What time is Zi Shi?
Zi Shi: 23:00 - 00:59Zi Shi refers to the period when the sun is farthest away during the day, which is from 23:00 to 00:59. The exact time of Zi Shi is midnight 00:00, which is opposite to noon at 12:00. The twelve time periods were summarized by ancient people based on the natural laws of the sun's rising and setting, the changes in the sky throughout the day, and people's daily production and life activities, as well as their living habits. It is a gem of human wisdom. The twelve time periods are unique, are a special feature of China, have a long history, and are a great contribution of the Chinese nation to human astronomical calendar systems, providing great convenience for people's production and life.
Does Zi Shi belong to the previous day or the next day?
Zi Shi belongs to the next day, i.e., the beginning of a new day, because Zi Shi is the start of the day, and the twelve time periods begin with "Zi Shi".Zi Shi refers to the timing in internal alchemy practices of the small and large circulation cycles, when the fire can be started, also known as the Winter Solstice. Therefore, the term "Zi Shi" is used, as it is the beginning of the six yang hours (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai).
The twelve time periods and the modern 24-hour system are two different concepts. The time periods take into account the changes in yin and yang energy, while the 24-hour system is simply a point in time, a concept that emerged after the introduction of clocks. In the twelve time periods, 11 PM is considered the beginning of a new day, meaning that after 11 PM, it is already the next day. Of course, the time points of the time periods formed by the Earth's rotation are also precise, just like the time points of the solar terms. Therefore, people also consider the true solar time, which is why there is a saying "Even immortals cannot accurately determine the person born in Zi Shi", mainly because the day pillar and hour pillar are easy to make mistakes.
