Heavenly Stems

Ten signs for counting time. Each has an element and a polarity.

甲JiaYang wood, the first stem. Tradition pictures a tall tree.乙YiYin wood. Tradition pictures grass, flowers and climbing vines.丙BingYang fire. Tradition pictures the sun.丁DingYin fire. Tradition pictures a lamp or a candle.戊WuYang earth. Tradition pictures a high mountain or a wall.己JiYin earth. Tradition pictures soft, damp field soil.庚GengYang metal. Tradition pictures raw ore or a blade.辛XinYin metal. Tradition pictures jewellery and fine metal.壬RenYang water. Tradition pictures a great river.癸GuiYin water. Tradition pictures rain and dew.

The sixty-part cycle

Ten stems and twelve branches pair up, sixty pairs to a round.

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