1. In the ancient Chinese calendar, Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai are called the "Twelve Earthly Branches". At least since the Han Dynasty, our country has divided day and night into twelve hours based on the time when the sun rises, and has used the twelve earthly branches to record these twelve hours (big hours). Each hour is equivalent to two hours. Such a day and night is what is now called twenty-four hours.
2. Rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, chicken, dog, and pig are called "zodiac signs" and are used to record the year.
3. The two cooperate with each other in a fixed order to form the Rat, the Chou Ox, the Yin Tiger, the Mao Rabbit, the Chen Dragon, the Si Snake, the Wu Horse, the Wei Sheep, the Shen Monkey, the Unitary Rooster, and the Xu Dog and pig are used to keep track of time.
Zi Shi: Midnight, also known as midnight and middle night, the first hour of the twelve o'clock. (23:00 to 01:00 Beijing time).
Chou hour: Rooster crows, also known as wild chicken, the second hour of the twelve o'clock. (01:00 to 03:00 Beijing time).
Yinshi: Pingdan, also known as dawn, morning, Ridan, etc., is the transition between night and day. (03:00 to 05:00 Beijing time).
Mao hour: sunrise, also known as sunrise, dawn, rising sun, etc., refers to the period when the sun just shows its face and rises. (05:00 to 07:00 Beijing time).
Chenshi: Eating time, also known as breakfast time, etc. The time when the ancients "eat in the morning" was also the time for breakfast. (07:00 to 09:00 Beijing time).
Sishi: Yuzhong, also known as Riyu, etc. It is called Yuzhong when it is close to noon. (09:00 to 11:00 Beijing time).
Noon hour: Rizhong, also known as Rizheng, noon, etc. (11:00 to 13:00 Beijing time).
Wei Shi: 日昳, also known as 日 Fall, 日中, etc. When the sun is westward, it is 日 Fall. (13:00 to 15:00 Beijing time).
Shenshi: Feeding time, also known as day shop, evening food, etc. (15:00 to 17:00 Beijing time).
Youshi: sunrise, also known as sunset, sunset, and evening, meaning the time when the sun sets. (17:00 to 19:00 Beijing time).
Xu Shi: dusk, also known as sundown, sundown, sundown, etc. At this time, the sun has set and the sky will be dark. The sky and the earth are dim and everything is hazy, so it is called dusk. (19:00 to 21:00 Beijing time).
Haishi: Rending, also known as Dinghui, etc.: At this time, the night is deep, and people have stopped moving and are sleeping. A person's concentration is also a person's tranquility. (21:00 to 23:00 Beijing time).
Extended information:
1. The meaning of "Twelve Earthly Branches":
"Zi" means "zi", which means that all things sprout and move. Yang Qi is lower; "Chou" is the knot, and the Yang Qi has not descended above; "Yin" means shifting, which means Yin Ran, which means that all things are born in Yin Ran; "Mao" means Mao, which means that all things are lush; "Chen" is Zhen means things that vibrate and grow; "Si" means Qi, which refers to the prosperity of Yang Qi; "Wu" means Wu, which means that all things are grand and densely covered with branches; "Wei" means taste, and all things have taste; "Shen" means body, indicating that the body of all things has been completed; "You" means old, the oldness of all things; "Xu" means destruction, all things are destroyed; "Hai" means core, all things collect.
2. The selection and arrangement of the twelve zodiac signs are determined based on the animals’ daily activity times:
1) From 11 pm to 1 am is the Zi time, when the rat The most active, so it is called "Zi Mo".
2) From 1 to 3 in the morning, it is the ugly time, when the cow is chewing cud, and it is also the time when the cow starts to plow the fields, so it is called "ugly cow".
3) From three to five o'clock in the morning, it is Yin time. At this time, tigers wander around looking for food and are the most ferocious, so it is called "Yin tiger".
4) From 5 a.m. to 7 a.m., it is Mao hour. The sun has not yet risen and the moon is still hanging in the sky. At this time, the Jade Rabbit is busy pounding medicine. Human rabbits also began to come out to look for food, hence the name "Mao Rabbit".
5) From 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., it is Chen hour. This is a good time for the dragon to make rain, so it is called "Chen dragon".
6) From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., it is Si hour, and the snake becomes active, so it is called "Si snake".
7) From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., when Yang Qi is in full swing, it is the noon hour. It is the time when the Heavenly Horse moves in the sky, so it is called "Wuma".
8) One to three o'clock in the afternoon is the "Wei" time. Sheep eating grass at this time will grow stronger, so it is called "Wei Sheep".
9) From 3 pm to 5 pm, it is Shen time. At this time, monkeys become active, so it is called "Shen monkey".
10) From 5 pm to 7 pm, it is the unitary hour. As night falls, the chickens begin to return to their nests, so it is called "unitary chicken".
11) From 7 pm to 9 pm, it is Xu hour, and dogs start to keep vigil, so it is called "Xu dog".
12) From 9 pm to 11 pm, it is Hai hour. At this time, everything is silent and the pigs are snoring, so it is called "Hai pig".
3. The zodiac, also known as the zodiac sign, is the twelve animals used by some ethnic groups in China and East Asia to represent the year and the year of a person's birth. The zodiac cycle is 12 years. Everyone has an animal as their zodiac sign in the year of their birth. The twelve zodiac signs are rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig, which are assigned to the twelve earthly branches in turn. They are the Chinese folk method of calculating age and an ancient dating method. , also known as the twelve zodiac signs.
Reference materials:
Chinese Classic Literature Network: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches Twelve Zodiac Signs
Baidu Encyclopedia - Twelve Earthly Branches and Zodiac Signs