The 十二支 - the signs of the zodiac
The
じゅうにし
十二支
, or Earthly Branches, were one of the early Chinese ways of measuring time.
By observing the orbit of Jupiter through the heavens over the course of a year, early astronomers divided the heavens
into twelve sections. The symbols were then used in various contexts for measurement or counting, including months of the year and
navigation. Today, the Earthly Branches are combined with the Celestial Stems in Taoism.
The 十二支 roughly correspond to the Western signs of the zodiac.
The kanji in the 十二支 are still used today to indicate numerals in documents etc (even though only four of the twelve are Jōyō kanji).
For more information on the 十二支, see the
Wikipedia entry ⇗.
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