Metal Rat (庚子): personality and meaning in the Chinese zodiac
The Metal Rat, 庚子, sharpens the Rat's mind into clear goals and firm standards. The tradition reads it as determined, principled and resourceful.
Heavenly stem and earthly branch: 庚子
Years: 1900, 1960, 2020
Character
庚子 sets 庚, yang metal, the axe and the raw ore, over the Rat's water. Metal carries water, so the tradition reads this as a pair in which the stem feeds the branch: a strong, decisive will pouring its strength into the Rat's quick intelligence.
People born in a Metal Rat year are read as ambitious, disciplined and articulate, with a clear sense of right and wrong and the persistence to reach what they aim for. They are loyal to their own and fierce in defending them. The tradition's shadow for the Metal Rat is inflexibility — standards so firm they leave little room for other people's ways — and a guardedness that can read as coldness.
In love and at work
In love the Metal Rat is read as devoted and protective, though slow to show softness; a partner may need to look past a firm surface. At work it excels where precision and determination count — law, finance, engineering, leadership. The tradition suggests the Metal Rat let others share in its decisions.
A question to take with you
Which of your firm standards still serves you — and which could you soften without losing yourself?
Updated October 28, 2026