2020 is the year of the metal rat, the most recent metal rat years were 1900 and 1960 in the sixty year animal-element cycle. The year of the rat is from January 25, 2020 to February 11, 2021 and it is the Chinese year 4717. The fixed element of the rat is water. The metal rat is the white rat. The Chinese medicine organ clock places the hours of the rat at 11pm–1am, which is the gallbladder foot-shaoyang time.
The rat is the very first of the Chinese animals in the 12 year animal cycle. It is said that the Jade Emperor planned an event to determine the order of the animals. In a competition, the rat hitched a ride on the ox. Toward the finish line, the rat jumped from the ox and arrived first.
Rats are intelligent, resourceful, intuitive, and are abundantly energetic. On the downside, rats may be timid, stubborn, aggressive, or restless.
Rats are clever, curious, cautious, thrifty, industrious, and adaptive. The shrewd rat finds opportunities and is often successful in business. Rats are diligent workers that know how to save. Rats tend to accumulate but may also tend towards hoarding, veritable pack rats. The challenge for the rat is to avoid greed.
Rats have an eye for detail and have the power of memory. They gather information and use it for practical purposes. Rats are intuitive, can sense danger, and will run from a sinking ship.
Rats are charming, likable, and sociable. Even when agitated, rats maintain self-control, which partially explains why they are well liked. While there are some rats that are hypercritical and ill-tempered, most are bright, positive, and enjoy a nice gathering of friends.
Rats value family and are often clannish. They care about others but may be stingy. When it comes to family, the opposite is the case. Rats are very generous with their kind and are comfortable living with their own.
Rats are most compatible with ox, monkeys, and dragons but tend to have incompatibilities with horses and roosters. Metal rats are particularly idealistic and well-spoken. Metal rats struggle with jealousy and possessiveness but are very intelligent and ethical. Metal rats have the gift of handling money in the accumulation of wealth.
