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Rat (zodiac)
Encyclopedia
The Rat is one of the 12-year cycle of animals which appear in the Chinese zodiac
related to the Chinese calendar
, the Year of the Rat
is associated with the earthly branch symbol 子. In some parts of the world, a year associated with this animal 鼠 is referred to as Year of the Mouse because the word may be translated to "rat", "mouse", or more broadly, "rodent".
Persons born within these date ranges can be said to have been born in the "year of the Rat," while also bearing the following elemental sign:
Chinese zodiac
The Shēngxiào , better known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year mathematical cycle...
related to the Chinese calendar
Chinese calendar
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. It is not exclusive to China, but followed by many other Asian cultures as well...
, the Year of the Rat
Rat
Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents of the superfamily Muroidea. "True rats" are members of the genus Rattus, the most important of which to humans are the black rat, Rattus rattus, and the brown rat, Rattus norvegicus...
is associated with the earthly branch symbol 子. In some parts of the world, a year associated with this animal 鼠 is referred to as Year of the Mouse because the word may be translated to "rat", "mouse", or more broadly, "rodent".
Years and the Five Elements
- 31 January 1900 – 18 February 1901: Metal Rat
- 10 February 1912 – 5 February 1913: WaterWater (Wu Xing)Water , is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xing.Water is the most yin in character of the Five elements. Its motion is downward and inward and its energy is stillness and conserving...
Rat - 5 February 1924 – 24 January 1925: Wood Rat
- 24 January 1936 – 10 February 1937: FireFire (Wu Xing)Fire , is the prosper of the matter, or the matter's prosperity stage. Fire is the second phase of Wu Xing.Fire is yang in character. Its motion is upward and its energy is expansive...
Rat - 10 February 1948 – 28 January 1949: EarthEarth (Wu Xing)Earth , is the changing point of the matter. Earth is the third one of Wu Xing.Earth is a balance of both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine together. Its motion is inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. It is associated with the color yellow and the planet...
Rat - 28 January 1960 – 14 February 1961: Metal Rat
- 15 February 1972 – 2 February 1973: WaterWater (Wu Xing)Water , is the low point of the matter, or the matter's dying or hiding stage. Water is the fifth stage of Wu Xing.Water is the most yin in character of the Five elements. Its motion is downward and inward and its energy is stillness and conserving...
Rat - 2 February 1984 – 19 February 1985: Wood Rat
- 18 February 1996 – 6 February 1997: FireFire (Wu Xing)Fire , is the prosper of the matter, or the matter's prosperity stage. Fire is the second phase of Wu Xing.Fire is yang in character. Its motion is upward and its energy is expansive...
Rat - 7 February 2008 – 25 January 2009: EarthEarth (Wu Xing)Earth , is the changing point of the matter. Earth is the third one of Wu Xing.Earth is a balance of both yin and yang, the feminine and masculine together. Its motion is inward and centering, and its energy is stabilizing and conserving. It is associated with the color yellow and the planet...
Rat - 24 January 2020 – 11 February 2021: Metal Rat
Traditional Rat attributes and associations
| Attribute | |
|---|---|
| Zodiac Location | 1st |
| Ruling hours | 11pm-1am |
| Direction | North |
| Motto | "I Rule" |
| Season and month | Winter, December |
| Fixed element | Water |
| Stem | Positive |
| Lunar Month Dates | December 6 – January 6 |
| Gemstone | Garnet Garnet The garnet group includes a group of minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives. The name "garnet" may come from either the Middle English word gernet meaning 'dark red', or the Latin granatus , possibly a reference to the Punica granatum , a plant with red seeds... |
| Colours | Black |
| Roughly equivalent western sign | Sagittarius Sagittarius (astrology) Sagittarius is the ninth astrological sign in the Zodiac, which spans the zodiac between the 240th and 269th degree of celestial longitude... |
| Polarity | Yang Yin and yang In Asian philosophy, the concept of yin yang , which is often referred to in the West as "yin and yang", is used to describe how polar opposites or seemingly contrary forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, and how they give rise to each other in turn. Opposites thus only... |
| Food | Peas, cabbage, pork |
| Countries |  GermanyGermany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... ,  AustriaAustria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... ,  SwedenSweden Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund.... ,  IcelandIceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population... ,  NetherlandsNetherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... ,  ThailandThailand Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the... ,  BrazilBrazil Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people... ,  ColombiaColombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... ,  PolynesiaPolynesia Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, made up of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean. The indigenous people who inhabit the islands of Polynesia are termed Polynesians and they share many similar traits including language, culture and beliefs... |
See also
- Burmese zodiacBurmese ZodiacThe Burmese zodiac is a traditional Burmese zodiac used in Burma. incorporating knowledge from the skies and the animal kingdom. This ancient branch of astrology is called Mahabote meaning "little vessel" or "little key" and is believed to be a branch off from the larger Hindu astrological system....
- Chinese zodiacChinese zodiacThe Shēngxiào , better known in English as the Chinese Zodiac, is a scheme that relates each year to an animal and its reputed attributes, according to a 12-year mathematical cycle...
- NezumiNezumi-Real life:* The Japanese word 鼠 literally meaning "rat" or "mouse"* Nezumi Kozō was the nickname of a thief in the 19th century* Previous name of Yuuki Matsuda-Software:* Mobile Application for monitoring applications...
– Japanese translation for Rat/Mouse