地支 (Earthly Branches)

The 地支 (Earthly Branches) are a traditional Chinese system comprising twelve symbolic categories used to represent time, directions, animals, and other cyclical elements. Each branch corresponds to an animal in the Chinese zodiac (Rat, Ox, Tiger, etc.), a specific direction, and a certain period within a cycle. They are often paired with the Heavenly Stems to create a 60-year cycle used in astrology, calendars, and fortune-telling. The Earthly Branches help organize temporal and spatial concepts, reflecting a harmonious relationship between nature, time, and cosmology in Chinese thought.