Chinese Zodiac · 子 · 鼠
Year of the Rat
Resourceful, quick and observant
In 2027 (丁未, Fire Goat)
2027 · the Fire Goat year →A Tai Sui relation (犯太歲) is traditionally read as a year to move steadily and look after routines — never as a threat.
2027 is a 丁未 year: fire (丁) over earth (未).
The Rat's branch, hour and season
- Earthly Branch
- 子 · YangWater
- Double hour
- 子時 · 23:00–01:00
- Solar month
- 子月 · 大雪 → 小寒 (about December 7 to January 6)
- Season
- Winter
- Hidden stems (藏干)
- 癸
- Direction
- 0° on the compass (子 is due north)
These correspondences belong to the branch itself, so they are the same in every Year of the Rat. The same branch also names an hour of the day and a solar month, which is how it appears in the hour and month pillars of a BaZi chart.
Traditional matches
古籍
From the classics
Wang Chong's Lùn Héng (1st century AD) is the earliest text that pairs each Earthly Branch with its animal.
子亦水也，其禽鼠也。Zi is also water; its creature is the rat.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Years of the Rat
Each year begins at the Start of Spring (立春), around 4 February. Born before that moment? You belong to the previous animal. Ages count from the year listed; someone born the following January, before 立春, is a year younger.
| Year | Pillar | Element | Starts (Start of Spring, Beijing time) | Age in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1924 | 甲子 | Wood Rat | 1924-02-05 09:49 | 102 (虛歲 103) |
| 1936 | 丙子 | Fire Rat | 1936-02-05 07:29 | 90 (虛歲 91) |
| 1948 | 戊子 | Earth Rat | 1948-02-05 05:42 | 78 (虛歲 79) |
| 1960 | 庚子 | Metal Rat | 1960-02-05 03:23 | 66 (虛歲 67) |
| 1972 | 壬子 | Water Rat | 1972-02-05 01:20 | 54 (虛歲 55) |
| 1984 | 甲子 | Wood Rat | 1984-02-04 23:18 | 42 (虛歲 43) |
| 1996 | 丙子 | Fire Rat | 1996-02-04 21:07 | 30 (虛歲 31) |
| 2008 | 戊子 | Earth Rat | 2008-02-04 19:00 | 18 (虛歲 19) |
| 2020 | 庚子 | Metal Rat | 2020-02-04 17:03 | 6 (虛歲 7) |
| 2032 | 壬子 | Water Rat | 2032-02-04 14:48 | — |
Year of the Rat: common questions
- How old are people born in the Year of the Rat?
- In 2026: 6 if born in 2020 (虛歲 7), 18 if born in 2008 (虛歲 19), 30 if born in 1996 (虛歲 31), 42 if born in 1984 (虛歲 43), 54 if born in 1972 (虛歲 55), and 66 if born in 1960 (虛歲 67). 虛歲 is the traditional Chinese count, in which a baby is one at birth and everyone gains a year together at New Year.
- Which years are Years of the Rat?
- Recent Years of the Rat are 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, and 2020. Each begins at 立春 (Start of Spring, around 4 February), not on 1 January or at Chinese New Year.
- Which signs go well with the Rat?
- By the traditional branch relations, the Rat's Six Harmony (六合) partner is the Ox, and it forms a Three Harmony (三合) group with the Monkey and Dragon. Its opposite (六沖) is the Horse; tradition reads that as contrasting rhythms rather than a bad match.
- Does the Rat offend Tai Sui in 2027?
- Yes. In the 丁未 year 2027 the Rat has these traditional Tai Sui relations: Harming Tai Sui. Tradition treats this as a year to keep steady and look after daily routines, not as a threat.
- I was born in January or early February. Am I a Rat?
- Only if you were born after 立春 (Start of Spring, about 4 February) of a Year of the Rat. Someone born in January, or in February before 立春, belongs to the previous sign, the Pig. The zodiac calculator checks your birth against the exact 立春 instant.