Since the Han Dynasty, China has divided a day and night into twelve hours according to the time of the rising of the sun, and used the twelve earthly branches to record the twelve hours (big hours), each hour is equivalent to two hours, Such a day and night is what is now called twenty-four hours.
Earthly Branches
| Shichen | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Zi (子) | 23:00 ~ 01:00 | the first of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Chou (丑) | 01:00 ~ 03:00 | the 2nd of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Yin (寅) | 03:00 ~ 05:00 | the 3rd of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Mao (卯) | 05:00 ~ 07:00 | the 4th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Chen (辰) | 07:00 ~ 09:00 | the 5th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Si (巳) | 09:00 ~ 11:00 | the 6th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Wu (午) | 11:00 ~ 13:00 | the 7th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Wei (未) | 13:00 ~ 15:00 | the 8th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Shen (申) | 15:00 ~ 17:00 | the 9th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| You (酉) | 17:00 ~ 19:00 | the 10th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Xu (戌) | 19:00 ~ 21:00 | the 11th of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Hai (亥) | 21:00 ~ 23:00 | the last of the twelve Earthly Branches |
| Shichen | Time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Zi (子) | 23:00 ~ 01:00 | mice are most active at this time. |
| Chou (丑) | 01:00 ~ 03:00 | the cow is ruminating. It is also said to be the moment when the cows start ploughing the fields. |
| Yin (寅) | 03:00 ~ 05:00 | it is Yin Shi. At this time, tigers wander around for food and are the most ferocious. |
| Mao (卯) | 05:00 ~ 07:00 | At this time, the sun has not yet risen, and the moon is still hanging in the sky. At this time, the jade rabbit is busy making medicine in the moon. Human rabbits also began to come out for food. |
| Chen (辰) | 07:00 ~ 09:00 | it is a good time for the dragon to rain. |
| Si (巳) | 09:00 ~ 11:00 | the snakes began to come alive. |
| Wu (午) | 11:00 ~ 13:00 | the yang qi is in full swing, and it is noon, which is the time when the sky is unpredictable. |
| Wei (未) | 13:00 ~ 15:00 | it is the late season, when the sheep graze and grow stronger. |
| Shen (申) | 15:00 ~ 17:00 | it is Shen Shi, when the monkeys are active. |
| You (酉) | 17:00 ~ 19:00 | it is the unitary time, when night falls, the chickens begin to return to their nests. |
| Xu (戌) | 19:00 ~ 21:00 | at the time of Xu Shi, the dogs started vigil. |
| Hai (亥) | 21:00 ~ 23:00 | in the evening, it is Hai Shi. At this time, everything is silent, and the pig is snoring and sleeping. |