Born in the year of the rat? Want to know what that means? Find out about the Chinese zodiac rat symbol that represents the first year of the Chinese zodiac calendar.
The symbol of the rat is considered to be one of the most prominent symbols of the Chinese zodiac cycle. After all it is the first symbol of the entire twelve year cycle hence it must be special. When you compare the general perceptions that people have about the rat between the western and the Chinese culture we find them to be diametrically opposite.
To the west the rat is no more than a pest but for the Chinese their long history and tradition of the zodiac symbols has placed the rat on an elevated position. Besides, it was the deep insight and observation skills of the Chinese philosophers of ancient times that enabled them to see the innate qualities with which the rat has been endowed.
As it is the Chinese are known for their great observation skills. In the case of the rat they were able to see that by nature the rat’s natural disposition bears some likeliness with certain human characteristics. The observers drew a complete character sketch of this zodiac symbol that illustrates all those qualities that the rat displays in his natural environment.
Rat Characteristics
The rat is considered to be a rather intelligent creature. It has been observed that the rat is a rather perseverant and hardworking animal that works its way creatively to meet its end objectives. Objectivity is one of the virtues attributed to the rat. If the rat is part of some thing it likes to be in total control of it.
In its essence the rat’s personality is described as a perfectionist. Hence the people born in the year of the rat are not only labeled with the zodiac sign they are considered to have these qualities deep down inside of themselves. The extent to which each individual is able to realize the qualities that his zodiac sign has varies according from individual to individual.
How the Rat Came on Top
One of the things that make the Chinese zodiac symbol of the rat special is the fact that it is the very first animal of the entire zodiac cycle. What is even more interesting is how it managed to claim that position. There are many legendary stories that tell us about the clever run of the rat to end up in the top spot.
Considering that the zodiac calendar consists of much bigger and stronger creatures than the rat a person who is unaware of the history and origins of the Chinese zodiac may not be able to comprehend how come the rat is the first of the animals to represent the zodiac cycle.
The race that determined the order of the twelve animals of the zodiac calendar is where the rat displayed his true intelligence. It knew that it stood no chance against the other animals had it relied on its own brawn. Rather it used its brain and actually rode the entire duration of the race on the ox’s back that was all set to claim the top spot.
On reaching close to the finish line however the rat made a jump for it and deprived the ox of the first position thereby attaining the position of being the first zodiac symbol of the twelve year calendar.
