noun
celestial stems; ten heavenly stems
Refers to the ten signs (甲・乙・丙・丁・戊・己・庚・辛・壬・癸) used in the traditional Chinese calendar and divination, often paired with the twelve earthly branches (十二支).
See also: 十干
十干は天干とも呼ばれ、十二支と組み合わせて干支を構成する。
The ten celestial stems, also called 天干, combine with the twelve earthly branches to form the sexagenary cycle.
The sexagenary cycle formed by combining the celestial stems and earthly branches.
From Chinese 天干 (tiāngān), literally 'heavenly stems'. The term entered Japanese through classical Chinese calendrical and divinatory texts.