are bright, fun-loving, out-going and love to get involved in lots of different things.

Because of his honest and charming nature, Rat can easily get people to tell them their deepest and darkest secrets. While Rat can be very careful and private about his own secrets, he’s more than willing to use others secrets to his advantage. In this, Rat can sometimes be opportunistic. He learns from others mistakes, and takes advantage of any opportunity that comes his way.

Rat is level-headed and a great problem solver. He is at his best in a crisis or with some sort of challenge to overcome. Because Rat thrives on challenges, he can easily adapt to any situation. He has sharp intuition and foresight, and always watches his back. His built in alarm system and his desire for self preservation rarely fail him. He’s very crafty and clever and can easily find a way out of any bad situation.

You will always find Rat surrounded by his close personal friends. Next to their families, there is nothing Rat cherishes more than his friends. Rat easily forms lasting emotional attachments, that can sometimes get him into trouble. It is very difficult for him to untangle himself from other people’s problems and drama, once he gets involved.

While he is seen as a penny-pinching miser by outsiders, close friends and family will reap the rewards of his almost boundless generosity. Rat is incredibly generous with his close friends and loved ones. He always thinks of, and gives to, his loved ones first. His normally thrifty character goes out the window when it comes to giving to those close to him. But don’t think that any charity he gives is completely free. Rat also knows how to put people to work. No one can get more out of people than Rat. He will make you work for your dinner!

Rat has a very deep respect, admiration and attachment to his spouse, children and elders. He is always willing to do whatever he can for them. Rat will take on whatever duties and responsibilities that are necessary to make them happy. You will find him to be the doting one, taking care of the house, being the taxi service for the kids, and catering to any need that arises. He will willing take in his parents or grandparents in their old age, being perfectly happy emptying bed pans and keeping track of their doctor’s appointments and the like.

He is thrifty and resourceful; no one can solve a problem better than Rat. It is not unlikely to find a Rat finding new uses for old things, he is great at recycling. He easily finds new ways to stretch a budget, or a meal and unique new uses for old things. Rat absolutely loves a bargain, and often will buy things he may not need just because it was on sale. A Rat is the definitely the person you want to consult if you’re looking for the best deal! He will tell you where or when to go to get it, or how to best use your coupons to your greatest advantage.

Have you ever heard the term “pack rat”? Well it was a name aptly given to Rat. Just as he buys things he doesn’t need, he is also a collector and has a hard time throwing anything away. You will find all sorts of memorabilia and sentimental junk stuck in every nook and cranny available in his house. He likes to hold onto everything! He is always saving up for that “rainy day”.

Even though Rat may seem to buy unnecessary things, he is normally very shrewd with his money. He will almost always have nest egg somewhere. It is a rare thing to find a poor Rat, and if you do, he won’t be poor for long. The resourceful money-making skills of Rat is almost legendary. But due to his love of a good deal and his affinity for collecting, he may fall into the trap of his greed and suffer a large financial hit, before learning his lesson. He would do well to balance his love of a good deal with his actual needs.

With Rat’s curiosity and inquisitive nature, he makes a great writer. His eye for details and his investigative abilities only add to this talent. His great research abilities makes him able to write on any subject, even those he may not have known much about before researching. He definitely knows how to tell a good story. His inquisitive, but sincere nature helps him find out everything he wants to know about almost everyone in his life. If he’s not careful, he can become known as the town gossip. He would create less problems for himself if he could learn how to keep others more personal information a little more private.

He may appear calm most of the time, but there is always something going on in Rat’s sharp mind. Whether problem solving or worrying about a sick friend. Rat’s mind is never still. Underneath his well-balanced facade of self-control, Rat is easily agitated and sometimes restless. You can always tell when a Rat is truly upset, though, he tends to get curt and edgy. Tart remarks and impertinence will rule when his irritation rises. Harping, nagging and being super critical also come to the forefront when Rat doesn’t get his way. He likes to be in charge, and likes things done his way; with efficiency and logic. You can expect to feel the edge of Rat’s sharp tongue when you are slacking off or being wasteful!

Rat loves to gossip, compare and debate. Debating and comparing issues is stimulating to Rat, it keeps his mind quick and sharp. Rat has an opinion on, or argument for, just about everything! However, the topic under discussion will more than likely be trivial and unimportant, as Rat likes to debate just to debate. Unfortunately, these debates can also be endless, as Rat doesn’t like to lose an argument or a debate.

Rat’s only true downfall is over ambition. He has a tendency to try and do too much at one time. Since Rat likes to be involved in a lot of different things at the same time, he may find himself making too many commitments, or requiring too much from himself. His generosity with friends and family may lead him to running himself ragged trying to keep up with all of his promises. Learning to finish what he starts is probably Rat’s biggest lesson. Once learned, though, there’s no stopping him, or limits to his success! His biggest successes will come from using his creative and crafty nature and inquisitive mind to his advantage.

Signs Most Compatible with Chinese Zodiac Rat:

Dragon
Monkey
Ox

Signs Compatible to Some Degree with Chinese Zodiac Rat:

Other Rats
Tiger
Rabbit
Snake
Dog
Boar (Pig)

Signs Incompatible with Chinese Zodiac Rat:

Horse
Rooster
Sheep (Goat)

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Go to the 2nd Lunar Sign: Ox

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