The Rat in the Chinese zodiac

Many people born in a Rat year describe a mind that keeps a running tally. The offer at the supermarket, the cheaper train an hour later, the colleague who is about to leave and whose project will need an owner. Tradition calls this resourcefulness: the Rat sees supplies where others see clutter. Perhaps you know the feeling of having noticed an opening while everyone else is still discussing the situation.

• Having split the restaurant bill in your head before it even arrives.
• Three tabs of price comparisons open, even though it is only a charging cable.
• Sensing at a family dinner that your uncle is holding something back, long before he says it.
• Always keeping a small reserve of money that nobody else knows about.

The Year of the Rat returns every twelve years, each time with a different element. It never begins on 1 January but at Chinese New Year. The next one begins on 11 Feb 2032 as the Water Rat.

An old legend tells of the Great Race: the Jade Emperor wanted to name the years in the order in which the animals crossed a river. The Rat was a poor swimmer and asked the Ox to carry it on its back. Just before the bank it jumped off and reached the finish first. The story shows both sides people attribute to the Rat: cleverness, and a certain habit of using others to get where it wants to go.

Its fixed element is Water, its polarity Yang, the outward-facing, active side. The Rat rules the double hour from 23:00 to 00:59, the time when one day turns into the next. Check for yourself: are you especially clear-headed at night, when everyone else has gone to bed?

Someone who is always counting sometimes counts people too. Tradition describes the Rat as someone who likes to secure closeness and dislikes standing there empty-handed. In daily life this can come across as suspicion: your friend tells you about a new job and your first question is about the salary. Often there is no coldness behind it, just a worry that there will not be enough in the end.

A second friction point: many ideas at once. The Rat likes to start five things and does not finish every one. It may be worth asking which of your open projects is truly yours right now.

At work, people born in a Rat year are often described as the ones who first understand how a system works and then find a shortcut. They enjoy negotiating and can tell when an offer sounds too good. In the family this shows up as care through provisions: a full fridge when the children visit, a list with everyone's birthday. Check whether you tend to show affection by providing rather than with words.

Each element appears once in 60 years among the Rat years. Tradition reads the element as a tint on the animal. Check for yourself which line fits you better.

Tradition knows three kinds of relationship for the Rat. San He, the three animals that traditionally complement each other: Rat, Dragon and Monkey share a liking for quick decisions. Liu He, the secret friend, is the Ox, which brings the calm the Rat sometimes lacks. Liu Chong, the clash, is the Horse: two animals that both want freedom, but in very different ways. These are old patterns, not verdicts. Look at your own relationships and see whether you recognise the support or the friction.

To checkWhen did you last spot an opening that others missed, and what did you do with it?