Earthly Branches (Dizhi 地支)
The twelve earthly branches (dizhi 地支) are the series of twelve signs that carry the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac and divide time into twelve parts. In order: Zi (Rat), Chou (Ox), Yin (Tiger), Mao (Rabbit), Chen (Dragon), Si (Snake), Wu (Horse), Wei (Goat), Shen (Monkey), You (Rooster), Xu (Dog), Hai (Pig). Each branch governs one year, one month, and one two-hour slot of the day, making it the underlying clock of the Ba Zi.
One series for year and hour alike
The elegant economy of this system is that a single series of twelve serves everywhere. Your birth year gives you your familiar animal, but your month and above all your hour each carry their own branch too. That is how a Tiger can hide inside a Rat, depending on the precise moment you came into the world.
The ground beneath the stems
They are called earthly because they form the ground, the stable, embodied part, on which the more mobile ten heavenly stems rest. When you read a pillar, the branch tells you the terrain, the inner season; the stem tells you the breath that animates it. Together they sketch one hour of destiny.
Sources
- , The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology (2005)