Rat strengths in tradition
- Quick-witted and alert
- Resourceful with what is at hand
- Adapts easily to change
- Sociable and charming
1960 Chinese zodiac: Year of the Metal Rat
The 1960 Chinese year ran from Thursday 28 January 1960 to Tuesday 14 February 1961.
Its sign is the Yang Metal Rat: 庚子 (Gēng-zǐ) in the 60-year cycle.
Born 1–27 January 1960? Then you belong to the previous Chinese year: the Earth Pig of 1959.
Chinese New Year or Lichun?
Most calendars change the animal at Chinese New Year. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology starts the year at Lichun, the Start of Spring, instead. For births around the turn of the year the two counts differ:
- 28 January – 4 February 1960: Metal Rat by Chinese New Year, Earth Pig by Lichun.
- 5 February 1960 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Earth Pig before 03:23 China time and Metal Rat from then on; by Chinese New Year, Metal Rat.
- 4 February 1961 (Lichun day): by Lichun, Metal Rat before 09:22 China time and Metal Ox from then on; by Chinese New Year, Metal Rat.
- 5–14 February 1961: Metal Rat by Chinese New Year, Metal Ox by Lichun.
Dates and times in China time. The Chinese zodiac calculator converts them for your birthplace and shows both counts.
The Metal Rat in Chinese astrology
A Metal Rat is associated with determination and firm principles, adding focus and a strong will to the Rat's wit.
The Rat is the first of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals, associated in tradition with quick wits, resourcefulness and an eye for opportunity. Metal is the element of clarity and strength, linked in Chinese tradition with autumn, precision and determination.
Rat challenges in tradition
- Restless when things slow down
- Holds on tightly to resources
- Tends to overthink risks
- May put cleverness before candour
Traditions, not predictions. The Rat in love and at work · The five elements
Other Rat years
The Metal Rat every 60 years
Questions and answers
What Chinese zodiac is 1960?
1960 is the Year of the Metal Rat (yang Metal, 庚子 Gēng-zǐ), from 28 January 1960 to 14 February 1961. Anyone born 1–27 January 1960 belongs to the previous Chinese year, the Earth Pig.
What element is 1960 in the Chinese zodiac?
Metal, in its yang form: the year’s Heavenly Stem is 庚 (Gēng). Metal years are years ending in 0 or 1 – counted by the Chinese year, which begins in late January or February.
I was born in January 1960 — which animal am I?
If you were born before 28 January 1960, the date of Chinese New Year, your sign is the Earth Pig of the 1959 Chinese year; from 28 January 1960 on, it is the Metal Rat. Four Pillars (BaZi) astrology counts from Lichun instead (5 February 1960, 03:23 China time).
When was Chinese New Year 1960?
It was on Thursday 28 January 1960 (China time). The next one, on Wednesday 15 February 1961, began the Year of the Metal Ox.