With the Year of the Rat (鼠) coming up, I'm reminded of going out for Chinese food when I was a kid in the US. In Chinese restaurants, there are always pictures of the zodiac animals (十二生肖) on the wall. For most people in the US, this might be the deepest look they ever get about Chinese culture. When we learned that my aunt is a rat, all of us laughed. It is because in our culture, rats are animals that eat garbage and carry diseases. So we think they are dirty. Calling someone a rat means you fail to believe in him or her. As a kid, this caused me to feel bad for people born in the Year of the Rat. I wondered if Chinese children were ever bullied (欺负) for being a rat.
Probably not! Human culture is funny. There are always different ways to look at the same thing. I did some researches and found that although Chinese people also see rats as dirty animals, but there is a reason for being one of the zodiac animals.
According to what I found, rats are considered thrifty (勤俭的) by Chinese people. It is the one that can bring people wealth. They are also very fertile, which makes them a symbol of good luck – traditionally, as you know Chinese people prefer to have large families with many children. Rats are believed to be intelligent as well. Such animals must be clever.
So now, I'm entering the new year with a fresh way of looking at rats. Perhaps I need to find a new understanding for other things – animals, ideas or even people!
