Reference guide

六十甲子 liù shí jiǎ zǐ

The 60 Jiazi (sexagenary cycle)

The 60 Jiazi cycle explained for BaZi learners, including how Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches pair into the repeating sexagenary calendar.

By Zodiac Zen Editorial Updated April 19, 2026 6 min read intermediate

Reference Structure

六十甲子

liù shí jiǎ zǐ

What is the 60 Jiazi cycle?

The 60 Jiazi cycle is the repeating sequence created by pairing the ten Heavenly Stems with the twelve Earthly Branches. It sits behind year, month, and day naming in the traditional Chinese calendar, which means it sits behind BaZi as well. If the stems and branches are the alphabet of BaZi, the 60 Jiazi cycle is one of the main ways that alphabet is arranged through time.

This sequence matters because BaZi does not assign pillars randomly. Year, month, day, and hour all come from a living calendar pattern. When readers talk about Jia Zi day, Ding Mao month, or Xin Hai year, they are using positions inside this sixty-step cycle.

Why the cycle is 60 units long

The logic is simple. There are ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches. They advance together one step at a time:

Stem 1 pairs with Branch 1
Stem 2 pairs with Branch 2
and so on

Because the two sequences have different lengths, they do not realign immediately. They realign only when both return to the start at the same time. The least common multiple of 10 and 12 is 60, so the full cycle contains 60 unique stem-branch pairs before repeating.

That is why Jia Zi appears as pair 1 and again only after the full sequence completes. The cycle is orderly, fixed, and deeply embedded in traditional Chinese calendar practice.

The first ten pairs

Order	Pair	Chinese
1	Jia Zi	甲子
2	Yi Chou	乙丑
3	Bing Yin	丙寅
4	Ding Mao	丁卯
5	Wu Chen	戊辰
6	Ji Si	己巳
7	Geng Wu	庚午
8	Xin Wei	辛未
9	Ren Shen	壬申
10	Gui You	癸酉

These first ten matter beyond memorization because they form the first xun, the first ten-day block that later becomes relevant for Kong Wang calculation.

Why the pair matters more than the parts alone

One of the most useful shifts in BaZi learning is moving from “a stem here and a branch there” toward seeing the actual pair as a unit. Jia Zi is not just Jia plus Zi in the abstract. It is a visible Yang Wood expression seated on a Water-rooted branch context. Yi Chou is not just Yin Wood plus Ox. It is a different visible style set inside a different root environment. The pair has a feel before a full chart is even read.

This matters because the sexagenary cycle is not merely a storage system for names. It is a rhythm of repeated but non-identical units. The same stem lands on different branches. The same branch receives different stems. That changing pairing is part of what gives the calendar its texture.

The six xun groups

The 60 Jiazi sequence is naturally divided into six blocks of ten. Each block begins with a Jia stem and leaves two branches unused. Those two unused branches become the Void branches for that xun.

Xun	Covers	Void branches
Jia Zi xun	甲子 to 癸酉	戌 Xu and 亥 Hai
Jia Xu xun	甲戌 to 癸未	申 Shen and 酉 You
Jia Shen xun	甲申 to 癸巳	午 Wu and 未 Wei
Jia Wu xun	甲午 to 癸卯	辰 Chen and 巳 Si
Jia Chen xun	甲辰 to 癸丑	寅 Yin and 卯 Mao
Jia Yin xun	甲寅 to 癸亥	子 Zi and 丑 Chou

This is a good example of why the Jiazi cycle is more than a memorization exercise. It directly supports later interpretive tools.

The six xun as six ten-step families

Students often find the cycle easier once they stop imagining sixty unrelated entries and start seeing six families of ten. Each xun begins with a Jia stem and moves through a predictable sequence until the stems complete their ten-step run. That makes the cycle much easier to navigate mentally, and it explains why Kong Wang calculation is attached to xun logic rather than to isolated pair names.

The six xun model also helps with memory. You do not need to memorize every pair as a separate event. You can learn the internal pattern of one xun and then understand how the starting branch shifts across the next xun.

Explore the full 60 pairs

Reference explorer

Filter the 60 Jiazi by stem element

The sequence is fixed, but filtering makes it easier to see how the same stem element repeats across different branches and void-group decades.

Search pair, pinyin, or Chinese

Showing 60 of 60 pairs

Void branches are grouped by each ten-day xun.

#01

甲子

Jia Zi

jiǎ zǐ

木 Wood 阳 Yang

Branch: 子 Zi · Rat

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#02

乙丑

Yi Chou

yǐ chǒu

木 Wood 阴 Yin

Branch: 丑 Chou · Ox

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#03

丙寅

Bing Yin

bǐng yín

火 Fire 阳 Yang

Branch: 寅 Yin · Tiger

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#04

丁卯

Ding Mao

dīng mǎo

火 Fire 阴 Yin

Branch: 卯 Mao · Rabbit

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#05

戊辰

Wu Chen

wù chén

土 Earth 阳 Yang

Branch: 辰 Chen · Dragon

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#06

己巳

Ji Si

jǐ sì

土 Earth 阴 Yin

Branch: 巳 Si · Snake

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#07

庚午

Geng Wu

gēng wǔ

金 Metal 阳 Yang

Branch: 午 Wu · Horse

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#08

辛未

Xin Wei

xīn wèi

金 Metal 阴 Yin

Branch: 未 Wei · Goat

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#09

壬申

Ren Shen

rén shēn

水 Water 阳 Yang

Branch: 申 Shen · Monkey

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#10

癸酉

Gui You

guǐ yǒu

水 Water 阴 Yin

Branch: 酉 You · Rooster

Xun: Jia Zi xun

Void: 戌 Xu · 亥 Hai

#11

甲戌

Jia Xu

jiǎ xū

木 Wood 阳 Yang

Branch: 戌 Xu · Dog

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#12

乙亥

Yi Hai

yǐ hài

木 Wood 阴 Yin

Branch: 亥 Hai · Pig

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#13

丙子

Bing Zi

bǐng zǐ

火 Fire 阳 Yang

Branch: 子 Zi · Rat

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#14

丁丑

Ding Chou

dīng chǒu

火 Fire 阴 Yin

Branch: 丑 Chou · Ox

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#15

戊寅

Wu Yin

wù yín

土 Earth 阳 Yang

Branch: 寅 Yin · Tiger

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#16

己卯

Ji Mao

jǐ mǎo

土 Earth 阴 Yin

Branch: 卯 Mao · Rabbit

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#17

庚辰

Geng Chen

gēng chén

金 Metal 阳 Yang

Branch: 辰 Chen · Dragon

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#18

辛巳

Xin Si

xīn sì

金 Metal 阴 Yin

Branch: 巳 Si · Snake

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#19

壬午

Ren Wu

rén wǔ

水 Water 阳 Yang

Branch: 午 Wu · Horse

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#20

癸未

Gui Wei

guǐ wèi

水 Water 阴 Yin

Branch: 未 Wei · Goat

Xun: Jia Xu xun

Void: 申 Shen · 酉 You

#21

甲申

Jia Shen

jiǎ shēn

木 Wood 阳 Yang

Branch: 申 Shen · Monkey

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#22

乙酉

Yi You

yǐ yǒu

木 Wood 阴 Yin

Branch: 酉 You · Rooster

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#23

丙戌

Bing Xu

bǐng xū

火 Fire 阳 Yang

Branch: 戌 Xu · Dog

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#24

丁亥

Ding Hai

dīng hài

火 Fire 阴 Yin

Branch: 亥 Hai · Pig

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#25

戊子

Wu Zi

wù zǐ

土 Earth 阳 Yang

Branch: 子 Zi · Rat

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#26

己丑

Ji Chou

jǐ chǒu

土 Earth 阴 Yin

Branch: 丑 Chou · Ox

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#27

庚寅

Geng Yin

gēng yín

金 Metal 阳 Yang

Branch: 寅 Yin · Tiger

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#28

辛卯

Xin Mao

xīn mǎo

金 Metal 阴 Yin

Branch: 卯 Mao · Rabbit

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#29

壬辰

Ren Chen

rén chén

水 Water 阳 Yang

Branch: 辰 Chen · Dragon

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#30

癸巳

Gui Si

guǐ sì

水 Water 阴 Yin

Branch: 巳 Si · Snake

Xun: Jia Shen xun

Void: 午 Wu · 未 Wei

#31

甲午

Jia Wu

jiǎ wǔ

木 Wood 阳 Yang

Branch: 午 Wu · Horse

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#32

乙未

Yi Wei

yǐ wèi

木 Wood 阴 Yin

Branch: 未 Wei · Goat

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#33

丙申

Bing Shen

bǐng shēn

火 Fire 阳 Yang

Branch: 申 Shen · Monkey

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#34

丁酉

Ding You

dīng yǒu

火 Fire 阴 Yin

Branch: 酉 You · Rooster

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#35

戊戌

Wu Xu

wù xū

土 Earth 阳 Yang

Branch: 戌 Xu · Dog

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#36

己亥

Ji Hai

jǐ hài

土 Earth 阴 Yin

Branch: 亥 Hai · Pig

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#37

庚子

Geng Zi

gēng zǐ

金 Metal 阳 Yang

Branch: 子 Zi · Rat

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#38

辛丑

Xin Chou

xīn chǒu

金 Metal 阴 Yin

Branch: 丑 Chou · Ox

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#39

壬寅

Ren Yin

rén yín

水 Water 阳 Yang

Branch: 寅 Yin · Tiger

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#40

癸卯

Gui Mao

guǐ mǎo

水 Water 阴 Yin

Branch: 卯 Mao · Rabbit

Xun: Jia Wu xun

Void: 辰 Chen · 巳 Si

#41

甲辰

Jia Chen

jiǎ chén

木 Wood 阳 Yang

Branch: 辰 Chen · Dragon

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#42

乙巳

Yi Si

yǐ sì

木 Wood 阴 Yin

Branch: 巳 Si · Snake

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#43

丙午

Bing Wu

bǐng wǔ

火 Fire 阳 Yang

Branch: 午 Wu · Horse

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#44

丁未

Ding Wei

dīng wèi

火 Fire 阴 Yin

Branch: 未 Wei · Goat

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#45

戊申

Wu Shen

wù shēn

土 Earth 阳 Yang

Branch: 申 Shen · Monkey

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#46

己酉

Ji You

jǐ yǒu

土 Earth 阴 Yin

Branch: 酉 You · Rooster

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#47

庚戌

Geng Xu

gēng xū

金 Metal 阳 Yang

Branch: 戌 Xu · Dog

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#48

辛亥

Xin Hai

xīn hài

金 Metal 阴 Yin

Branch: 亥 Hai · Pig

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#49

壬子

Ren Zi

rén zǐ

水 Water 阳 Yang

Branch: 子 Zi · Rat

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#50

癸丑

Gui Chou

guǐ chǒu

水 Water 阴 Yin

Branch: 丑 Chou · Ox

Xun: Jia Chen xun

Void: 寅 Yin · 卯 Mao

#51

甲寅

Jia Yin

jiǎ yín

木 Wood 阳 Yang

Branch: 寅 Yin · Tiger

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#52

乙卯

Yi Mao

yǐ mǎo

木 Wood 阴 Yin

Branch: 卯 Mao · Rabbit

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#53

丙辰

Bing Chen

bǐng chén

火 Fire 阳 Yang

Branch: 辰 Chen · Dragon

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#54

丁巳

Ding Si

dīng sì

火 Fire 阴 Yin

Branch: 巳 Si · Snake

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#55

戊午

Wu Wu

wù wǔ

土 Earth 阳 Yang

Branch: 午 Wu · Horse

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#56

己未

Ji Wei

jǐ wèi

土 Earth 阴 Yin

Branch: 未 Wei · Goat

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#57

庚申

Geng Shen

gēng shēn

金 Metal 阳 Yang

Branch: 申 Shen · Monkey

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#58

辛酉

Xin You

xīn yǒu

金 Metal 阴 Yin

Branch: 酉 You · Rooster

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#59

壬戌

Ren Xu

rén xū

水 Water 阳 Yang

Branch: 戌 Xu · Dog

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

#60

癸亥

Gui Hai

guǐ hài

水 Water 阴 Yin

Branch: 亥 Hai · Pig

Xun: Jia Yin xun

Void: 子 Zi · 丑 Chou

Why Jiazi matters in actual BaZi study

At first glance, the Jiazi cycle can look like a reference page you only visit when you forget a pair. In practice, it supports several important reading tasks:

it explains how day pillars are named
it helps you understand decade and annual rhythm references
it supports Kong Wang / Void calculations
it gives intuition for how stems and branches pair rather than float separately

Over time, many readers stop thinking of stems and branches as isolated lists. They begin to recognize actual pairs. That shift makes timing pages and case studies much easier to follow.

Where the Jiazi cycle appears in practice

The cycle appears in more places than beginners expect:

year pillars use the cycle to name years
month pillars use seasonal branch logic with stem sequencing
day pillars are directly named through the cycle
hour pillars also derive from stem-branch pairing logic

This is why experienced readers often recognize day pillars quickly. They have internalized the cycle enough that the names stop looking like random transliteration and start behaving like actual calendrical positions.

Why day-pillars get memorized first

Many practitioners memorize day-pillar names earlier and more deeply than month or year naming because day pillars are so central to chart reading. The day pillar contains the Day Master and therefore the interpretive center of the chart. Once the day-pillar language becomes familiar, the entire cycle starts to feel less abstract because it is anchored to something that matters in every reading.

This is also why the 60 Jiazi cycle keeps showing up in case studies. It is not there to impress you with calendrical trivia. It is there because the day-pillar sequence is one of the fastest ways to make the calendar logic of BaZi feel alive and usable.

How to study the cycle without getting lost

Do not try to memorize all 60 at once if you are new. A better sequence is:

Learn the Heavenly Stems.
Learn the Earthly Branches.
Understand why 10 and 12 create 60.
Learn the six xun groups and their Void pairs.
Use the explorer above as you read actual charts.

That approach gives you structure before memorization. It is much easier to remember a system once the logic feels natural.

Another useful tactic is to memorize the start of each xun first, not all sixty entries. Once you know how the xun blocks work, the rest of the sequence becomes much less overwhelming.

Where to go next

Use this page alongside The 10 Heavenly Stems and The 12 Earthly Branches. If you want to see one direct application of the 60-cycle logic, continue to Void branches (Kong Wang).

Common questions

Why is the cycle 60 units long?

The ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches move together until they realign at the least common multiple of 10 and 12, which is 60.

Does every BaZi chart use the Jiazi cycle?

Yes. BaZi pillars are assigned through the stem-branch calendar, so the 60 Jiazi sequence is built into how charts are calculated.

Why do practitioners memorize the cycle?

Because it helps with calendar logic, day-pillar recognition, Luck Pillar interpretation, and refinement concepts such as Kong Wang.

Are Jia Zi and Yi Chou just year names?

No. The 60-pair sequence can be used for years, months, days, and sometimes hours depending on the calculation context.

Do the pairs have meanings beyond the stem and branch separately?

Yes. Each pair combines a visible stem style with a rooted branch environment, which gives it a distinct feel even before a full chart is read.

How does the Jiazi cycle relate to Void branches?

Each block of ten pairs forms a xun. The two branches left out of that xun become the Void pair used in Kong Wang interpretation.

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六十甲子 liù shí jiǎ zǐ

Pair the theory with a real chart.

Use the glossary when you need a fast definition, then move into ZodiacZen's birth-based reading flow when you want the ideas to stop being abstract.

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Keep reading

Related BaZi guides

Foundations

The 60 Jiazi (sexagenary cycle)

What is the 60 Jiazi cycle?

Why the cycle is 60 units long

The first ten pairs

Why the pair matters more than the parts alone

The six xun groups

The six xun as six ten-step families

Explore the full 60 pairs

Filter the 60 Jiazi by stem element

Why Jiazi matters in actual BaZi study

Where the Jiazi cycle appears in practice

Why day-pillars get memorized first

How to study the cycle without getting lost

Where to go next

Make this guide easy to come back to.

Pair the theory with a real chart.

Related BaZi guides

BaZi and Four Pillars of Destiny: the ZodiacZen guide

The 10 Heavenly Stems explained

The 12 Earthly Branches and their hidden stems

The Chinese calendar and the 24 solar terms