Ancient time calculation was not like today, divided into 24 hours, but rather into 12 "shichen" (time periods), where one shichen is equivalent to two hours in modern time. So what are the pronunciations of the 12 ancient Chinese time periods?

What are the pronunciations of the 12 ancient Chinese time periods?

The pronunciations of the 12 time periods are: Zi (zǐ), Chou (chǒu), Yin (yín), Mao (mǎo), Chen (chén), Si (sì), Wu (wǔ), Wei (wèi), Shen (shēn), You (yǒu), Xu (xū), Hai (hài). The 12 time periods were created by ancient Chinese laborers based on the natural laws of the sun's rising and setting, changes in daylight, and their daily production activities and living habits. Ancient Chinese people divided a day into twelve time periods, each called a "shichen." The 12 time periods can refer to a day or any single time period. The 12 time periods are equivalent to 24 hours, with each time period equaling 2 hours.

The mnemonic for the 12 time periods

Zi time, the blood energy flows straight to the heart, people sleep as if their souls return to the underworld, The lungs are the palace of transmission, passing energy and essence through all internal organs; Chou time should not injure the sky, the sky's blood is right in the middle, If the sky is injured seriously, even the best medicine cannot bring it back; Yin time, blood and energy flow to the east, injury to the ear root causes seven holes to bleed, Bleeding from seven holes closes the teeth, the heart trembles and the soul returns to the underworld; Mao time, blood and energy are in the lower abdomen, connected with the navel, If this point is injured and not treated, it may take seven days to recover severely or half a year lightly; Chen time, blood and energy enter the phoenix wings, beware of being hit by the reverse hand, Injury after half a month leads to coughing, long-term coughing makes treatment late; Si time, blood and energy are in the throat, hitting the hand causes food to spill, If the hand is heavy, even the best medicine cannot cure it; if the hand is light, it can be cured with miraculous medicine; Wu time, blood and energy return to both sides of the ribs, the white snake enters the cave at noon, If the pulse is broken during noon, the blood is like a lotus and cannot be treated; Wei time, blood and energy are in the pelvic area, the outer part has three points of flesh, The money goes down to the pelvic area, if injured heavily, it will lead to death within a day; Shen time, blood and energy are in the waist, the phoenix tail and wing pass through the odd points, If the waist is hit, it will cause laughter, and the person will die the same day without being sent off; You time, blood and energy are in the wrist, excessive black heart is controlled at you time, If injured seriously at this time, it will take three years before [ ] can be reached; Copper pot dripping water is dangerous after half a month, stealing peaches in the moon is also not advisable, If injured, do not take medicine first, just fry some early grain and apply it once; Hai time, blood and energy are in the side bed, those who are injured have a yellow face,