I Ching Divination Basics: Foundations Part 4.1, Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (Sexagenary Cycle), Timekeeping, and Five Element Correspondences

👤 By Fiona

📅 February 1, 2026

⏱️ 1 min read

📂 I Ching Basics, Techniques

I. Foundations

Part 4: Eight Trigrams (Bagua)

4.1. Heavenly Stems

The Ten Heavenly Stems are: I (Jia, 甲), II (Yi, 乙), III (Bing, 丙), IV (Ding, 丁), V (Wu, 戊), VI (Ji, 己), VII (Geng, 庚), VIII (Xin, 辛), IX (Ren, 壬), X (Gui, 癸). These are significant in the context of I Ching Divination and other traditional Chinese practices. In fact, understanding these stems is vital for accurate I Ching Divination readings.

In traditional Chinese calendrical practice, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were used primarily to record days, and also to record years, months, and hours. Notably, I Ching Divination sometimes includes reference to these time cycles.

The Heavenly Stems are divided into Yin and Yang and play a role in many aspects of I Ching Divination.

Yang Stems: I, III, V, VII, IX
Yin Stems: II, IV, VI, VIII, X

Directions and Five Element correspondences: Consequently, I Ching Divination interprets these correspondences.

I and II: East, Wood
III and IV: South, Fire
V and VI: Center, Earth
VII and VIII: West, Metal
IX and X: North, Water