{"id":373,"date":"2026-05-29T11:33:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T03:33:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/?page_id=373"},"modified":"2026-07-03T17:39:46","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:39:46","slug":"learn-heavenly-stems-earthly-branches","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/learn-heavenly-stems-earthly-branches\/","title":{"rendered":"Heavenly Stems &amp; Earthly Branches: The System Behind the Zodiac"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"tzl-page\">\n  <style>\n\/* The Zodiac Lore \u2014 Style B brand-unified *\/\n.tzl-page{\n  --bg:#fff;--ink:#0a0a0a;--soft:#3a3a3a;--grey:#5c5c5c;--muted:#9a9a9a;--line:#e6e6e6;\n  --accent:#e1391b;--accent-dark:#b02a12;\n  --sans:\"Archivo\",Arial,sans-serif;--mono:\"Spline Sans Mono\",ui-monospace,monospace;\n  --zh:\"Noto Sans SC\",\"PingFang SC\",\"Microsoft YaHei\",sans-serif;\n  max-width:1040px;margin:0 auto;color:var(--ink);background:var(--bg);\n  font-family:var(--sans);font-size:17px;line-height:1.7;\n}\n.tzl-page *{box-sizing:border-box}\n.tzl-page a{color:var(--accent);text-decoration:none;border-bottom:1px solid rgba(225,57,27,.35)}\n.tzl-page a:hover{color:var(--ink);border-bottom-color:var(--ink)}\n.tzl-hero{position:relative;background:var(--bg);padding:40px 0 36px;margin:8px 0;overflow:hidden;border-top:2px solid var(--ink)}\n.tzl-kicker{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:12px;margin:0 0 18px;font-family:var(--mono);font-size:12px;letter-spacing:.06em;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--accent);font-weight:500}\n.tzl-kicker:before{content:\"\";width:28px;height:2px;background:var(--accent)}\n.tzl-hero h2{font-family:var(--sans);font-weight:900;font-size:clamp(32px,5vw,52px);line-height:1.02;letter-spacing:-.03em;text-transform:uppercase;margin:0 0 18px}\n.tzl-hero h2 em{color:var(--accent);font-style:normal}\n.tzl-hero p{max-width:62ch;margin:0 0 14px;color:var(--grey);font-size:17px;line-height:1.6}\n.tzl-section{position:relative;padding:48px 0 0;margin:0 0 4px;border-top:2px solid var(--ink)}\n.tzl-section h2{font-family:var(--sans);font-weight:800;font-size:clamp(24px,3vw,36px);line-height:1.08;letter-spacing:-.02em;margin:0 0 18px}\n.tzl-section h3{font-weight:700;font-size:20px;line-height:1.25;margin:26px 0 10px;letter-spacing:-.01em}\n.tzl-section p{margin:0 0 18px;color:var(--soft)}\n.tzl-section ul,.tzl-section ol{margin:0 0 22px 22px;color:var(--soft)}\n.tzl-section li{margin:0 0 8px}\n.tzl-card-grid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,minmax(0,1fr));gap:14px;margin:26px 0 32px}\n.tzl-card-grid.two{grid-template-columns:repeat(2,minmax(0,1fr))}\n.tzl-card{background:var(--bg);border:1px solid var(--line);padding:22px 20px;min-height:130px;transition:border-color .15s}\n.tzl-card:hover{border-color:var(--accent)}\n.tzl-card .label{display:block;font-family:var(--mono);font-size:11px;letter-spacing:.06em;text-transform:uppercase;color:var(--accent);font-weight:500;margin-bottom:8px}\n.tzl-card strong{display:block;font-size:20px;font-weight:800;letter-spacing:-.01em;margin-bottom:8px;color:var(--ink)}\n.tzl-card p{font-size:14px;line-height:1.55;margin:0;color:var(--soft)}\n.tzl-note{background:#fafafa;border-left:3px solid var(--accent);padding:20px 24px;margin:24px 0 30px;color:var(--soft);font-size:16px;line-height:1.7}\n.tzl-table{width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;margin:20px 0 32px;font-size:15px}\n.tzl-table th{font-family:var(--mono);font-size:11px;letter-spacing:.06em;text-transform:uppercase;padding:10px 14px;background:var(--ink);color:#fff;text-align:left;font-weight:500}\n.tzl-table td{padding:10px 14px;border-bottom:1px solid var(--line);color:var(--soft)}\n.tzl-table tr:hover td{background:#fafafa}\n.tzl-cta{border:2px solid var(--ink);padding:28px 30px;margin:40px 0;display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;gap:20px;flex-wrap:wrap}\n.tzl-cta p{margin:0;color:var(--soft);font-size:16px}\n.tzl-cta a.btn{background:var(--accent);color:#fff;font-weight:900;font-size:13px;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:.05em;padding:12px 22px;border:0;text-decoration:none;white-space:nowrap}\n.tzl-cta a.btn:hover{background:var(--accent-dark)}\n@media(max-width:680px){.tzl-card-grid{grid-template-columns:1fr}.tzl-card-grid.two{grid-template-columns:1fr}.tzl-cta{flex-direction:column}}\nhtml.tzl-dark section.tzl-card{background:var(--bg)!important}\r\n<\/style>\n\n  <div class=\"tzl-wrap\">\n    <section class=\"tzl-hero\">\n      <div class=\"tzl-mark\">\u5e72<\/div>\n      <div class=\"tzl-kicker\">Calendar system \u00b7 \u5e72\u652f<\/div>\n      <h1>Heavenly Stems &amp; Earthly Branches<\/h1>\n      <p>\n        Behind the 12 Chinese zodiac animals is an older counting system: the 10 Heavenly Stems and the 12 Earthly Branches. Together they form the 60-year cycle used in traditional Chinese calendar labels, zodiac years, element names, and timekeeping.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>The idea in one minute<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        If the 12 zodiac animals are the part most English readers recognize, Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are the structure underneath. The stem gives the element layer. The branch gives the animal layer. When a stem and a branch are paired, they create a year label such as <em>Ji\u01cech\u00e9n<\/em> \u7532\u8fb0, known in plain zodiac language as a Wood Dragon year.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-system-grid\">\n        <div class=\"tzl-system\">\n          <strong>Heavenly Stems<\/strong>\n          <span>Ti\u0101ng\u0101n \u00b7 \u5929\u5e72<\/span>\n          <p>10 signs: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui. They connect with yin-yang and the Five Elements.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"tzl-system\">\n          <strong>Earthly Branches<\/strong>\n          <span>D\u00eczh\u012b \u00b7 \u5730\u652f<\/span>\n          <p>12 signs: Zi through Hai. They connect with the 12 zodiac animals, months, hours, and directions.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"tzl-system\">\n          <strong>60-year cycle<\/strong>\n          <span>Li\u00f9sh\u00ed Ji\u01cez\u01d0 \u00b7 \u516d\u5341\u7532\u5b50<\/span>\n          <p>The 10 stems and 12 branches pair in order. The full set returns to the start after 60 combinations.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-note\">\n        <strong>Useful shortcut:<\/strong><br>\n        Animal comes from the Earthly Branch. Element comes from the Heavenly Stem. The full zodiac year needs both.\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>Stem-branch year calculator<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        Enter a Gregorian year to see the stem, branch, animal, element, yin-yang quality, and position in the 60-year cycle. For January or February birthdays, remember to check whether the birthday happened before Chinese New Year.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-tool\">\n        <div class=\"tzl-tool-inner\">\n          <label for=\"tzlGanzhiYear\">Year<\/label>\n          <input id=\"tzlGanzhiYear\" type=\"number\" min=\"1900\" max=\"2100\" placeholder=\"e.g. 2024\">\n\n          <label for=\"tzlGanzhiBoundary\">Was the birthday before Chinese New Year?<\/label>\n          <select id=\"tzlGanzhiBoundary\">\n            <option value=\"no\">No \/ not relevant, use this year<\/option>\n            <option value=\"yes\">Yes, use the previous lunar year<\/option>\n          <\/select>\n\n          <br>\n          <button type=\"button\" onclick=\"tzlGanzhiCalc()\">Calculate stem-branch<\/button>\n          <div id=\"tzlGanzhiResult\" class=\"tzl-result\" style=\"display:none;\"><\/div>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-note\">\n        <strong>Boundary note:<\/strong><br>\n        This tool gives the cycle label for the year you enter. If the birthday is in January or February, the zodiac year may still belong to the previous lunar year. Check the Chinese New Year boundary before using the result for a birth chart or zodiac reading.\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>The 10 Heavenly Stems<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        The Heavenly Stems are a set of ten signs. In modern zodiac explanations, they are most useful because they tell you the element and yin-yang layer of a year.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-table-wrap\">\n        <table class=\"tzl-table\">\n          <thead>\n            <tr>\n              <th>Order<\/th>\n              <th>Stem<\/th>\n              <th>Pinyin<\/th>\n              <th>Element<\/th>\n              <th>Yin \/ Yang<\/th>\n              <th>Plain-English note<\/th>\n            <\/tr>\n          <\/thead>\n          <tbody>\n            <tr><td>1<\/td><td>\u7532<\/td><td>Ji\u01ce<\/td><td>Wood \u6728<\/td><td>Yang<\/td><td>Often read as outward, upright, growing Wood.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>2<\/td><td>\u4e59<\/td><td>Y\u01d0<\/td><td>Wood \u6728<\/td><td>Yin<\/td><td>Often read as flexible, bending, refined Wood.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>3<\/td><td>\u4e19<\/td><td>B\u01d0ng<\/td><td>Fire \u706b<\/td><td>Yang<\/td><td>Often read as bright, visible, outward Fire.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>4<\/td><td>\u4e01<\/td><td>D\u012bng<\/td><td>Fire \u706b<\/td><td>Yin<\/td><td>Often read as smaller, focused, lamp-like Fire.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>5<\/td><td>\u620a<\/td><td>W\u00f9<\/td><td>Earth \u571f<\/td><td>Yang<\/td><td>Often read as solid, mountain-like Earth.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>6<\/td><td>\u5df1<\/td><td>J\u01d0<\/td><td>Earth \u571f<\/td><td>Yin<\/td><td>Often read as cultivated, field-like Earth.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>7<\/td><td>\u5e9a<\/td><td>G\u0113ng<\/td><td>Metal \u91d1<\/td><td>Yang<\/td><td>Often read as firm, raw, decisive Metal.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>8<\/td><td>\u8f9b<\/td><td>X\u012bn<\/td><td>Metal \u91d1<\/td><td>Yin<\/td><td>Often read as refined, precise, jewel-like Metal.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>9<\/td><td>\u58ec<\/td><td>R\u00e9n<\/td><td>Water \u6c34<\/td><td>Yang<\/td><td>Often read as large, flowing, river-like Water.<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>10<\/td><td>\u7678<\/td><td>Gu\u01d0<\/td><td>Water \u6c34<\/td><td>Yin<\/td><td>Often read as gentle, hidden, rain-like Water.<\/td><\/tr>\n          <\/tbody>\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>The 12 Earthly Branches and zodiac animals<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        The Earthly Branches are the part that connects directly with the 12 animals. When people say \u201cRat year\u201d or \u201cDragon year,\u201d they are using the animal name attached to the branch.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-table-wrap\">\n        <table class=\"tzl-table\">\n          <thead>\n            <tr>\n              <th>Order<\/th>\n              <th>Branch<\/th>\n              <th>Pinyin<\/th>\n              <th>Animal<\/th>\n              <th>Chinese animal<\/th>\n              <th>Traditional hour<\/th>\n            <\/tr>\n          <\/thead>\n          <tbody>\n            <tr><td>1<\/td><td>\u5b50<\/td><td>Z\u01d0<\/td><td>Rat<\/td><td>\u9f20 sh\u01d4<\/td><td>23:00\u201300:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>2<\/td><td>\u4e11<\/td><td>Ch\u01d2u<\/td><td>Ox<\/td><td>\u725b ni\u00fa<\/td><td>01:00\u201302:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>3<\/td><td>\u5bc5<\/td><td>Y\u00edn<\/td><td>Tiger<\/td><td>\u864e h\u01d4<\/td><td>03:00\u201304:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>4<\/td><td>\u536f<\/td><td>M\u01ceo<\/td><td>Rabbit<\/td><td>\u5154 t\u00f9<\/td><td>05:00\u201306:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>5<\/td><td>\u8fb0<\/td><td>Ch\u00e9n<\/td><td>Dragon<\/td><td>\u9f99 l\u00f3ng<\/td><td>07:00\u201308:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>6<\/td><td>\u5df3<\/td><td>S\u00ec<\/td><td>Snake<\/td><td>\u86c7 sh\u00e9<\/td><td>09:00\u201310:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>7<\/td><td>\u5348<\/td><td>W\u01d4<\/td><td>Horse<\/td><td>\u9a6c m\u01ce<\/td><td>11:00\u201312:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>8<\/td><td>\u672a<\/td><td>W\u00e8i<\/td><td>Goat<\/td><td>\u7f8a y\u00e1ng<\/td><td>13:00\u201314:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>9<\/td><td>\u7533<\/td><td>Sh\u0113n<\/td><td>Monkey<\/td><td>\u7334 h\u00f3u<\/td><td>15:00\u201316:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>10<\/td><td>\u9149<\/td><td>Y\u01d2u<\/td><td>Rooster<\/td><td>\u9e21 j\u012b<\/td><td>17:00\u201318:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>11<\/td><td>\u620c<\/td><td>X\u016b<\/td><td>Dog<\/td><td>\u72d7 g\u01d2u<\/td><td>19:00\u201320:59<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>12<\/td><td>\u4ea5<\/td><td>H\u00e0i<\/td><td>Pig<\/td><td>\u732a zh\u016b<\/td><td>21:00\u201322:59<\/td><\/tr>\n          <\/tbody>\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>How the 60-year cycle works<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        The cycle begins with \u7532\u5b50 <em>Ji\u01cez\u01d0<\/em>. The next pair is \u4e59\u4e11 <em>Y\u01d0ch\u01d2u<\/em>, then \u4e19\u5bc5 <em>B\u01d0ngy\u00edn<\/em>. The stem advances one step and the branch advances one step at the same time. Because there are 10 stems and 12 branches, they do not return to the same pairing until 60 steps later.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <p>\n        This is why the zodiac animal repeats every 12 years, but the complete animal + element label repeats every 60 years. A Dragon year comes every 12 years. A Wood Dragon year comes every 60 years.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-mini-grid\">\n        <div class=\"tzl-mini\">\n          <strong>12-year animal loop<\/strong>\n          <p>Rat to Pig repeats every 12 years through the Earthly Branches.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"tzl-mini\">\n          <strong>10-stem element loop<\/strong>\n          <p>Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water repeat through the 10 stems.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n\n        <div class=\"tzl-mini\">\n          <strong>60-year full loop<\/strong>\n          <p>Stem + branch returns to the same pair only after 60 combinations.<\/p>\n        <\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>First 12 pairs in the cycle<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        The full cycle has 60 pairs. These first 12 show how the pattern moves: stem forward, branch forward, animal forward.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-table-wrap\">\n        <table class=\"tzl-table\">\n          <thead>\n            <tr>\n              <th>Cycle #<\/th>\n              <th>Pair<\/th>\n              <th>Pinyin<\/th>\n              <th>Animal<\/th>\n              <th>Element label<\/th>\n            <\/tr>\n          <\/thead>\n          <tbody>\n            <tr><td>1<\/td><td>\u7532\u5b50<\/td><td>Ji\u01cez\u01d0<\/td><td>Rat<\/td><td>Wood Rat<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>2<\/td><td>\u4e59\u4e11<\/td><td>Y\u01d0ch\u01d2u<\/td><td>Ox<\/td><td>Wood Ox<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>3<\/td><td>\u4e19\u5bc5<\/td><td>B\u01d0ngy\u00edn<\/td><td>Tiger<\/td><td>Fire Tiger<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>4<\/td><td>\u4e01\u536f<\/td><td>D\u012bngm\u01ceo<\/td><td>Rabbit<\/td><td>Fire Rabbit<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>5<\/td><td>\u620a\u8fb0<\/td><td>W\u00f9ch\u00e9n<\/td><td>Dragon<\/td><td>Earth Dragon<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>6<\/td><td>\u5df1\u5df3<\/td><td>J\u01d0s\u00ec<\/td><td>Snake<\/td><td>Earth Snake<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>7<\/td><td>\u5e9a\u5348<\/td><td>G\u0113ngw\u01d4<\/td><td>Horse<\/td><td>Metal Horse<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>8<\/td><td>\u8f9b\u672a<\/td><td>X\u012bnw\u00e8i<\/td><td>Goat<\/td><td>Metal Goat<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>9<\/td><td>\u58ec\u7533<\/td><td>R\u00e9nsh\u0113n<\/td><td>Monkey<\/td><td>Water Monkey<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>10<\/td><td>\u7678\u9149<\/td><td>Gu\u01d0y\u01d2u<\/td><td>Rooster<\/td><td>Water Rooster<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>11<\/td><td>\u7532\u620c<\/td><td>Ji\u01cex\u016b<\/td><td>Dog<\/td><td>Wood Dog<\/td><\/tr>\n            <tr><td>12<\/td><td>\u4e59\u4ea5<\/td><td>Y\u01d0h\u00e0i<\/td><td>Pig<\/td><td>Wood Pig<\/td><\/tr>\n          <\/tbody>\n        <\/table>\n      <\/div>\n\n      <div class=\"tzl-note\">\n        The cycle does not reset when the animal list reaches Pig. The stems continue too, which is why the next Rat year is not always the same element.\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>Why this matters for Chinese zodiac pages<\/h2>\n      <p>\n        A simple zodiac chart may only show animals. That is fine for a quick answer, but it hides the deeper label. In traditional year naming, the animal is only the branch side. The stem side gives the element and yin-yang quality.\n      <\/p>\n\n      <p>\n        This is why The Zodiac Lore usually writes a year as animal + element when the page needs precision: Fire Horse, Wood Dragon, Earth Tiger, Metal Rat, Water Rabbit. These are not random style choices. They come from the stem-branch pairing.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>Common mistakes<\/h2>\n      <ul>\n        <li><strong>Thinking the zodiac is only 12 animals.<\/strong> The animals come from the 12 Earthly Branches, but the full year label also includes a Heavenly Stem.<\/li>\n        <li><strong>Calling the element \u201cthe animal\u2019s element.\u201d<\/strong> The element comes from the stem of that year, not from the animal itself.<\/li>\n        <li><strong>Forgetting the 60-year cycle.<\/strong> The animal repeats every 12 years, but the full stem-branch label repeats every 60 years.<\/li>\n        <li><strong>Using January 1 for birth-year results.<\/strong> For January and February birthdays, check the Chinese New Year boundary first.<\/li>\n      <\/ul>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card tzl-faq\">\n      <h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n\n      <details>\n        <summary>What are Heavenly Stems?<\/summary>\n        <p>Heavenly Stems, or Ti\u0101ng\u0101n \u5929\u5e72, are ten traditional signs: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. In zodiac-year explanations, they are closely tied to the Five Elements and yin-yang layer.<\/p>\n      <\/details>\n\n      <details>\n        <summary>What are Earthly Branches?<\/summary>\n        <p>Earthly Branches, or D\u00eczh\u012b \u5730\u652f, are twelve traditional signs: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. They connect with the 12 zodiac animals.<\/p>\n      <\/details>\n\n      <details>\n        <summary>Why is the cycle 60 years?<\/summary>\n        <p>The system pairs 10 Heavenly Stems with 12 Earthly Branches in order. Because 10 and 12 meet again at 60, the full stem-branch cycle contains 60 combinations.<\/p>\n      <\/details>\n\n      <details>\n        <summary>Does the animal come from the stem or the branch?<\/summary>\n        <p>The animal comes from the Earthly Branch. For example, Chen \u8fb0 is associated with Dragon, and Wu \u5348 is associated with Horse.<\/p>\n      <\/details>\n\n      <details>\n        <summary>Where does the element come from?<\/summary>\n        <p>The element comes from the Heavenly Stem. Jia and Yi are Wood, Bing and Ding are Fire, Wu and Ji are Earth, Geng and Xin are Metal, and Ren and Gui are Water.<\/p>\n      <\/details>\n\n      <details>\n        <summary>Is this the same as a full BaZi chart?<\/summary>\n        <p>No. This page explains the stem-branch system behind zodiac years. A full BaZi chart uses year, month, day, and hour pillars.<\/p>\n      <\/details>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>Next steps<\/h2>\n      <div class=\"tzl-links\">\n        <a class=\"tzl-link\" href=\"\/learn-five-elements\/\">\n          <strong>The Five Elements<\/strong>\n          Understand Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water.\n          <span>Explore elements \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n\n        <a class=\"tzl-link\" href=\"\/zodiac-element-combinations\/\">\n          <strong>60-year cycle guide<\/strong>\n          See how the full cycle repeats.\n          <span>Open guide \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n\n        <a class=\"tzl-link\" href=\"\/january-february-zodiac\/\">\n          <strong>January \/ February rule<\/strong>\n          Check the Lunar New Year boundary.\n          <span>Read the rule \u2192<\/span>\n        <\/a>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/section>\n\n    <section class=\"tzl-card\">\n      <h2>Editorial note<\/h2>\n      <p class=\"tzl-source-note\">\n        This page explains Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for zodiac and calendar learners. It is a cultural and educational guide, not a complete BaZi or fortune-telling system. For birth-year results near January or February, The Zodiac Lore checks the Chinese New Year boundary before assigning an animal and element label.\n      <\/p>\n    <\/section>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <script>\n    function tzlGanzhiCalc(){\n      var yearValue = document.getElementById('tzlGanzhiYear').value;\n      var boundary = document.getElementById('tzlGanzhiBoundary').value;\n      var box = document.getElementById('tzlGanzhiResult');\n      var y = parseInt(yearValue, 10);\n\n      if(!y || y < 1900 || y > 2100){\n        box.style.display = 'block';\n        box.innerHTML = 'Please enter a year between 1900 and 2100.';\n        return;\n      }\n\n      var readingYear = boundary === 'yes' ? y - 1 : y;\n\n      var stems = [\n        {hanzi:'\u7532', pinyin:'Ji\u01ce', element:'Wood', elementZh:'\u6728', yinYang:'Yang'},\n        {hanzi:'\u4e59', pinyin:'Y\u01d0', element:'Wood', elementZh:'\u6728', yinYang:'Yin'},\n        {hanzi:'\u4e19', pinyin:'B\u01d0ng', element:'Fire', elementZh:'\u706b', yinYang:'Yang'},\n        {hanzi:'\u4e01', pinyin:'D\u012bng', element:'Fire', elementZh:'\u706b', yinYang:'Yin'},\n        {hanzi:'\u620a', pinyin:'W\u00f9', element:'Earth', elementZh:'\u571f', yinYang:'Yang'},\n        {hanzi:'\u5df1', pinyin:'J\u01d0', element:'Earth', elementZh:'\u571f', yinYang:'Yin'},\n        {hanzi:'\u5e9a', pinyin:'G\u0113ng', element:'Metal', elementZh:'\u91d1', yinYang:'Yang'},\n        {hanzi:'\u8f9b', pinyin:'X\u012bn', element:'Metal', elementZh:'\u91d1', yinYang:'Yin'},\n        {hanzi:'\u58ec', pinyin:'R\u00e9n', element:'Water', elementZh:'\u6c34', yinYang:'Yang'},\n        {hanzi:'\u7678', pinyin:'Gu\u01d0', element:'Water', elementZh:'\u6c34', yinYang:'Yin'}\n      ];\n\n      var branches = [\n        {hanzi:'\u5b50', pinyin:'Z\u01d0', animal:'Rat', animalZh:'\u9f20'},\n        {hanzi:'\u4e11', pinyin:'Ch\u01d2u', animal:'Ox', animalZh:'\u725b'},\n        {hanzi:'\u5bc5', pinyin:'Y\u00edn', animal:'Tiger', animalZh:'\u864e'},\n        {hanzi:'\u536f', pinyin:'M\u01ceo', animal:'Rabbit', animalZh:'\u5154'},\n        {hanzi:'\u8fb0', pinyin:'Ch\u00e9n', animal:'Dragon', animalZh:'\u9f99'},\n        {hanzi:'\u5df3', pinyin:'S\u00ec', animal:'Snake', animalZh:'\u86c7'},\n        {hanzi:'\u5348', pinyin:'W\u01d4', animal:'Horse', animalZh:'\u9a6c'},\n        {hanzi:'\u672a', pinyin:'W\u00e8i', animal:'Goat', animalZh:'\u7f8a'},\n        {hanzi:'\u7533', pinyin:'Sh\u0113n', animal:'Monkey', animalZh:'\u7334'},\n        {hanzi:'\u9149', pinyin:'Y\u01d2u', animal:'Rooster', animalZh:'\u9e21'},\n        {hanzi:'\u620c', pinyin:'X\u016b', animal:'Dog', animalZh:'\u72d7'},\n        {hanzi:'\u4ea5', pinyin:'H\u00e0i', animal:'Pig', animalZh:'\u732a'}\n      ];\n\n      var stemIndex = ((readingYear - 4) % 10 + 10) % 10;\n      var branchIndex = ((readingYear - 4) % 12 + 12) % 12;\n      var cycleIndex = ((readingYear - 4) % 60 + 60) % 60 + 1;\n\n      var stem = stems[stemIndex];\n      var branch = branches[branchIndex];\n\n      var boundaryNote = boundary === 'yes'\n        ? 'Because you selected \u201cbefore Chinese New Year,\u201d the reading uses ' + readingYear + ' instead of ' + y + '.'\n        : 'This result uses the entered Gregorian year. For January or February birthdays, check the Chinese New Year boundary.';\n\n      box.style.display = 'block';\n      box.innerHTML =\n        '<strong>' + readingYear + ' is ' + stem.hanzi + branch.hanzi + ' \u00b7 ' + stem.element + ' ' + branch.animal + '.<\/strong><br>' +\n        'Pinyin: ' + stem.pinyin + branch.pinyin.toLowerCase() + '<br>' +\n        'Heavenly Stem: ' + stem.hanzi + ' ' + stem.pinyin + ' \u00b7 ' + stem.yinYang + ' ' + stem.element + ' ' + stem.elementZh + '<br>' +\n        'Earthly Branch: ' + branch.hanzi + ' ' + branch.pinyin + ' \u00b7 ' + branch.animal + ' ' + branch.animalZh + '<br>' +\n        '60-year cycle position: #' + cycleIndex + '<br>' +\n        boundaryNote;\n    }\n  <\/script>\n\n  <script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n  {\n    \"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n    \"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\n    \"mainEntity\":[\n      {\n        \"@type\":\"Question\",\n        \"name\":\"What are Heavenly Stems?\",\n        \"acceptedAnswer\":{\n          \"@type\":\"Answer\",\n          \"text\":\"Heavenly Stems, or Tiangan, are ten traditional signs: Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui. In zodiac-year explanations, they are closely tied to the Five Elements and yin-yang layer.\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"@type\":\"Question\",\n        \"name\":\"What are Earthly Branches?\",\n        \"acceptedAnswer\":{\n          \"@type\":\"Answer\",\n          \"text\":\"Earthly Branches, or Dizhi, are twelve traditional signs: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. They connect with the 12 zodiac animals.\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"@type\":\"Question\",\n        \"name\":\"Why is the cycle 60 years?\",\n        \"acceptedAnswer\":{\n          \"@type\":\"Answer\",\n          \"text\":\"The system pairs 10 Heavenly Stems with 12 Earthly Branches in order. Because 10 and 12 meet again at 60, the full stem-branch cycle contains 60 combinations.\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"@type\":\"Question\",\n        \"name\":\"Does the animal come from the stem or the branch?\",\n        \"acceptedAnswer\":{\n          \"@type\":\"Answer\",\n          \"text\":\"The animal comes from the Earthly Branch. For example, Chen is associated with Dragon, and Wu is associated with Horse.\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"@type\":\"Question\",\n        \"name\":\"Where does the element come from?\",\n        \"acceptedAnswer\":{\n          \"@type\":\"Answer\",\n          \"text\":\"The element comes from the Heavenly Stem. Jia and Yi are Wood, Bing and Ding are Fire, Wu and Ji are Earth, Geng and Xin are Metal, and Ren and Gui are Water.\"\n        }\n      },\n      {\n        \"@type\":\"Question\",\n        \"name\":\"Is this the same as a full BaZi chart?\",\n        \"acceptedAnswer\":{\n          \"@type\":\"Answer\",\n          \"text\":\"No. This page explains the stem-branch system behind zodiac years. A full BaZi chart uses year, month, day, and hour pillars.\"\n        }\n      }\n    ]\n  }\n  <\/script>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u5e72 Calendar system \u00b7 \u5e72\u652f Heavenly Stems &amp; Earthly Branches Behind the 12 Chinese zodiac animals is an older counting system: the 10 Heavenly Stems and the 12 Earthly Branches. Together they form the 60-year cycle used in traditional Chinese calendar labels, zodiac years, element names, and timekeeping. The idea in one minute If the &#8230; <a title=\"Heavenly Stems &amp; Earthly Branches: The System Behind the Zodiac\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/learn-heavenly-stems-earthly-branches\/\" aria-label=\"En savoir plus sur Heavenly Stems &amp; Earthly Branches: The System Behind the Zodiac\">Lire plus<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"rank_math_title":"Heavenly Stems &amp; Earthly Branches: The System Behind the Zodiac","rank_math_description":"A clear explanation of the Heavenly Stems (\u5929\u5e72), Earthly Branches (\u5730\u652f), and how they combine with the 12 zodiac animals in the traditional Chinese calendar system.\n","rank_math_focus_keyword":"Heavenly Stems Earthly Branches Chinese zodiac","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-373","page","type-page","status-publish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=373"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/373\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3125,"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/373\/revisions\/3125"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thezodiaclore.com\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}