The sixty stem-branch combinations
The paired cycle
The sixty-part Ganzhi, or stem-and-branch, cycle joins a heavenly stem to an earthly branch. Both sequences advance together, wrapping after ten and twelve positions respectively. Jia-Zi is conventionally numbered 1, Gui-Hai is 60, and the next entry is Jia-Zi again.
A position is a cycle index, not a Gregorian year. To make the sequence into a dated series, supply an established starting point. The Chinese calendar's Jia-Zi year began on February 2, 1984. Forty annual steps later, its Jia-Chen year began on February 10, 2024. These are positions 1 and 41.
All sixty pairs
The animal belongs to the branch, so it repeats every twelve rows. Chinese characters distinguish names that resemble one another in untoned pinyin, especially Wu 戊, a stem, and Wu 午, a branch.
| Position | Stem–branch pair | Animal |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jia-Zi 甲子 | Rat |
| 2 | Yi-Chou 乙丑 | Ox |
| 3 | Bing-Yin 丙寅 | Tiger |
| 4 | Ding-Mao 丁卯 | Rabbit |
| 5 | Wu-Chen 戊辰 | Dragon |
| 6 | Ji-Si 己巳 | Snake |
| 7 | Geng-Wu 庚午 | Horse |
| 8 | Xin-Wei 辛未 | Goat |
| 9 | Ren-Shen 壬申 | Monkey |
| 10 | Gui-You 癸酉 | Rooster |
| 11 | Jia-Xu 甲戌 | Dog |
| 12 | Yi-Hai 乙亥 | Pig |
| 13 | Bing-Zi 丙子 | Rat |
| 14 | Ding-Chou 丁丑 | Ox |
| 15 | Wu-Yin 戊寅 | Tiger |
| 16 | Ji-Mao 己卯 | Rabbit |
| 17 | Geng-Chen 庚辰 | Dragon |
| 18 | Xin-Si 辛巳 | Snake |
| 19 | Ren-Wu 壬午 | Horse |
| 20 | Gui-Wei 癸未 | Goat |
| 21 | Jia-Shen 甲申 | Monkey |
| 22 | Yi-You 乙酉 | Rooster |
| 23 | Bing-Xu 丙戌 | Dog |
| 24 | Ding-Hai 丁亥 | Pig |
| 25 | Wu-Zi 戊子 | Rat |
| 26 | Ji-Chou 己丑 | Ox |
| 27 | Geng-Yin 庚寅 | Tiger |
| 28 | Xin-Mao 辛卯 | Rabbit |
| 29 | Ren-Chen 壬辰 | Dragon |
| 30 | Gui-Si 癸巳 | Snake |
| 31 | Jia-Wu 甲午 | Horse |
| 32 | Yi-Wei 乙未 | Goat |
| 33 | Bing-Shen 丙申 | Monkey |
| 34 | Ding-You 丁酉 | Rooster |
| 35 | Wu-Xu 戊戌 | Dog |
| 36 | Ji-Hai 己亥 | Pig |
| 37 | Geng-Zi 庚子 | Rat |
| 38 | Xin-Chou 辛丑 | Ox |
| 39 | Ren-Yin 壬寅 | Tiger |
| 40 | Gui-Mao 癸卯 | Rabbit |
| 41 | Jia-Chen 甲辰 | Dragon |
| 42 | Yi-Si 乙巳 | Snake |
| 43 | Bing-Wu 丙午 | Horse |
| 44 | Ding-Wei 丁未 | Goat |
| 45 | Wu-Shen 戊申 | Monkey |
| 46 | Ji-You 己酉 | Rooster |
| 47 | Geng-Xu 庚戌 | Dog |
| 48 | Xin-Hai 辛亥 | Pig |
| 49 | Ren-Zi 壬子 | Rat |
| 50 | Gui-Chou 癸丑 | Ox |
| 51 | Jia-Yin 甲寅 | Tiger |
| 52 | Yi-Mao 乙卯 | Rabbit |
| 53 | Bing-Chen 丙辰 | Dragon |
| 54 | Ding-Si 丁巳 | Snake |
| 55 | Wu-Wu 戊午 | Horse |
| 56 | Ji-Wei 己未 | Goat |
| 57 | Geng-Shen 庚申 | Monkey |
| 58 | Xin-You 辛酉 | Rooster |
| 59 | Ren-Xu 壬戌 | Dog |
| 60 | Gui-Hai 癸亥 | Pig |
Each animal appears five times and each stem six times. These totals follow from dividing sixty by twelve and ten. Adjacent entries always advance both sequences: Gui-You at position 10 is followed by Jia-Xu, not Jia-Zi.
Using the table for years, months, days and hours
The same ordered pairs name years, months, days and traditional hours. A label such as Jia-Zi leaves two questions unanswered: which timescale does it describe, and which repetition is intended? An era name, month, surrounding date or other context supplies information that the pair alone cannot.
For a modern Chinese calendar year beginning in Gregorian year Y, its position can be calculated as 1 plus the non-negative remainder of (Y − 1984) divided by 60. With Y = 2024, the remainder is 40 and the result is 41. A date before that year's Chinese New Year still belongs to the preceding calendar year. A chart that changes its year at Lichun, Beginning of Spring, uses that boundary instead.