十じっ干かん

noun

ten celestial stems; ten heavenly stems

A traditional Chinese calendrical and divinatory system consisting of ten signs, each associated with one of the five elements (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) in either elder (yang) or younger (yin) form. Used in combination with the twelve earthly branches (十二支) to form the sexagenary cycle.

• 十じっ干かんは、甲こう・乙おつ・丙へい・丁てい・戊ぼ・己き・庚こう・辛しん・壬じん・癸きの十じっ種しゅ類るいからなる。

  The ten celestial stems consist of the ten types: kō, otsu, hei, tei, bo, ki, kō, shin, jin, and ki.

• 十じっ干かんと十じゅう二に支しを組くみ合あわせると、六ろく十じゅう通とおりの組くみ合あわせができる。

  Combining the ten celestial stems with the twelve earthly branches yields sixty combinations.