The beginning of how people invented the system of the Tin Gon 天干 and the Dei Jee 地支 in the past is rarely known even by most masters nowadays. It is a very confusing journey to find out how it all comes together. Now, we will bring you back in time again and tell you all about it!

What is Dei-Jee 地支, the earthling branches

Everything starts from the measurement of the Gwai Biu 圭表 which is what we talked about in the first lesson. This is the tool that was used to measure the day of the year by observing the length of the shadow on the measuring line. First, the people also invented a method to check the time and direction by using a stick which is like this:

This method is also founded by some other cultures as well in the later years. This is just the most basic foundational way to check the time and direction. The theory is simple:

nag

The ancient Chinese found that the sun always rise from the east and sets in the west, but it is not "exactly" east and west. In the northern hemisphere, the sun will due south where at highest point in the sky. Where as in the southern hemisphere, the sun will due north where at the highest point in the sky. So in the northern hemisphere, the semi circle shadow from the stick will move clockwise. In the southern hemisphere it will move counterclockwise. So with practice, people can now determine the time and directions by using a stick! If you can see from the above diagram, it's quite easy if you spend a few days playing with the game. Now, because people then draw lines out from the center and do their markings on the ground, it looks like the stick is growing out roots to all directions... and so this became the "branches" which is "grown on the ground" 地支.

In the dark, people can observe the "Big Dipper" and work their way on the same diagram with the "branches" on the ground. The pattern is simple, but now let's take a look at the big dipper star:

In the ancient time, the sky is very dark at night and stars are much more vivid and bright because there are not much lights on earth and there are no streetlights as well. Therefore, people can see very clearly that these stars are glowing above. The wise men found the pattern:

That is when the big dipper's handle is pointing east, it is spring time.

When the handle is pointing south, it is summer time.

When the handle is pointing west, it is autumn time.

When the handle is pointing north, it is winter time.

With the help of the Gwai Biu 圭表 and the stick method and all that, the Chinese now can see a pattern and set the 12 sections to the full circular diagram which became the 12 Dei-Jee, the earthling branches. As you can see now in the diagram below:

deijee yatkwai

The 12 Dei-Jee 地支 was then used to define time as well using a tool like the one on the right which we already introduced in the past lesson. So this is the foundation and the graph (pattern) layout of the 12 dei-jee. The zero point or the starting point is 子 which you can see is located in the center on the bottom line. This period is 11pm-1am and each branch have 2 hours in between. So that concludes the 24 hours in a day. In the past, there is a saying that a day starts from the 寅 instead of 子 because of the sun-rise that starts around the 寅 period as well. (3-5am).

The Dei-Jee also is now systemized and grouped to be used like a set of "number" or "rank" or "cycle". This is what each of the Dei-Jee means:

子 (Ji) , which means it is starting with vital energy
丑 (Chau), which is the twisting point of life
寅 (Yan), which is the period when things grew to a form and born into "something"
卯 (Maau), which is when things blossoms and grow, like trees get leafy.
辰 (Sun), which is to extend and expand, like trees grow taller
巳 (Jee), which is to grow to the maximum point, the max point of the Yang energy.
午 (Ng / Um), meaning things start to change direction and start to decline
未 (Mei), is the end, things starting to die out..
申 (Son), the time to harvest
酉 (Yau), plants gets old and die out
戌 (Sut), totally dead and the yin energy to the extreme
亥 (Hoi), things turn back to seeds and conceal inside a shell. cycle starts to repeats.

Later on, the Chinese even invented the 12 animal zodiac system that correspond to the Dei-Jee as well and used animals to symbolized the character of each Dei-Jee. The 寅(Yan) Tiger and 辰 (Sun) Dragon, are two animals that were named according to the 28 constellations alignment as well where they say during the 寅 (Yan) they saw the tiger (west 7 constellations) in the sky,etc,. So this is also part of how the animal system was formed. A poem below shows how you can memorized the animals and the 12 Dei-Jee as well: Here it goes (in order):

子鼠丑牛寅屬虎 - Ji Rats, Chau Ox, Yan Tiger

卯兔辰龍巳屬蛇 - Maau Rabbit, Sun Dragon, Jee Snake

午馬未羊申屬猴 - Ng Horse, Mei Sheep, Son Monkey

酉雞戌犬亥屬豬 - Yau Chicken, Sut Dog, Hoi Pig.

This is the 101 to the earthling branches, hope you enjoy and now you know what it is and why we use the 12 dei-jee to read the time!

What is Tin-Gon 天干, the heavenly stems

The 10 Tin-Gon 天干 (Heavenly Stems) are actually a set of characters that were designed to explain the cycle of farming which reference back to the seasons as explained in the "Hoe-Toe 河圖" (the River Diagram) as explained in the previous lessons along with the five elements. Read our previous lesson if you do not know what we are talking about. Now let's move on and introduce the 10 Tin-Gon 天干. Why ten? This is because there are 2 sets of stars in each part in the diagram above (Hoe-Toe) and so there are 2 x 5 directions = 10. The 10 characters that explains the seasonal cycle is called the 10 "heavenly stems". Heavenly is just a nice word, it is the sky in our modern language now, haha!

This is the 10 Tin-Gon are shown in the LEFT diagram but the directions were kind of rotated 180 degree. This is the diagram that shows the "characters" only. So the left should be on the right and the top should be swapped to the bottom and you can now reference to the RIGHT diagram of the Hoh-Toe (river diagram) for the five elements. All these now relates to the seasons and farming as follow:

In spring, element of WOOD: (east, or left side of the hoh-toe)

甲 (Gaap) - In a shell or seed
乙 (Yeut) - Start to grow out of the shell or seed and pops out the ground

In summer, element of FIRE: (south, or top side of the hoh-toe)

丙 (Bing) - Brightness nourish the crops
丁 (Ding) - Getting stronger and grow up to a mature stage

In the long-summer (fifth season of 長夏 Cheung-Ha), element of EARTH: (center of hoh-toe)

戊 (Mo) - Things blossoms and grow very actively
己 (Gei) - Fruits and seeds grew

In autumn, element of GOLD: (west, or right side of hoh-toe)

庚 (Gaang) - Harvest and things change from plants to food
辛 (Sun) - After harvest, new the cycle of life grows

In winter, element of WATER: (north, bottom of the hoh-toe)

壬 (Yum) - The yang energy and the vital energy conceal back into the ground
癸 (Kwai) - Nourish in the soil and wait for spring to come and grow again

These ten processes form the cycle of farming according to the seasons that were determined by the hoh-toe and all that other methods and we can even reference back and forth with the five elements as well. So this became a set of characters like 1,2,3,4... as well!

The Combo System

The two sets of characters works to explain the cycle of nature and so the ancient Chinese use them to form a combo system of "Tin Gon Dei Jee" with the Tin Gon go first and the Dei Jee next. This creates 60 combos and this combo repeats and repeats. It is like having A B C D and 1 2 3 4. now you have A1, A2, A3, A4 and then B1, B2, B3, B4,.. and so on it repeats. This is the combo system that the Chinese use for recording their calender system later on as well!

We are in Canada!