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| A new day is about to dawn over the cityscape of Seoul, seen from the Namhansanseong Fortress in Gyeonggi Province on Dec. 27. The year 2020 is the Year of the Rat, which opens up a new 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul |
Rats symbolize wisdom, intelligence and diligence
By Kwon Mee-yoo
The year 2020 is the Year of the Rat, which opens up a new 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac. As the first animal to finish the Great Race of the Chinese zodiac legend, the quick-witted rat represents new beginnings and versatility.
In the Great Race organized by the Jade Emperor to designate the animals for calendrical signs, the small but clever rat crosses the water by riding on the ox and jumps ahead at the finish line to arrive first, becoming the first animal of the Chinese zodiac.
Though the tiniest among the zodiac animals, the rat represents intelligence and productivity. As a god of direction and time, the rat symbolizes north in direction and from 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. in time period.
Specifically, 2020 is the Year of the White Rat in the sexagenary cycle, or the Chinese Stems-and-Branches cycle in the combinations of 10 heavenly stems represented by elements or colors, and 12 earthly branches represented by animals. The rat is the first among the earthly branches and 2020 falls under metal, the fourth element associated with white, christening 2020 as the Year of the White Rat.
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| Year of the Rat |
Yoon Sung-yong, director-general of the National Folk Museum of Korea (NFM), said the rat is one of the most diverse, complex and curious animals.
"In Korean folk tales, resourceful, nimble and diligent rats are personified as 'Seo Saengwon' and awarded with public posts. On the other hand, rats were hated for their nastiness and for being able to transform into doppelgangers by eating someone's fingernails. I hope for an affluent year resembling the rat representing wealth and intelligence," Yoon said.
Kim Jong-dae, a renowned folklorist and Chung-Ang University professor, emphasized how ancient Koreans explored the two sides of the rat as they did with other animals.
"It means that they tried to give meaning to each animal in thorough understandings. Recent negative connotations regarding rats are closely related to the anti-rat drive under the Saemaul Movement in the 1970s. However, when you examine historical documents, rats did not just symbolize negativity," Kim said.
According to the "Samguksagi" (History of the Three Kingdoms) compiled in 1145, an en masse migration of rats under the reign of King Hyegong of Silla (758-780) is documented as an ill omen.
"The migration of rats foretold the poor harvest of the next year, symbolizing the foresight of rats," Kim explained.
In positive image, rats represent wisdom and wealth and act as helpers in many folk tales. However, as rats live on grain, they are often associated with theft, exploitation and disloyalty. With their high fertility, rats also represent fecundity and wealth and it led farmers to draw rat talismans to wish for a bumper crop year.
Kim put a stress on the hard-working nature of rats. "Rats are diligent. They collect food industriously and never run out. With their intelligence and clairvoyance, rats can take the world by surprise," the folklorist said.
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| Lunchbox with "Tom and Jerry" characters / Courtesy of National Folk Museum of Korea |
Rat in popular culture
Rats, or other rodent relatives including mice, appear often in popular culture from literature and myth to animation and film.
The most famous rat in popular culture would be Mickey Mouse, an anthropomorphic mouse character with red shorts and yellow shoes, created by Walt Disney back in 1928. The iconic Disney character has appeared in many films, books and numerous merchandise, becoming a symbol of America and consumerism.
Another popular mouse character also from Disney is Remy from the 2007 film "Ratatouille." The French rat with a talent for cooking befriends with Alfredo Linguini, a garbage boy at a Parisian restaurant, to pursue his dream of becoming a cook.
The little brown mouse Jerry from the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons showcases the clever and shrewd traits of rat, always escaping from Tom the cat.
In the Korean animation series "Ghost Mecard," 12 animal characters based on the Chinese zodiac fight against evil. Among them, Norgee is the rat character which is described as astute and good at finding the upper hand, but has mysophobia.
Mice also appear in Aesop's Fables, most notably in "The Lion and the Mouse," in which the tiny mouse returns the favor to the mighty lion.
In children's literature, "Stuart Little" features a mouse-like boy born to two human parents, while the "Angelina Ballerina" series revolves around a young mouse who loves to dance ballet.
People born in Year of Rat
People born in the Year of the Rat are considered smart, acute and flexible and traits of rats working diligently represent their wealth and prosperity.
A handful of K-pop stars are born in 1996, a Year of the Rat. Becoming 24 this year, they are expected to thrive with their nimbleness.
Girl band TWICE has three members born in 1996 ― Mina, Momo and Jeongyeon. The nine-member group enjoys much popularity both in Korea and Japan, becoming the best-selling foreign act and being ranked fourth overall in the Artist Sales category of the 52nd Oricon Annual Ranking in 2019. TWICE is scheduled to perform at the Tokyo Dome on March 3 and 4 as part of its "Twicelights" world tour, before returning Seoul for the finale of the concert tour at the KSPO Dome on March 7 and 8.
Other notable K-pop singers born in the Year of the Rat include Joy from Red Velvet, Sejeong from Gugudan and Chanmi from AOA. Among male singers, Kang Daniel and Kim Jae-hwan of Wanna One fame and Jun, Hoshi, Wonwoo and Woozi from Seventeen are born in the Year of the Rat.
Veteran comedian and emcee Yoo Jae-suk, who won the Grand Prize at the 2019 SBS Entertainment Awards recently for the long-running show "Running Man," is born in another Year of the Rat, 1972. Hallyu pioneer Bae Yong-joon and A-list actor couple Jang Dong-gun and Ko So-young are all rat people too.
Along with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, many athletes born in the Year of the Rat are under the spotlight.
Many of the top players in the men's national football team were born in 1996, including Hwang Hee-chan of FC Red Bull Salzburg who scored nine goals this season. Other footballers from the Year of the Rat are Hwang In-beom of Vancouver Whitecaps, Kim Min-jae of Beijing Guoan and Na Sang-ho of FC Tokyo, who scored goals recently for the South Korean team at the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Football Championship.
Lee Jeong-eun, who won the 2019 U.S. Women's Open and the LPGA Tour Rookie of the Year award, is another sports star born in the Year of the Rat, looking for another bright year ahead.
Tennis player Chung Hyeon, also born in 1996, will make an attempt to recover from an injury-marked 2019 to advance in Grand Slam tournaments, starting with the Australian Open in January.
