For 5000 years, the Chinese have used a system of astrology based on a person's birth year to discover compatibility with lovers, family members, and friends. With this easy to-use authentic guide, you will find the animal sign that corresponds to your birth year, whether you are an imperial Dragon, a born leader...a merry Monkey, generous and creative...or a charismatic Tiger, charming and passionate, you'll discover your:
-- most compatible lovers
-- best and worst personality traits
-- best career choices
-- health building opportunities
-- personal style

---

This text unveils the unseen forces shaping your personality. It shows you the animal sign that matches your birth year, detailing your most compatible lovers, best and worst career choices and your health outlook.

Chinese Astrology

---

By Sabrina Liao

Warner Books

Copyright © 2000 Sabrina Liao
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-446-60981-1

---

Chapter One

The Restless Rat Ranking Order First

RAT-THE ANIMAL

Most people probably have a negative impression about the Rat, the number one house pest. However, in Chinese astrology, as the first sign of the twelve, the Rat is viewed as a mixture of many things. He can be as friendly as the lovable Stuart Little, as calculating and intelligent as Jerry in "Tom and Jerry," as devoted and loving to his loved ones as the rats in An American Tail, or as mischievous and mean as in the Mouse Trap.

As mentioned in the introduction, the legend is that the Heavenly God awarded the first twelve animals that crossed the river to be the signs in the zodiac calendar. And it's just common sense that with the Rat's petite size and small feet, there is no way this tiny creature can win the race on its own. But as the story explains, the Rat won the race with its wits and intelligence.

As the first sign among the twelve in the zodiac, the Rat is considered a major sign in Chinese astrology.

RAT PEOPLE

You are quite ambitious and were born under the sign of charm and aggressiveness. Born optimistic, you seem to have a solution for everything. Friendship comes to you easily with your sense of humor and energetic attitude toward life.

It is very unlikely to find a Rat sitting quietly doing nothing. Rather, you are always busy and rarely have the luxury of relaxation. And even when you have time to sit down and enjoy a short break, your mind will still be running nonstop, planning your next grand scheme. However, you have the tendency to get bored easily with your projects and when that happens, you will simply shrug your shoulders, pull up another brand-new business plan you have been working on for weeks and yell, "Next" to move on to the next project.

You are very expressive and talkative. You like to go to parties where you can spend quite some time chitchatting with your friends. Lively, sociable, and easy to get along with, it is not a surprise that you meet new friends every day.

However, as friendly and easy to get along with as you are, you are a very private person. The long list of names in your phone book does not mean you take everyone into your circle of friends. Actually, Rat people usually have more acquaintances than real friends. But to those who are close to you, you are a devoted and faithful friend. You revere and cherish them, and they will be treated as your family. However, as talkative and gossipy as you can be sometimes, you never confide in anyone. You are self-contained and often keep problems and secrets to yourself. You are extremely private and discreet when it comes to your own personal life.

On the surface, you might appear discreet or reserved, but if anyone looks deeper, they will find out that you are never as quiet as you may look. Adaptive and flexible, the Rat will survive in any situation. No crisis or defeat will take you down easily, and no challenge is too much for you. You will be successful in whatever you choose to do. And because of this remarkable ability to cope with difficulties, you are especially good at problem solving. You make a good adviser to others but not necessarily to yourself.

As a talented opportunist, you are always looking for opportunities, you are famous for your ambition and hard work. Quick-witted and smart, you know how to make the most of your time efficiently and usually get more accomplished in twenty-four hours than the other people do in as many days.

Sometimes mean, narrow-minded, and unsophisticated in outlook, you are also honest. And, as long as you manage to master your perpetual discontent and your insistence on living for the present moment, you can always make a success of your life.

You are confident and usually have good instincts. These qualities, combined with your stubbornness, mean you prefer to live by your own rules rather by others'. It won't be an easy task to work with Rat people. Why? Simple-because you are also a hundred percent perfectionist.

You have a talent for organization; perhaps this is why you usually make a good businessman or politician. Actually, the Rat seems to be the Scrooge of the Chinese zodiac. You count your dimes carefully and are known for your thrift and greed. Although there is an old Chinese saying that "being thrifty is a virtue," nevertheless, Rat people can appear downright stingy. You do not like to waste or throw anything away. You will be the type of person who will save every extra ketchup packet you collect from Kentucky Fried Chicken and keep every empty bottle after you finish your Evian. However, as frugal as you seem to be, you can be quite generous to yourself or the ones you love. For instance, when you really want something, you can become quite a spender. Andyou are very careful when you lend money to people. Alittle piece of advice to those who plan to borrow money from a Rat-read the contract carefully, or you might be paying three dollars interest for every dollar borrowed.

On the negative side, you are practical but lack courage. Sometimes extravagant and greedy, you are also gullible and can be taken by those less meticulous than you. And because you are a born opportunist and are constantly in search of ways to improve your wealth and lifestyle, if you are not careful you can be led into a mousetrap. Remember, don't let your greed blind you to danger and problems ahead.

Being first in the Chinese zodiac, you seem to be obsessed with being number one. Sometimes, you believe that you are better than others are, so you love to compete and conquer and always try to be the pioneer and the first in action. Your energetic nature tends to cause you to overload with tons of different projects, and this over ambitious side of you can cause you to lose your projects be-cause you have spread yourself too thin.

High-strung, you are clever, curious, and ever alert to your environment. Although you have the innate ability to sense danger, your greed sometimes overcomes your sound judgment and causes you to fall into the same trap over and over again. On the negative side, you like to criticize, nag, and compare. You can turn into a secretive, self-indulgent, and selfish creature when blinded by greed. In fact, most Rat people will probably suffer one major financial blow before they learn their lesson. In general, you must avoid being over ambitious and learn to conquer your greed and quit while you are still ahead.

Rat people are not romantic, but you are sensual and loving. And Rat people can be hard to see through at first glance, because you are very protective of yourself. But it's worth sticking it out with a Rat; ask anyone who has a Rat for a lover, parent, child, or friend. You are very loyal and devoted friend.

THE MALE RAT

The male Rat is aggressive and intelligent. He lives by his wits and seems to have an answer for everything. At the same time he is friendly and easy to get along with, having a wide circle of acquaintances.

He is very determined, and once he sets his mind to something, it is very difficult to persuade him otherwise. He has business acumen and can turn any idea into a business plan. Perhaps this is his talent or his curse, but he is always on the run, looking for new ideas or working on new projects. Never sitting quietly or waiting aimlessly, the male Rat is a man with a mission.

However, he is also known for being over ambitious. His passion for a project comes and goes before other people even have a chance to understand it, and he is always alert for the best opportunities. Constantly trying to do too much too soon, this busy male Rat tends to scatter his energy everywhere before he has any chance to finish one project.

The male Rat is a man with opinions, strongly believes in himself, and does not allow for other opinions when he is in charge. He'll ignore every warning sign he gets. In short, those people who are calculating can fool him because he often takes the bait when he thinks it will be profitable for him. This is probably why many Rat men experience at least one major downfall in their lives- greed and ambition can blind them to reality. Greedy as he sometimes appears, he is nevertheless honest. He earns his profit through his hard work and his intelligence, and never through tricks or cheating.

The Rat man is famous for his charm and wit and he likes to be the pioneer in everything. Sociable and fun, he possesses a good sense of humor and has an active imagination. He is very good with numbers, and this probably is due to his amazing intelligence and acumen in business. He is the type of student who is always the first to shout out the answer in class. When out drinking and dining with friends, the Rat will take the bill and quickly do the math, add the tax, the tips, and find out how much each person needs to pay in just a few seconds. And he actually really enjoys doing this and takes pride in his important role.

This fascination with numbers and talent of quickly calculating the odds in any situation indicates that this Rat man is a born gambler. Although he can be extremely thrifty to the point of being called a Scrooge, he can become almost extravagant under three circumstances. First, if he sees some luxury items he really wants. Second, when he buys gifts for his family and friends. Third, when he is in a casino. Since he is so confident about his talents for numbers, he believes he can beat the odds. So some advice for those close to a Rat man-keep him away from the casino.

He is very talented and intelligent. He is expressive, so all of his friends know about his talents. And, he loves to write down his thoughts and ideas. Several famous writers such as William Shakespeare and Leo Tolstoy were born in the year of the Rat.

In relationships, the Rat man is not really romantic. Don't expect him to shower his lover with flowers and sweet talk. After all, his practical mind will calculate the cost of the flowers and the number of days these flowers will last. Nevertheless, the honest Rat man can be trusted because he will always make his family his priority and will be extremely protective toward his loved ones.

THE FEMALE RAT

Just like the male Rat, the female Rat is witty and resourceful. A highly intelligent and creative person, the Rat lady can be a successful woman if she chooses to be.

With her excellent people skills, and fun-loving and compassionate personality, she is quite popular. She is fashionable but always elegant with her own style. Her environment is always clean and neat. A Rat woman's office will have her files neatly placed on the desktop, her calendar organized, and her table free of dust. It goes without saying that this Rat lady often manages her house the same way she does at work, which is probably why the Rat woman is considered to be an excellent candidate for a wife.

However, this does not mean the Rat woman is only quiet housewife material. In fact, she can be very business-oriented. She is keen and sharp and will automatically grab an opportunity when she sees one. Direct and honest, she is not afraid to speak her mind; but with her social skills, she knows how to say the right words so she will not offend anyone.

Surprisingly, the female Rat can be a true model of frugality. She certainly knows the virtue of recycling clothes, toys, furniture, and even soap. Again, like Rat men, she can be quite generous to her loved ones. So the children of a Rat woman will have no problem getting expensive toys for Christmas; Rat moms know how to take care of their children and are not stingy about the needs of their family.

Talkative and gossipy, the Rat woman is an inveterate gossip. Never trust your secret with her because she can't keep it long. However, she is very good at keeping her own secrets from others, and it is difficult to see into a Rat woman's mind. She is the kind of person who likes to keep her thoughts and feelings to herself; nevertheless, as a direct person, an angry Rat woman can be spotted even miles away.

The Rat woman is an avid reader, she is a lady who loves to read and can be found wandering around in Barnes and Noble bookstores or surfing Amazon.com. Moreover, she is a talented writer herself. At a young age she will learn of the importance of written words and probably be the editor for the high-school newsletter.

In love and relationships, she is tender and sensual. Also the practical Rat keeps her home tidy and organized. She will be a superb, loving mom who spoils her kids with toys, and also a dedicated wife who will follow her husband's career.

RAT AT WORK

Aggressive and ambitious, Rat people are extremely hardworking and do not know how to slow down. Born flexible and adaptive, Rat people can survive in difficult environments.

Always resourceful, Rat people make excellent advisers. They thrive in difficult situations and enjoy solving puzzles. In fact, Rats can usually come up with good solutions in a crisis. They can always count on their minds and wits instead of their physical strengths.

They have busy minds and are always on the run. Self-contained and self-preserved, Rat people can be neurotic about things at work but will behave calmly during a crisis. Rat people feel right at home when working in bureaucratic jobs; they like to stick to routines and disciplines.

As a boss, the Rat is very demanding. It is never easy to work for a Rat boss because they are often perfectionists and can be extremely picky. They are not as generous with compliments as they are with criticisms. However, with their born wits and talents, count on the Rat boss to lead a company out of a crisis.

As a partner, the Rat is extremely ambitious and not as communicative as they appear. Secretive and opinionated, their words are not easy to swallow sometimes because they are also very direct. Nevertheless, you can always count on the Rat partner to manage the finances because no one is more suitable to control the budget than a born Scrooge like the Rat.

As a colleague, the Rat is energetic. Working with a Rat can be a blessing or a curse. After all, anyone can always learn a thing or two when working with this efficient and productive person; however, at the same time, coworkers will be under a lot of pressure because of the Rat's excellent performance.

In general, with their imaginative wit and ambition, the Rat will do well as a financial adviser, writer, or musician. Claude Monet and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart are just two famous Rat people.

Continues...

---

Excerpted from Chinese Astrology by Sabrina Liao Copyright © 2000 by Sabrina Liao . Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---