7/29/2016

ChineseHeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches,TenStemsandTwelveBranches

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TenHeavenlyStemsandTwelveEarthly
Branches
Introduction
Short for StemBranch or
GanZhi, the Heavenly
Stems
and
Earthly
Branches are the most
important counting system
in the Chinese calendar.
Thereare10Stemsand12
Branches.

Contents
1.Introduction
2.10HeavenlyStems
3.12EarthlyBranches
4.The60YearCycle(SexagenaryCycle)
5.Howtocalculatetheyearandmonth?
6.12EarthlyBranchesandtheHour

2016Calendar
2017Calendar
ChineseHolidays
24SolarTerms
HeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches

7.StemBranchandYin/Yang
8.StemBranchandFiveElements
9.CompatibilitiesandClashesoftheStem
Branch

The ten stems are Jia, Yi,

Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng,
Xin,RenandGui.

The 12 branches are Zi,

Chou,Yin,Mao,Chen,Si,Wu,Wei,Shen,You,XuandHai.
From the unearthed inscriptions on bones of the Shang Dynasty (17th
centuryBC1046BC)ofYinRuins,GanZhiisusedtorecorddaysaswell
asinFengShuianddivination.Now,itsnotonlyappliedforcountinghour,
day,monthandyearbutalsogreatlyusedinChineseastrologyforfortune
telling.

10HeavenlyStems
10
Heavenly
Jia Yi Bing Ding Wu Ji Geng Xin Ren Gui
Stems
Chinese
Character

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ChineseHeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches,TenStemsandTwelveBranches

ChinesePinyin

ji

bng

dng

gng

xn rn

gu

12EarthlyBranches
12
Earthly
Zi Chou Yin Mao Chen Si Wu Wei Shen You Xu Hai
Branches
Chinese

Character

Chinese
Pinyin

yn ma chn

chu

s w

we shn

yu x ha

PredictYourFuture
TheAngelsknoweverything.Askthemnow
withPadre'sHelp!

The60YearCycle(SexagenaryCycle)
The10stems,eachispairedwithanearthlybranchforminga60YearCycle
which is a cycle of sixty terms and used for recording days, months and
years.ItstartswithJiaZiandendswithGuiHai.Hereunderisthematchof
StemsandBranches.TheruleisthattheYangHeavenlyStemsmatchthe
YangEarthlyBranches,andtheYinStemsmatchtheYinBranches(get to
knowTheRelationshipbetweentheStemBranchandYin/Yang).

Home
1

Jia
Yi
Bing
Zi
Chou
Yin
ChineseCalendar
11

12

13

7 SelectMonth
8
9

10

Wu
JiSi
Chen

Geng
Wu

Xin
Wei

Ren
Shen

Gui
You

15

17

18

19

20

Ding
Mao
14

16

Jia
Yi
Bing Ding Wu Ji
HeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches
Xu

hai

Zi

Chou

Yin

Mao

Geng
Chen

Xin
Si

Ren
Wu

Gui
Wei

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

Jia
Yi
Shen You

Bing
Xu

Ding
Hai

Wu
Zi

Ji
Geng
Chou Yin

Xin
Mao

Ren Gui
Chen Si

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

Jia
Wu

Yi
Wei

Bing
Shen

Ding
You

Wu
Xu

Ji
Hai

Geng
Zi

Xin Ren
Chou Yin

Gui
Mao

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

Jia
YiSi
Chen

Bing
Wu

Ding
Wei

Wu Ji
Shen You

Geng
Xu

Xin
Hai

Ren
Zi

Gui
Chou

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

Jia
Yin

Yi
Mao

Bing
Chen

Ding
Si

Wu
Wu

Ji
Wei

Geng
Shen

Xin
You

Ren
Xu

Gui
Hai

Wedding

FindLuckyDays

40

Howtocalculatetheyearandmonth?
OnChinesecalendarsandalmanacs,youcanseethiskindofnote:e.g.For
May1,2015,thecalendarshowsMarch13,YiWei(Sheep)Year(2015),
DingChouDay,GengChenMonth.ThisistheuseoftheHeavenlyStems
and Earthly Branches. Its used for recording the year, month and day.
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Hereunderishowtocalculatetheyearandmonth:
Calculatetheyear:AsyoucanseefromtheChinesecalendar,2015isYi
WeiYear.Togetthis,followthestepsbelow:
20153=2012('subtracting3fromtheGregorianyear')
201260=33('divideby60anddiscardanyfraction')
2012(6033)=32('takingtheremainder')
Lookfor32fromtheabovetableandwegetYiWeifortheyearof2015.
Findthezodiacanimaloftheyear:
InChineseculture,eachoftheEarthlyBranchhasacorrespondinganimal.
FollowingistherelationshipbetweentheEarthlyBranchandChineseZodiac
Animals:
Earthly
Branch

Zi

Chou Yin

Chinese
Rat Ox
Zodiac

Mao

Chen

Si

Wu

Wei

Shen

You

Xu

Hai

Tiger Rabbit Dragon Snake Horse Sheep Monkey Rooster Dog Pig

Aswealreadyknow2015isYiWeiyear.Weiistheearthlybranchfor2015,
checkWeiintheabovetable,weknowthatthecorrespondingzodiacanimal
isSheep.So,2015isyearoftheSheep.
Calculatethemonth:
Hereunderistherelationshipbetweenthestemoftheyearandthestemof
themonth.Take2015forexample,aswealreadyknowYiistheHeavenly
Stemfor2015,wecangetJanuaryisWuYin,FebruayisJiMao,Marchis
GengChenfromthefollowingtable.Pleasenotethatthemonthhereunder
refers to the Chinese lunar month. You can use our GregorianChinese
CalendarConverterontheChinesecalendarpagetogettheChineselunar
month.
Stem Stemofthemonth
Home
of
the
year

SelectMonth

Wedding

FindLuckyDays

1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
month month month month month month month month month month month month

ChineseCalendar
Jiaor Bing
Ji
Yin

Ding
Mao

Wu
Chen

JiSi

Geng Xin
Wu
Wei

HeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches
Yi or Wu
Geng Yin

Ji
Mao

Ren
Shen

Gui
You

Jia
Xu

YiHai

Bing
Zi

Ding
Chou
Ji
Chou

Geng
Ren
XinSi
Chen
Wu

Gui
Wei

Jia
Shen

Yi
You

Bing
Xu

Ding
Hai

WuZi

JiHai

Geng Xin
Zi
Chou

Bing
or
Xin

Geng Xin
Yin
Mao

Ren
Chen

Gui
Si

Jia
Wu

Yi
Wei

Bing
Shen

Ding
You

Wu
Xu

Ding
or
Ren

Ren
Yin

Gui
Mao

Jia
Chen

YiSi

Bing
Wu

Ding
Wei

Wu
Shen

Ji
You

Geng Xin
Xu
Hai

Ren
Zi

Gui
Chou

Wu
or
Gui

Jia
Yin

Yi
Mao

Bing
Chen

Ding
Si

Wu
Wu

Ji
Wei

Geng Xin
Shen You

Ren
Xu

JiaZi

Yi
Chou

Gui
Hai

12EarthlyBranchesandtheHour
The12earthlybranchesnotonlystandfor12Chineseanimalsbutalso12
hours.Intheoldtimes,therewasnoconceptionof24hourforaday.People
divided a day into 12 Shichen. Hereunder is the relationship between 12
Shichenandthepresenttimesystem:
12shichen

Thepresenttime

Zihour

23:0001:00

Chouhour

01:0003:00

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Yinhour

03:0005:00

Maohour

05:0007:00

Chenhour

07:0009:00

Sihour

09:0011:00

Wuhour

11:0013:00

Weihour

13:0015:00

Shenhour

15:0017:00

Youhour

17:0019:00

Xuhour

19:0021:00

Haihour

21:0023:00

StemBranchandYin/Yang

HeavenlyStem

EarthlyBranch

Yang

Jia,Bing,Wu,Geng,Ren

Zi,Yin,Chen,Wu,Shen,Xu

Yin

Yi,Ding,Ji,Xin,Gui

Chou,Mao,Si,Wei,You,Hai

Note:
Yin:negative/passive/femaleprincipleinnature
Yang:positive/active/maleprincipleinnature

StemBranchandFiveElements
Home

SelectMonth

FiveElement

HeavenlyStem

EarthlyBranch

Wood

Jia,Yi

Yin,Mao,Chen

Fire

Bing,Ding

Si,Wu,Wei

Earth

Wu,Ji

Chen,Xu,Chou,Mo

Metal

Geng,Xin

Shen,You,Xu

Water

Ren,Gui

Hai,Zi,Chou

ChineseCalendar

HeavenlyStemsandEarthlyBranches

Wedding

FindLuckyDays

CompatibilitiesandClashesoftheStemBranch

Compatibilities

Jia and Ji combined into Earth, Yi and

Geng combined into Metal, Bing and Xin
Heavenly
combined into Water, Ding and Ren
Stem
combined into Wood, Wu and Gui
combinedintoFire

Earthly
Branch

Clashes
Jia Wu, Yi Ji,
BingGeng,Ding
Xin, Wu Ren,
Ji Gui, Geng
Jia, Xin Yi, Ren
Bing,GuiDing

SixCompatibilities:ZiandChoucombined
into Earth Yin and Hai combined into
Wood Mao and Xu combined into Fire
ChenandYoucombinedintoMetalSiand
Shen combined into Water Wu and Wei
Zi Wu, Mao
combinedintothesunandmoon
You, Yin Shen,
Si Hai, Chen
Three Compatibilities: Shen, Zi and Chen Xu,ChouWei
combined into Water Hai, Mao and Wei
combined into Wood Yin, Wu and Xu

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combined into Fire Si, You and Chou

combinedintoMetalChen,XuandChou
combinedintoEarth.

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