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ViewThe birth date can be converted into corresponding Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, which align with celestial phenomena and the attributes of the Five Elements.
We all know that spring, summer, autumn, and winter are determined by the Earth’s position relative to the Sun at different times. The phases of the Moon are determined by the Moon's position relative to the Earth. Based on the distances of other planets in the solar system from Earth, those with the most gravitational influence on Earth are the surrounding planets:Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn.
Similar to the astrology developed later in the West, ancient Chinese wisdom also believed that a person is influenced by the surrounding environment at the time of embryonic formation, including the gravitational effects of nearby planets. However, astrology differentiates signs based on months, focusing only on the distance between Earth and the Sun. In contrast, ancient Chinese Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were derived from long-term observations of the Sun, Moon, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.
Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are an ancient Chinese calendrical system developed through long-term observation of celestial phenomena. There are 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches, forming a 60-year cycle. Below, we explain them in detail.
The 10 Heavenly Stems
Name | Jia | Yi | Bing | Ding | Wu | Ji | Geng | Xin | Ren | Gui | _ | _ |
Symbol | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | _ | _ |
Five Elements Attribute | Wood | Wood | Fire | Fire | Earth | Earth | Metal | Metal | Water | Water |
The 12 Earthly Branches
Name | Zi | Chou | Yin | Mao | Chen | Si | Wu | Wei | Shen | You | Xu | Hai |
Symbol | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
Five Elements Attribute | Water | Earth | Wood | Wood | Earth | Fire | Fire | Earth | Metal | Metal | Earth | Water |
Each Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch pair moves forward by one each year, resulting in: the first year is A1, the second year is B2, the third year is C3, and so on:
A1, B2, C3, D4, E5, F6, G7, H8, I9, J10
A11, B12, C1, D2 ……….
After reaching A1 again, it completes a 60-year cycle.
Why is the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches cycle 60 years?
The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system is a pattern developed by ancient Chinese people through long-term observation of planetary positions.
The Earth completes one orbit around the Sun in a year. Mercury orbits the Sun in 88 days, or 0.24 years. Venus takes 225 days to orbit the Sun, or 0.6 years. Mars takes 687 days, or approximately 2 years. Jupiter takes 4333 days, or about 12 years. Saturn takes 10760 days, or roughly 30 years to complete one orbit.
The least common multiple of these orbital periods is exactly 60 years. Through observation, it was found that every 60 years, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth align on the same side of the Sun, returning to their original positions.
This means that if two years fall within the same 60-year cycle, their gravitational influence on Earth is similar.
Example: Both 1956 and 2016 are Bing Shen years (C9, Fire and Metal). Observing celestial phenomena in these years yields similar results.
The Year Stem and Year Branch determine the current year in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system. For example, 2025 is Yi Si year (B6, Wood and Fire), the 42nd year in the 60-year cycle.
How to calculate Year Stem (current year's Heavenly Stem)?
Year Stem = Remainder of (current year - 3) ÷ 10
For example: (2016 - 3) ÷ 10, remainder is 3. So it is Bing (C).
The Heavenly Stems cycle repeats every 10 years.
How to calculate Year Branch (current year's Earthly Branch)?
Year Branch = Remainder of (current year - 3) ÷ 12
For example: (2016 - 3) ÷ 12, remainder is 9. So it is Shen (9).
The Earthly Branches cycle repeats every 12 years.
Year Stem and Year Branch describe the positions and gravitational relationships of Earth with other planets.
There are 12 months in a year, 720 months in 60 years. Thus, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches can be used to determine the month.
How to calculate Month Stem (current month's Heavenly Stem)?
The number of months is large, so we don’t count them sequentially from A1, B2, C3, etc. Instead, we use a direct formula:
Month Stem = Remainder of [(Year Stem x 2) ÷ 10 + current month] ÷ 10
For example: For May 2016, the Year Stem is 3.
Month Stem = (3 x 2) ÷ 10, remainder is 6; 6 + 5 = 11, remainder is 1, which is Jia (A, Wood).
How to calculate Month Branch (current month's Earthly Branch)?
There are exactly 12 Earthly Branches, which align perfectly with the 12 months and repeat continuously.
Month Branch = Remainder of (current month + 2) ÷ 12
For example: For May 2016,
Month Branch = (5 + 2) ÷ 12, remainder is 7, which corresponds to Wu (7, Fire).
So May 2016 is Jia Wu month.
The Month Stem and Month Branch describe the Earth's distance from the Sun, which affects seasons and environmental influence on a fetus.
In ancient China, the first month of the year began with the start of spring, typically in late January or early February, which is commonly known as the "Chinese New Year."
Additionally, in the Chinese lunar calendar, a month is calculated from one full moon to the next, lasting between 29 and 30 days. A full lunar year has only 354 or 355 days, differing from the 365 days of the solar calendar.
The Day Stem and Day Branch use the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches to calculate a specific date’s Five Elements attributes. For example, May 13, 2016, is Yi Wei day. This represents the position and gravitational influence of the Moon relative to Earth.
There are various methods to calculate the Day Stem and Day Branch, typically by finding the day difference from January 1, 1900. Divide by 10 to get the Day Stem and by 12 to get the Day Branch. We recommend using our calculator for direct results.
The Day Stem and Day Branch describe the relationship between the Earth and Moon on a given day, affecting lunar gravitational influence.
Time can also be represented with Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Similar to the Day Stem and Day Branch, calculating the Hour Stem requires finding the Day Stem first. Hour Branches are simpler to determine from a lookup table.
The Hour Stem and Hour Branch reflect the Earth's rotation, indicating sunlight’s effect on all things.
For example, a person born on May 13, 2016, at 5:00:
This person’s birthdate corresponds to Five Elements: 1 Metal, 3 Wood, 2 Fire, 2 Earth
It can be seen that this person lacks the Water element in their Five Elements attributes, which can be balanced by wearing jewelry with Water attributes. For example, they could wear our custom birthstone bracelet with the configuration (3 Water, 2 Metal, 1 Fire, 1 Earth, 1 Wood).
Learn more about how to optimize your Five Elements:
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