Whiskers twitching? A new model of cat trap now on the market? How good can it get? A philosopher was once asked three questions: do you have any rats in that trap? Do you have some rats in that trap? Do you have rats in that trap? The answers were no, no, and yes. We can’t explain any Moore, except to say that you’re going to have a fine year, and that this very word could be polyse-mouse.

Metal Rat:
04 Feb 2020 – 02 Feb 2021
05 Feb 1960 – 03 Feb 1961
Earth Rat:
04 Feb 2008 – 03 Feb 2009
05 Feb 1948 – 03 Feb 1949
Fire Rat:
04 Feb 1996 – 03 Feb 1997
05 Feb 1936 – 03 Feb 1937
Wood Rat:
04 Feb 1984 – 03 Feb 1985
05 Feb 1924 – 03 Feb 1925
Water Rat:
05 Feb 1972 – 03 Feb 1973
05 Feb 1912 – 03 Feb 1913

Fortune direction:

North-East

Augmenting your fortune:

Green Pot Plants

Lucky number:

Lucky colour:

  Green

  Health

The odd, chipped tooth? A tail with a blue cheese flag waving in a maddening breeze? Fur sprayed with an essence of cat food? All likely outcomes from letting the Heaven’s Discomfort Star have its way with you. A small sour point in a year that otherwise looks a little like an unending buffet of delectable cheeses. Consec-rat-e your health! Align all the whiskers of the year into a comprehensive hamony-mouse-ness, and laugh your way to health.

  Wealth

Fancy a year in an enor-mouse palace? An imperial courtyard features magnolias (yulan) and crabapples (haitang). The yu and the tang, by homophony, refer to the yutang, or Jade Hall, and this year you have the Jade Hall Star visiting. You’ll need to do some work on this yourself, by the way, nonetheless the star will be right there with you, when you paint your financial mouse-terpiece.

  Love

Picture yourself gy-rat-ing across the dance floor of love. You are the amor-mouse, and this year how much you want to be the monoga-mouse will be in your power. Find yourself alone with someone keen on mice and you should find yourself clicking along. We think secret trysts with loved ones might be on the menu; carried out somewhere away from research scientists, the main cause of rattus unhappiness, or so the stars suggest.

  Career

The stars are unani-mouse: the hamster wheel can pay dividends. Sadly this year might be a case in point. Get yourself the work version of a rewards points meter and watch the needle tick over toward the higher echelons. Points off for those who decide that work meetings are a suitable venue for a blasphe-mouse, mind your tongue and use your mouse-nous.

Guiding hexagram from the Yi-Jing (Book of Changes)

Judgement:
Return. Success. Going out and coming in without error. Friends come without blame. To and from goes the way. On the seventh day comes return. It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
Image:
Thunder within the earth: the image of the Turning Point. Thus the kings of antiquity closed the passes at the time of solstice. Merchants and strangers did not go about, and the ruler did not travel through the provinces.
The Forest of Changes:
Yao drinks while Shun dances, Yu offers up the libation. When the rites and music are potent one may live settled. Our virtuous women protected.
Verdict:
The kings of antiquity were so distraught at the thought of someone missing out on the solstice celebrations that they closed the passes. A Song dynasty emperor put railings around the West Lake so that inebriated revellers would not fall in. Yao is drinking. Shun is dancing. Yu is the waiter of choice. No rat should work so hard that they miss this party.

Feng Shui Index 2025 report

Year of the Wood Snake

Sorcerer: Dr James Greenbaum
Sorcerer's apprentice: Susan Zhang
Wand bearer: Forest Chan
Director/Editor: Yukti Vidyarthi
Translation editor: Melanie Ng
Design/Art: Lizzie Lau; Anna Lai; Elva Lau; Patrina Leung; Jon Berkeley
Web development: Paul Ngan; Timothy Wang
Video production: Alexandra Lee; Luna Deng
Thanks to: Sandy Chen Dowling; Ellen Lo
Producer: Liz Patterson

Launched in 1992 as a Chinese New Year card, the CLSA Feng Shui Index is a light-hearted outlook for the Hong Kong market and a well-loved firm tradition. Please note that this guide is not a research report.