Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches天干與地支

The Building Blocks of Chinese Time中國時間體系的基石

For over 3,000 years, the Chinese calendar has tracked time using two parallel systems: the Heavenly Stems (天干, Tian Gan) and the Earthly Branches (地支, Di Zhi). Together, these 22 symbols form the backbone of Chinese astrology, Bazi, the Chinese zodiac, and traditional timekeeping.三千多年來，中國曆法一直透過兩個平行系統來記錄時間：天干（Tian Gan）與地支（Di Zhi）。這 22 個符號共同構成了中國占星術、八字、十二生肖以及傳統計時體系的脊樑。

Think of them as two gears: 10 teeth on one (Stems) and 12 teeth on the other (Branches). When they mesh together, they create a 60-position cycle known as the Sexagenary Cycle (六十甲子). Each year, month, day, and hour is assigned one Stem-Branch pair, and the cycle repeats every 60 iterations.可以把它們想像成兩個齒輪：一個有 10 個齒（天干），另一個有 12 個齒（地支）。當它們咬合運轉時，會形成一個 60 個位置的循環，即著名的 六十甲子。每年、月、日、時都會分配到一組干支，這個循環每 60 次重複一次。

In Bazi, your birth year, month, day, and hour each produce one Stem-Branch combination — giving you Four Pillars, or Eight Characters total. This is why Bazi is called "Eight Characters."在八字中，你的出生年、月、日、時各自產生一組干支組合——為你構成四柱，總共八個字。這就是為什麼八字被稱為「八字」。

The Ten Heavenly Stems (Tian Gan)十天干（Tian Gan）

The Heavenly Stems represent the Yang side of the calendar — the celestial, active, and Heavenly energy. Each stem carries one of the Five Elements in either its Yang or Yin form:天干代表曆法中的 陽 面——即天道的、主動的與上天的能量。每個天干都帶有 五行 之一的陽性或 陰 性形態：

The Twelve Earthly Branches (Di Zhi)十二地支（Di Zhi）

The Earthly Branches represent the Yin side — the terrestrial, receptive, and earthly energy. Each Branch corresponds to a Chinese zodiac animal, a season, a time of day, and a fixed element:地支代表陰的一面——屬於大地、具包容性且承載萬物的能量。每一個地支皆對應一個生肖、一個季節、一天中的某個時辰，以及一個固定的五行：

The twelve Earthly Branches also map to the twelve Chinese double-hours. Each Branch governs a two-hour window, and the hour of your birth determines your Hour Pillar in Bazi — which reveals information about your children, creative output, and later life.十二地支也對應到十二時辰。每個地支管轄兩小時的時間區間，而你的出生時辰決定了八字中的時柱——這揭示了關於你的子女、創造力產出以及晚年生活的資訊。

The Sexagenary Cycle (60 Jiazi)六十甲子週期（60 Jiazi）

When the 10 Stems and 12 Branches are paired together — one Stem with one Branch, advancing simultaneously — they create 60 unique combinations before the cycle repeats. This is the Sexagenary Cycle (六十甲子), also called the "60 Jiazi" after its first combination, Jia-Zi (甲子).當十天干與十二地支搭配組合——一個天干配對一個地支，同時往前推進——在週期重複之前會產生 60 組獨特的組合。這就是六十干支週期（六十甲子），因其第一個組合「甲子」（Jia-Zi）而又被稱為「60 甲子」。

Why 60 and not 120 (10 × 12)? Because Stems and Branches advance in lockstep, and since 10 and 12 share a common factor of 2, only half the combinations are possible. Specifically, Yang Stems only pair with Yang Branches, and Yin Stems only pair with Yin Branches. This means:為什麼是 60 而不是 120（10 × 12）？因為天干與地支是同步推進的，且由於 10 與 12 有公因數 2，因此只有一半的組合可能出現。具體而言，陽干只與陽支配對，而陰干只與陰支配對。這意味著：

• Jia (Yang) pairs with Zi (Yang) → Jia-Zi ✓甲（陽）與子（陽）配對 → 甲子 ✓
• Jia (Yang) with Chou (Yin) → never happens ✗甲（陽）與丑（陰）→ 絕不可能 ✗
• Yi (Yin) with Chou (Yin) → Yi-Chou ✓乙（陰）與丑（陰）→ 乙丑 ✓
• Yi (Yin) with Zi (Yang) → never happens ✗乙（陰）與子（陽）→ 絕不可能 ✗

The 60 combinations cycle through years, months, days, and hours simultaneously. For example, 2026 is the year Bing-Wu (丙午) — Yang Fire on Yang Fire, the Year of the Horse.這 60 組組合同時在年、月、日、時中循環。例如，2026 年是丙午年（Bing-Wu）——陽火重疊於陽火之上，即生肖馬年。

Nayin: The Musical Elements納音：音律五行

Beyond the basic Five Elements, each of the 60 Jiazi combinations has a Nayin (納音) element — a "musical" or "tonal" element with a poetic name. The Nayin system adds another layer of meaning to each Stem-Branch pair:除了基礎五行之外，六十甲子組合中的每一組都有一個納音五行——一種帶有詩意名稱的「音律」或「聲律」五行。納音系統為每組干支組合增添了另一層意涵：

• Gold in the Sea (Jia-Zi, Yi-Chou) — hidden value, deep reserves海中金（甲子、乙丑）——潛藏的價值、深厚的儲備
• Fire in the Furnace (Bing-Yin, Ding-Mao) — forged through pressure爐中火（丙寅、丁卯）——經壓力鍛造
• Wood of the Great Forest (Wu-Chen, Ji-Si) — collective strength大林木（戊辰、己巳）——集體力量
• Thunder Fire (Wu-Wu, Ji-Wei) — sudden illumination霹靂火（戊午、己未）——瞬間的照亮
• Gold in the Sand (Geng-Wu, Xin-Wei) — raw talent needing refinement沙中金（庚午、辛未）——需要琢磨的原生天賦
• Water of the Big River (Ren-Shen, Gui-You) — powerful, public flow大溪水（壬申、癸酉）——強勁浩蕩的奔流
• Wood of the Willow (Ren-Zi, Gui-Chou) — graceful, adaptable beauty楊柳木（壬子、癸丑）——優雅且具適應力的美感
• Metal of the Sword (Ren-Yin, Gui-Mao) — decisive, purposeful action劍鋒金（壬寅、癸卯）——果斷且明確的行動

Your Nayin element is based on your birth year's Jiazi pair. It describes the quality of your element rather than its type — like saying not just "Fire" but "Fire in a Furnace" or "Thunder Fire."您的納音五行取決於您出生年份的甲子組合。它描述的是您五行的特質而非類型——就像不只是說「火」，而是說「爐中火」或「霹靂火」。

How Stems and Branches Work in Bazi干支在八字中的運作方式

In your Bazi chart, each of the Four Pillars contains one Stem and one Branch:在您的八字命盤中，四柱中的每一柱都包含一干一支：

The Day Stem (Heavenly Stem of your Day Pillar) is the most important symbol in your chart. It is your Day Master — the element that represents "you." Everything else in your chart is interpreted in relation to this one symbol.日干（即日柱的天干）是你命盤中最關鍵的符號。它是你的日主——代表「你」本身的五行。命盤中的其他一切，都是圍繞著這個符號來進行解讀。

Stems, Branches, and the Five Elements天干、地支與五行

Both Stems and Branches carry Five Elements energy, but they interact differently:天干與地支皆帶有五行能量，但兩者的互動方式有所不同：

• Stem-Stem interactions — Heavenly Stems can combine (合), clash (沖), or generate each other天干與天干的互動——天干可以相合、相沖或彼此相生
• Branch-Branch interactions — Earthly Branches form combinations (三合, 六合), clashes (沖), and punishments (刑)地支與地支的互動——地支可形成相合（三合、六合）、相沖與相刑
• Stem-Branch interactions — The Stem sits on the Branch like Heaven sits on Earth; their elemental relationship reveals whether the pillar is "supported" or "drained"天干與地支的互動——天干坐於地支之上，猶如天立於地；兩者的五行關係揭示了該柱是獲得「生扶」還是被「洩耗」

For example, if your Day Stem is Jia (Wood) and your Day Branch is Hai (Water), the Water nourishes the Wood — this is a well-supported Day Master. But if Jia sits on Shen (Metal), the Metal attacks the Wood — this creates tension in the pillar.例如，若您的日干為甲（木），日支為亥（水），水能生木——這屬於得到良好滋養的日主。但若甲坐申（金），金剋木——這就會在單柱中形成緊張關係。

A System Older Than Astrology比占星學更古老的系統

The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches predate Bazi by centuries. They were originally used for date-keeping in the Shang Dynasty (around 1200 BCE), inscribed on oracle bones. Over time, philosophers and astrologers layered elemental, seasonal, and personality meanings onto this calendar system, turning a dating tool into a framework for understanding cosmic patterns.天干與地支的出現比八字早了數個世紀。它們最初在商朝（約西元前 1200 年）被刻於甲骨之上，用於紀日。隨著時間推移，哲學家與占星家將五行、季節和性格寓意層層融入這個曆法系統，將紀時工具轉變為理解宇宙規律的架構。

Today, the same 22 symbols still track time in the Chinese calendar, still form the foundation of Bazi readings, and still offer the same insight they offered 3,000 years ago: that time itself has quality, and the moment you were born carries a specific energetic signature.時至今日，這 22 個符號依然在農曆中記錄時間，構成八字命盤的基石，並提供與 3,000 年前相同的洞見：時間本身具有品質，而你出生的那一刻便攜帶著特定氣場印記。