Earthly Branch 1 of 12
Rat子
The month of the winter solstice.
- Element
- Water
- Polarity
- Yang
- Lunar month
- 11
- Double hour
- 23–01
- Direction
- North
What it is
Yin at its deepest: hidden and quiet. The rat keeps out of sight.
In a chart
In a chart a branch sits under a stem in each pillar. The year branch gives the zodiac animal, and the month branch shows the season.
Relations
Three Harmonies with 申 Monkey, 辰 Loong. Six Harmonies with 丑 Ox. Clashes with 午 Horse. Harm with 未 Goat.
Sources Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu, vols. 1 and 6.