What are the five elements (Wuxing) attributes of the twelve hours?
Child hour (23:00 to 01:00): belongs to Water
Chou hour (01:00 to 03:00): belongs to Earth
Yin hour (03:00 to 05:00): belongs to Wood
Mao hour (05:00 to 07:00): belongs to Wood
Chen hour (07:00 to 09:00): belongs to Earth
Si hour (09:00 to 11:00): belongs to Fire
Wu hour (11:00 to 13:00): belongs to Fire
Wei hour (13:00 to 15:00): belongs to Earth
Shen hour (15:00 to 17:00): belongs to Metal
You hour (17:00 to 19:00): belongs to Metal
Xu hour (19:00 to 21:00): belongs to Earth
Hai hour (21:00 to 23:00): belongs to Water
Chou hour (01:00 to 03:00): belongs to Earth
Yin hour (03:00 to 05:00): belongs to Wood
Mao hour (05:00 to 07:00): belongs to Wood
Chen hour (07:00 to 09:00): belongs to Earth
Si hour (09:00 to 11:00): belongs to Fire
Wu hour (11:00 to 13:00): belongs to Fire
Wei hour (13:00 to 15:00): belongs to Earth
Shen hour (15:00 to 17:00): belongs to Metal
You hour (17:00 to 19:00): belongs to Metal
Xu hour (19:00 to 21:00): belongs to Earth
Hai hour (21:00 to 23:00): belongs to Water
What time does "Ji Ming" refer to?
"“Ji Ming”", according to the “Ciyuan” dictionary, is “the name of a weapon.” According to the “Cihai” dictionary, it is “the title of a chapter in “The Book of Songs, Qi Style”, the title of a song in the “Xianghe Ge” collection, and another name for a halberd.” Both of these reference books lack an explanation of the meaning of “Ji Ming” in the twelve-hour system.
On the surface, "“Ji Ming”" indeed means “rooster crows,” but in the twelve-hour system, it specifically refers to the period after midnight and before dawn, i.e., between 1 to 3 o'clock in the early morning, which is called “Chou Hour” in terms of the twelve terrestrial branches.
The chicken was praised by ancient Chinese people as “the animal that knows the time.” The “Han Shi Wai Zhuan” praises the rooster as: “It keeps watch without missing the time, which is faithfulness.” When the first light of dawn appears, the rooster crows, and the day begins, and people get up.
The term “Ji Ming” originates from the phrase “Ji Ming er shi, wei ming shi ting” in the “Zuo Zhuan Zhengyi” of “Spring and Autumn Annals.” In earlier examples, even if there were “Ji Ming,” they did not specifically refer to time, but merely indicated the situation of “the rooster has crowed.” For example: “Fengyu ru hui, ji ming bu zhi.” (from “The Book of Songs, Feng Yu”).
[Chou Hour]: Ji Ming, also known as the Wild Chicken: the second of the twelve hours. (From 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM). At this time, the ox finishes eating grass and prepares for plowing the fields.
On the surface, "“Ji Ming”" indeed means “rooster crows,” but in the twelve-hour system, it specifically refers to the period after midnight and before dawn, i.e., between 1 to 3 o'clock in the early morning, which is called “Chou Hour” in terms of the twelve terrestrial branches.
The chicken was praised by ancient Chinese people as “the animal that knows the time.” The “Han Shi Wai Zhuan” praises the rooster as: “It keeps watch without missing the time, which is faithfulness.” When the first light of dawn appears, the rooster crows, and the day begins, and people get up.
The term “Ji Ming” originates from the phrase “Ji Ming er shi, wei ming shi ting” in the “Zuo Zhuan Zhengyi” of “Spring and Autumn Annals.” In earlier examples, even if there were “Ji Ming,” they did not specifically refer to time, but merely indicated the situation of “the rooster has crowed.” For example: “Fengyu ru hui, ji ming bu zhi.” (from “The Book of Songs, Feng Yu”).
[Chou Hour]: Ji Ming, also known as the Wild Chicken: the second of the twelve hours. (From 1:00 AM to 3:00 AM). At this time, the ox finishes eating grass and prepares for plowing the fields.
