At a glance
- Count
- Twelve
- Double hours
- Wu commonly maps to 11:00–13:00
Definition and terminology
The branches run Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai. They label cyclic time, months and double hours. Familiar animal associations provide a mnemonic. Their roles in Liuren plates, natal hidden stems and Ziwei palaces differ, so the chart system must be identified.
Structure and rules
Common assignments group Yin/Mao as wood, Si/Wu as fire, Shen/You as metal, Hai/Zi as water and the remaining four as earth. Opposed branches lie six places apart. Three-branch groups are Shen–Zi–Chen, Hai–Mao–Wei, Yin–Wu–Xu and Si–You–Chou. These describe symbolic relationships rather than automatic events.
Worked reading
In the common modern mapping, Wu hour spans 11:00–13:00 and You hour 17:00–19:00. Noon therefore belongs to Wu and 18:00 to You in a teaching table. A natal chart additionally requires decisions about civil versus solar time and boundary conventions. The example demonstrates names, not a verified birth chart.
Context and limits
Historical timekeeping and modern standard time are not identical. The Observatory mapping is useful, but location, time zones and historical daylight saving matter for conversions. Different year-boundary conventions also affect zodiac labels. Animal imagery should not be used as evidence about the abilities, morality or relationships of demographic groups.
References & further reading
Historical sources document ideas and rules of their time, not empirical proof of predictive accuracy. Source notes identify the nature and scope of each reference.
- Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly BranchesInstitutional / reference source
Official calendar reference for sequences and double hours; does not validate natal divination.
- 《三命通会》卷五：论印食官财名义Primary / tradition source
Public-domain text explaining Day Stem relations, resource, output, office, wealth and patterns.