1960 Chinese zodiac: Metal Rat
Born on or after January 28, 1960, you are a Metal Rat. Born January 1 to January 27, 1960, you are an Earth Pig.
Metal Rat · 1960
01 · DATES
Why 1960 has two signs
The Chinese year does not start on 1 January. It starts at Chinese New Year, which was January 28, 1960 in 1960. So the people born in 1960 split across two animals.
| Born | Sign | Chinese year |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1960 to January 27, 1960 | Earth Pig | 1959 (己亥) |
| January 28, 1960 to December 31, 1960 | Metal Rat | 1960 (庚子) |
Dates follow the calendar in China. Five Elements (BaZi) charts change year at the start of spring, around 4 February, so a BaZi chart can give a different animal for an early-February birthday. See the Five Elements tool.
Chinese New Year 1960 is on a Thursday, January 28, 1960, and the Lantern Festival closes the celebration on February 11, 1960. The Metal Rat year lasts 384 days, until February 14, 1961. The same sign and element came round in 1900 and come round again in 2020. A 1960 birthday turns 66 in 2026 and 67 in 2027. Before it came the Earth Pig year, from February 8, 1959. After it comes the Metal Ox year, from February 15, 1961. It is a leap year in the Chinese calendar, with a thirteenth lunar month added.
02 · THIS YEAR
What sets 1960 apart
Chinese New Year came 11 days earlier on the calendar than in 1959. The Sun entered Aquarius on January 21, 1960, 7 days earlier, so the Metal Rat year opens in Aquarius season.
27 days of 1960, from January 1 to January 27, 1960, still belong to the Earth Pig year. The other 339 belong to the Metal Rat.
Chinese New Year came 7 days before 4 February, the usual start of spring. For those 7 days, from January 28, 1960 to February 3, 1960, the Chinese calendar counts a Metal Rat where a Five Elements chart still counts an Earth Pig.
03 · ELEMENT
What the Metal adds to the Rat
The Metal Rat is the sharpest. Metal adds precision and a hard edge, so this Rat sees the weak point in any plan, its own included. It is a formidable negotiator and a demanding one. It is a Yang year (even), the outward, active side.
The year's stem is Metal and the Rat's own branch is Water. Metal feeds Water in the cycle, so the element gives its energy to the animal. Traditionally that reads as generous and sometimes tiring: the element spends itself on the sign.
Every Rat year has a different element, so a Metal Rat is not the same as the other Rats. The cycle repeats every 60 years. Read the full Rat guide, or see all 12 signs and every year on the Chinese zodiac overview.
The Rat year before this one was 1948, an Earth Rat year that began on February 10, 1948. Chinese New Year was 13 days later then, and the element moved on from Earth to Metal. The Rat year after this one was 1972, a Water Rat year that began on February 15, 1972. Chinese New Year was 18 days later then, and the element then moved on from Metal to Water.
Your own year, the year your animal comes round again, repeats every 12 years: 1972 (Water Rat), 1984 (Wood Rat), 1996 (Fire Rat), 2008 (Earth Rat), 2020 (Metal Rat).
04 · THE SIGN
The Rat behind the Metal
The Rat's best matches are Dragon and Monkey (triple harmony) and Ox (secret friend). Horse sits opposite on the wheel and is the traditional clash.
Strengths and blind spots, every compatible sign, and the full 2026 and 2027 reading are on the Rat guide.
05 · 2026 AND 2027
What 2026 and 2027 mean for a Metal Rat
Every year carries its own animal and element. Here is how each one sits next to a Metal Rat, read the traditional way. Treat it as something to think with, not a forecast.
2026
Fire Horse year
Animal. The Rat sits directly opposite the Horse on the wheel, the traditional clash, and Chinese astrology says the Rat offends the year's Tai Sui in 2026. The tradition reads a year of movement: changes of work, home or routine that you did not plan. The customary advice is to keep red close, keep commitments modest, and not force big changes before they are ready.
Element. Fire controls Metal in the cycle. Read it as pressure that tests and sharpens you, not as bad luck.
2027
Fire Goat year
Animal. Rat and Goat are a harm pair, a quieter friction than a clash. Expect small misunderstandings, delays, and people who let you down on detail rather than on the big promise. It is a year to put things in writing, check the figures twice, and keep friendships in repair.
Element. Fire controls Metal in the cycle. Read it as pressure that tests and sharpens you, not as bad luck.
Your sign is where it starts
Your Annual Report
A Metal Rat year is shared by a lot of people, and no two of them live it the same way. Your Annual Report reads your Five Elements and Western chart together, then draws your year as one curve. You can see the months that carry you forward, the ones that ask you to slow down, and how the year builds from January to December.
06 · FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chinese zodiac for 1960?
Birthdays from January 28, 1960 to December 31, 1960 fall in the Chinese year of the Metal Rat, which runs until February 14, 1961. Birthdays from January 1 to January 27, 1960 belong to the year before: Earth Pig.
What if I was born in January or February 1960?
The Chinese year starts at Chinese New Year, not on 1 January. In 1960 that was January 28, 1960. Born before it, you are an Earth Pig. Born on or after it, you are a Metal Rat. 27 days of 1960, from January 1 to January 27, 1960, still belong to the Earth Pig year. The other 339 belong to the Metal Rat.
When is Chinese New Year 1960?
Thursday, January 28, 1960. Chinese New Year came 11 days earlier on the calendar than in 1959. The Lantern Festival, on the 15th day, is February 11, 1960.
Why does the Metal Rat year have 13 months?
The Chinese calendar adds a leap month about seven times every 19 years, to keep its months in step with the seasons. 1960 is one of those years, so the Metal Rat year lasts 384 days, 19 more than a 365-day calendar year.
What element is the 1960 Rat?
Metal, with Yang polarity. Metal adds discipline, high standards, and a hard edge. The Rat years are 2020 (Metal), 2008 (Earth), 1996 (Fire), 1984 (Wood), 1972 (Water), 1960 (Metal), 1948 (Earth), 1936 (Fire), 1924 (Wood).
Does the Metal wear down the Rat in a Metal Rat?
The year's stem is Metal and the Rat's own branch is Water. Metal feeds Water in the cycle, so the element gives its energy to the animal. Traditionally that reads as generous and sometimes tiring: the element spends itself on the sign.
When does the Rat come round again after 1960?
Your own year, the year your animal comes round again, repeats every 12 years: 1972 (Water Rat), 1984 (Wood Rat), 1996 (Fire Rat), 2008 (Earth Rat), 2020 (Metal Rat).
How old is a 1960 Rat in 2027?
A birthday in 1960 turns 66 in 2026 and 67 in 2027, counted the Western way. The sign does not change with age: you stay a Metal Rat for life.
Who is a Metal Rat compatible with?
The Rat's best matches are Dragon and Monkey (triple harmony) and Ox (secret friend). Horse sits opposite on the wheel and is the traditional clash. These are old zodiac-wheel relations, and they describe tendencies, not outcomes.
What do 2026 and 2027 mean for a Metal Rat?
The Rat sits directly opposite the Horse on the wheel, the traditional clash, and Chinese astrology says the Rat offends the year's Tai Sui in 2026. The tradition reads a year of movement: changes of work, home or routine that you did not plan. The customary advice is to keep red close, keep commitments modest, and not force big changes before they are ready. Fire controls Metal in the cycle. Read it as pressure that tests and sharpens you, not as bad luck. For 2027, a Fire Goat year: Rat and Goat are a harm pair, a quieter friction than a clash. Expect small misunderstandings, delays, and people who let you down on detail rather than on the big promise. It is a year to put things in writing, check the figures twice, and keep friendships in repair. Fire controls Metal in the cycle. Read it as pressure that tests and sharpens you, not as bad luck.
Updated November 2026
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