天干地支与二十四节气
Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and the 24 Solar Terms
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 甲 | Jiǎ | First |
| 乙 | Yǐ | Second |
| 丙 | Bǐng | Third |
| 丁 | Dīng | Fourth |
| 戊 | Wù | Fifth |
| 己 | Jǐ | Sixth |
| 庚 | Gēng | Seventh |
| 辛 | Xīn | Eigth |
| 壬 | Rén | Ninth |
| 癸 | Guǐ | Tenth |
However, these ten symbols forming the heavenly stems should be used with the related earthly branches: the heavenly stems as the main trunk and the earth branches forming the branches. The ancient Chinese used a type of device like a zipper to combine the stems and branches. One one side the heavenly stems rotated and on the other the earthly brances rotated. Together they form a cycle with the least common multiple of 60.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 子 | Zǐ | First |
| 丑 | Chǒu | Second |
| 寅 | Yín | Third |
| 卯 | Mǎo | Fourth |
| 辰 | Chén | Fifth |
| 巳 | Sì | Sixth |
| 午 | Wǔ | Seventh |
| 未 | Wèi | Eigth |
| 申 | Shēn | Ninth |
| 酉 | Yǒu | Tenth |
| 戌 | Xū | Eleventh |
| 亥 | Hài | Twelfth |
Notes
- There is no difference between simplified and traditional characters for the heavenly stems and earthly branches.
The solar terms refer to the twenty four time periods and seasons, which are an ancient Chinese invention used to guide agricultural affairs and complement that calendar system. The orthodox Chinese solar terms use Henan.
| Simplified | Traditional | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 立春 | Lì Chūn | Start of Spring, first | |
| 雨水 | Yǔ Shuǐ | Rain Water, second | |
| 惊蛰 | 驚蟄 | Jīng Zhé | Waking of the Insects, third |
| 春分 | Chūn Fēn | Spring Equinox, fourth | |
| 清明 | Qīng Míng | Pure Brightness, fifth | |
| 谷雨 | 穀雨 | Gǔ Yǔ | Grain Rain, sixth |
| 立夏 | Lì Xià | Beginning of Summer, seventh | |
| 小满 | 小滿 | Xiǎo Mǎn | Lesser Full Grain, eighth |
| 芒种 | 芒種 | Máng Zhòng | Grain in Ear, ninth |
| 夏至 | Xià Zhì | Summer Solstice, tenth | |
| 小暑 | Xiǎo Shǔ | Lesser Heat, eleventh | |
| 大暑 | Dà Shǔ | Great Heat, twelfth | |
| 立秋 | Lì Qiū | Start of Autumn, 13th | |
| 处暑 | 處暑 | Chǔ Shǔ | End of Heat, 14th |
| 白露 | Bái Lù | White Dew, 15th | |
| 秋分 | Qiū Fēn | Autumn Equinox, 16th | |
| 寒露 | Hán Lù | Cold Dew, 17th | |
| 霜降 | Shuāng Jiàng | Frost Descends, 18th | |
| 立冬 | Lì Dōng | Start of Winter, 19th | |
| 小雪 | Xiǎo Xuě | Lesser Snow, 20th | |
| 大雪 | Dà Xuě | Great Snow, 21st | |
| 冬至 | Dōng Zhì | Winter Solstice, 22nd | |
| 小寒 | Xiǎo Hán | Lesser Cold, 23rd | |
| 大寒 | Dà Hán | Great Cold, 24th |
References
- Wikipedia, 天干 at zh.wikipedia.org.