Chinese zodiac · Year of the Rat
The Fire Rat: 1936, 1996, 2056
丙子 · Bing zǐ · Yang Fire stem on the Water branch
A Fire Rat year pairs the Heavenly Stem 丙 (Bing, yang Fire) with the Earthly Branch 子 (zǐ, the Rat). The pair recurs every sixty years, so in the range AsterNym covers the Fire Rat years are 1936, 1996, 2056. The animal is the same each time; the stem is what makes a Fire Rat different from a Wood Rat or a Earth Rat. The popular zodiac begins each of these years at Lunar New Year and BaZi begins it at Li Chun, so both boundaries are given below for every year.
What a Fire Rat is like
Popular Chinese zodiac tradition. For reflection, not prediction.
The Fire Rat is the boldest, quick to enthusiasm and quicker to argue, with a temper that clears as fast as it comes.
1996 Fire Rats grew up with the internet arriving in the house, and the tradition's picture of a bold, argumentative, fast-talking Rat fits a generation that learned to type before it learned to drive.
In BaZi terms the Water branch controls the Fire stem: Water restrains Fire in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Rat's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
The rest of the Rat’s character, in love, at work and the growing edge, is on the Year of the Rat page.
Fire Rat years and when each begins
The popular zodiac year begins at Lunar New Year; BaZi begins it at Li Chun, the start of spring. Both dates are given so a birth between them can be placed in either system.
| Year | Lunar New Year (popular zodiac) | Ends | Li Chun (BaZi) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | 24 January 1936 | 10 February 1937 | 5 February 1936 |
| 1996 | 19 February 1996 | 6 February 1997 | 4 February 1996 |
| 2056 | outside the table | … | 4 February 2056 |
The next Fire Rat year is 2056. Check any birthday against the boundary with the finder.
Famous Fire Rats
Public birth records, assigned by the Lunar New Year boundary.
Born in 1936
- Pope Francis266th pope of the Catholic Church from 2013 to 2025
- Mario Vargas LlosaPeruvian, Spanish and Dominican novelist and writer
- Yves Saint LaurentFrench fashion designer
- Amancio OrtegaSpanish business tycoon
- Denny HulmeNew Zealand racing driver
- François PinaultFrench billionaire businessman and art collector
Common questions
- When does the Year of the Fire Rat start?
- The 1936 Fire Rat year began at Lunar New Year on 24 January 1936 and ran to 10 February 1937. The 1996 Fire Rat year began at Lunar New Year on 19 February 1996 and ran to 6 February 1997. 2056 is outside AsterNym's Lunar New Year table. BaZi turns the year at Li Chun instead (1936: 5 February 1936; 1996: 4 February 1996; 2056: 4 February 2056), so a birth between the two dates carries different year animals in the two systems.
- What is a Fire Rat personality?
- The Fire Rat is the boldest, quick to enthusiasm and quicker to argue, with a temper that clears as fast as it comes. In BaZi terms the Water branch controls the Fire stem: Water restrains Fire in the controlling cycle. Practitioners read the year as the animal pushing back against the element above it, so the Rat's qualities come through strongly and the stem struggles to impose itself. The animal has the upper hand.
- When is the next Fire Rat year?
- 2056. The pair of stem 丙 and branch 子 recurs every sixty years.