Rat

Years: 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 — quick-witted, resourceful and versatile.

In depth

• At your bestsharp and adaptable, already three steps into a plan nobody else has noticed.
• Drivesecurity through cleverness — you’d rather outthink a problem than out-muscle it.
• In relationshipswarm with your own circle, quietly guarded with everyone else.
• Watch-outthe same quickness tips into scheming, or into hoarding what you don’t need.

Each year also carries an element. Wood Rat brings growth and generosity — expansive, co-operative, always reaching for more room; Fire Rat brings heat and drive — passionate, restless, quick to act and quick to burn; Earth Rat brings weight and patience — steady, practical, the one who stays put and endures; Metal Rat brings edge and resolve — determined, self-contained, unwilling to bend; Water Rat brings depth and flow — reflective, persuasive, finding the way around rather than through.