Celestial tribes

The celestial trunks are part of the Chinese calendar .

A heavenly tribe is assigned to each year. There are “ten heavenly tribes” ( Chinese  天干 , Pinyin tiāngān or 十 干 , shígān ; Japanese jikkan , English “ten tribes”). These are a combination of the five phases and yin and yang , here in Japan as a younger brother to ( 弟 ) and older brother e ( 兄 ), respectively. Combined with the twelve branches of the earth ( 地支 , dìzhī ), the celestial stems make up the 60s cycle of the Chinese calendar.

	character	Pinyin	Japanese writing			Korean script		Yin and yang	five phases of change
			On reading	Kun reading	meaning	Hangeul	Revised
1	甲	jiǎ	kō	cinema	木 の 兄	갑	gap	Yáng	Wood ( 木 , mù )
2	乙	yǐ	otsu	kinoto	木 の 弟	을	owl	Yin
3	丙	bǐng	hey	hinoe	火 の 兄	병	byeong	Yáng	Fire ( 火 , huŏ )
4th	丁	thing	part	hinoto	火 の 弟	정	jeong	Yin
5	戊	wù	bo	tsuchinoe	土 の 兄	무	must	Yáng	Earth ( 土 , tŭ )
6th	己	jǐ	ki	tsuchinoto	土 の 弟	기	gi	Yin
7th	庚	gēng	kō	kanoe	金 の 兄	경	gyeong	Yáng	Metal ( 金 , jīn )
8th	辛	xīn	shin	kanoto	金 の 弟	신	sin	Yin
9	壬	rén	jin	mizunoe	水 の 兄	임	in the	Yáng	Water ( 水 , shuĭ )
10	癸	guǐ	ki	mizunoto	水 の 弟	계	gye	Yin

Since the On readings kō and ki are ambiguous, the Kun readings are usually used.

In the Chinese language in today's usage the celestial trunks are used instead of the alphabet to number things, e.g. B. in medicine ( hepatitis A : 甲型肝炎 , jiǎxíng gānyán ; hepatitis B : 乙型肝炎 , yǐxíng gānyán , hepatitis C : 丙型 肝炎 , bǐngxíng gānyán ; more rarely also for blood groups of the AB0 system or vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K). The nomenclature for simple organic compounds is also largely based on the celestial stem system. They are also used to number school classes, sports leagues or competition classes (league A, B, C) or alternate conversation partners e.g. B. to be specified as speaker in a theater script ( 甲 speaks, 乙 answers). This numbering system is also used in Japanese. The system is also used to divide constituencies in South Korea or as a placeholder in contracts between employers and employees.

In addition, 甲乙丙 丁 is sometimes also a grading system in schools in China and Taiwan, comparable to A, B, C, D in the US or our 1, 2, 3 and 4 etc. In Taiwan in 2004, according to the Chinese-language Apple Daily, a bill for adopted a new grading system at elementary and middle schools, in which the top grade is no longer 甲, but 優 (yōu) as “outstanding” for 90 and more of 100 points, followed by 甲 for 80 to almost 90 points, 乙 for 70 to almost 80 points and 丙 for 60 to almost 70 points. Under 60 points should therefore be rated with 丁. However, the points awarded can also differ.

The heavenly trunks are also used in acupuncture .

Web links

Commons : heavenly tribes  - characters of the 10 heavenly tribes

Individual evidence

1. ↑ 國 中國 小 評 量 改 優 甲乙丙 丁 In: appledaily.com , December 2, 2004. Retrieved February 24, 2019 (Chinese).
2. ↑ Ute Engelhardt, Carl-Hermann Hempen: Acupuncture disc for calculating the optimal effective times. Urban & Schwarzenberg, Munich, 1995, ISBN 3-541-16101-9