THE TWELVE EARTHLY BRANCHES
Zi · 子 (zǐ)
Zi begins the twelve-branch sequence and pairs with Rat.
Go deeper: the full reference
The idea in context
In the wider branch system, Zi is associated with deep winter and the turn around midnight. As a year branch here it marks one place in a repeating calendar cycle; no birth-hour branch is calculated.
An example to picture
Zi can frame the small beginning hidden inside an apparent ending.
A question to sit with
What new beginning is taking shape quietly?
Native app reference
The original examples describe Synastry’s date-only native year reader. This web guide does not calculate a placement or a Four Pillars chart.
Keep the calendar convention in view
The website offers these educational readings. Synastry’s native year reader uses a civil date and Lunar New Year; it is separate from a full Four Pillars or BaZi chart. Begin with the convention before comparing year labels.
Sources and conventions
These references identify the calendar or historical method used in this guide. Keep the named convention in view when comparing other traditions.
Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian–Lunar Calendar Conversion Tables ↗ · Calendar reference covering 1901–2100, including leap months and cautions near midnight boundaries. The Synastry native reader uses its separately disclosed date-only Lunar New Year convention; this website provides the educational guide.