Find Stem of Months by the Stem of Zodiac Year
The Five Tigers Seeking Months Cross-reference Table
The Five Tigers Seeking Months Cross-reference Table Originally, the calendar system of the Stem-Branch is only counting for the days. No one knows who invented the 10 Stems and 12 Branches. Later, ancient Chinse Five Element scholars applied Stems and Branches to the cycles of the year, month, and hour.
The Stem-Branch calendar is nothing to do with the Chinese Lunar Calendar. In Chinese astrology, the cycle of the month is connected to the sun. Tiger Month begins when the sun enters the 315th degree on the tropical zodiac. Rabbit Month begins when the Sun enters 345th degrees on the tropical zodiac. To find the first day of the Tiger month needs the astronomical formula to calculate the position of the sun. More information is at the theory of the Chinese Lunar Calendar.
Chinese astrology names the astrological months using 12 branches, which are the same as 12 animal zodiacs. The Stem-Branch Calendar of Chinese astrology is a perpetual calendar. The entire counting system of the Stem-Branch is a cycle of 60. How can you know the name of the Stem for an astrological month of a certain year? We have a shortcut table, 'Five Tigers Seek Months', below to help us to find the Stem of the month.
Since the first month of the Chinese astrological year is the Tiger month. Therefore, Tiger month appears on the first row of the table.
Chinese Zodiac Table - Five Tigers Seek Months
| Zodiac Months below the Stem of Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year Stem | Yang Wood | Yin Wood | Yang Fire | Yin Fire | Yang Earth |
| Yin Earth | Yang Metal | Yin Metal | Yang Water | Yin Water | |
| Tiger> | Yang Fire Tiger | Yang Earth Tiger | Yang Metal Tiger | Yang Water Tiger | Yang Wood Tiger |
| Rabbit 5-7 | Yin Fire Rabbit | Yin Earth Rabbit | Yin Metal Rabbit | Yin Water Rabbit | Yin Wood Rabbit |
| Dragon | Yang Earth Dragon | Yang Metal Dragon | Yang Water Dragon | Yang Wood Dragon | Yang Fire Dragon |
| Snake | Yin Earth Snake | Yin Metal Snake | Yin Water Snake | Yin Wood Snake | Yin Fire Snake |
| Horse | Yang Metal Horse | Yang Water Horse | Yang Wood Horse | Yang Fire Horse | Yang Earth Horse |
| Sheep | Yin Metal Sheep | Yin Water Sheep | Yin Wood Sheep | Yin Fire Sheep | Yin Earth Sheep |
| Monkey | Yang Water Monkey | Yang Wood Monkey | Yang Fire Monkey | Yang Earth Monkey | Yang Metal Monkey |
| Chicken | Yin Water Chicken | Yin Wood Chicken | Yin Fire Chicken | Yin Earth Chicken | Yin Metal Chicken |
| Dog> | Yang Wood Dog | Yang Fire Dog | Yang Earth Dog | Yang Metal Dog | Yang Water Dog |
| Pig 21-23 | Yin Wood Pig | Yin Fire Pig | Yin Earth Pig | Yin Metal Pig | Yin Water Pig |
| Rat | Yang Fire Rat | Yang Earth Rat | Yang Metal Rat | Yang Water Rat | Yang Wood Rat |
| Cow | Yin Fire Cow | Yin Earth Cow | Yin Metal Cow | Yin Water Cow | Yin Wood Cow |
Since the first month of the Chinese astrological year is the Tiger month. Therefore, there is no Wooden Rat month in the Wooden Rat year. That means there is no birth chart of Wooden Rat year, Wooden Rat month, Wooden Rat day, and Wooden Rat hour. That's why some people use the Winter Solstice as the first day of the astrological year. That means the first month of the astrological year is the Rat month. That makes more sense from astronomy. But almost all Chinese professional fortunetellers use Tiger month as the first astrological month.
Finding the Stem of the Hour - Five Rats Seeks Hours