Earthly Branches

It is common in chinese culture when people ask you - “what do you belong to”? Actually it means ‘what’ year you born. It is because Chinese Zodiac is based on a twelve year cycle --- each year being represented by an animal. Twelve animals are mouse, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. This is the proper order for Chinese zodiac.

According to Chinese zodiac study, the year you born determine which animal you belongs to, and each animal bring out different personality. This is the most basic of Chinese horoscope. I refer it as 'most basic' stage, because it is insufficient to show every people personality by just only 'twelve animal'.

'Twelve animal' is mnemonics of Chinese time reckoning system.This system was built from observations of the orbit of Jupiter. Chinese astronomers divided the celestial circle into 12 sections to follow the orbit of Jupiter. Proper name for twelve section, is 'EARTHLY BRANCHES'. Each section is named and has its own animal symbol.


When earthly branches is combined with celestial stem,there would be sixty order of combination.These combinations are named as Chinese sexagenary cycle.This is an important aspect of the Chinese calendar. There is a rule to combine earthly branches with celestial stem, that is pure Yin and Yang concept. If celestial stem has Yang characteristic, then it only allow to match with Yang earthly branches.

if Chinese sexagenary cycle is used to reckon time, by applying some delicate formula on it,Chinese believe it can lead to future answer. This is why mostly Chinese astrology theory is about the manipulation of Chinese sexagenary.