Gan

Gan – Heavenly Stem and Zhi – Earthly Branch

Also related to the 28 lunar houses are the ten Heavenly Stems, which reflect the energy of Heaven (Table 1) and the twelve Earthly Branches, which represent the energy of Earth (Table 2).

Nobody knows who invented the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. It is said that they existed even before the invention of the Chinese characters. Today, the symbols for the Stems and Branches are seen in the unearthed ancient Chinese oracle bones from the Shang Dynasty (1766 to 1111 BCE).

As noted in the tables below, a given Stem or Branch also contains the energy of one of the Five Elements. As a brief example, the first Heavenly Stem, Jia, contains the energy of Yang Wood. The first Earthly Branch, Zi, contains the energy of Yang Water.

Traditional Chinese astrology names each year according to its Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch. For instance, this year (2006) is called Bing Xu. Bing is the Heavenly Stem and it means Yang Fire. Xu is the Earthly Branch and it means Yang Earth. The astrological animal associated with Xu is the dog. This is the origin of those astrological animals on restaurant menus – they are a part of the Earthly Branch energy.

Naming years in this fashion functions not only to keep track of the year but also to characterize the energy of that time period. The energies of each month, date, or even time of day (in two-hour increments) are also reflected by a Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch.

Table 1. The Heavenly Stems

Direction & Spiritual Animal	East Blue-Green Dragon		South Red Bird		Center Yellow Phoenix		West White Tiger		North Turtle/ Snake
Heavenly Stem	甲 Jia	乙 Yi	丙 Bing	丁 Ding	戊 Wu	己 Ji	庚 Geng	辛 Xin	壬 Ren	癸 Gui
Brief Meaning	Initiating Pushing Surging A sprout breaking through the earth.	Flexibility with strength. Early growth with bendable branches. Moving around barriers.	Expanding life force. All things are clear and obvious.	New life fully grown. Everything is at its strongest.	Blooming, flourishing. Luxuriant growth.	Distinguish-able features develop. Things start to become hidden inside.	Fullness, ripeness. Beginning of reversal.	Withdrawal Harvest.	Yang energy begins again inside/under water/ earth.	Re-gathering the life force. Everything can be estimated.
Number	First	Second	Third	Fourth	Fifth	Sixth	Seventh	Eighth	Ninth	Tenth
Element	Yang Wood	Yin Wood	Yang Fire	Yin Fire	Yang Earth	Yin Earth	Yang Metal	Yin Metal	Yang Water	Yin Water
Season	Spring		Summer		Four seasons (harmonizing)		Autumn		Winter
Organ	Liver		Heart		Spleen		Lungs		Kidneys
Color	Green		Red		Yellow		White (Golden)		Black
Flavor	Sour		Bitter		Sweet		Spicy		Salty
Fruit	Plum		Apricot		Date		Peach		Chestnut
System	Nervous System		Circulatory System		Digestive System		Respiratory		Excretory
Body Layer	Nerves		Blood		Muscles		Skin		Bones

Table 2. The Earthly Branches

Direction

North

East

South

West

North

Earthly Branch

子
Zi

丑
Chou

寅
Yin

卯
Mao

辰
Chen

巳
Si

午
Wu

未
Wei

申
Shen

酉
You

戌
Xu

亥
Hai

Hidden Stems

癸

己, 辛, 癸

甲, 戊, 丙

乙

戊, 癸

丙,戊, 庚

丁

乙, 丁, 己

戊,庚, 壬

辛

丁,戊, 辛

甲, 壬

Brief Meaning

Yang hidden in Yin.
A seed about to grow.

Intertwining energy. Underground growth.

Advancing, moving forward.
A sprout stretching out of the earth.

Flourish Surge

The time of full awakening

Preparing for full ripeness

Against or reverse. Growth at its peak

Fully ripe. Uncertain,
not yet decided.

Stretch Expand Extend

Recollecting after a rich yield.
Fermentation

Retreat from the visible.

A seed awaiting the next growth cycle.

Number

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

Animal

Rat

Tiger

Rabbit

Dragon

Snake

Horse

Ram

Monkey

Rooster

Dog

Boar