Time, direction and the zodiac

The branches organise the Chinese clock (twelve double-hours), the year (twelve months), and the compass, and through their animal associations they underlie the Chinese zodiac by which years are popularly named. In Ba Zi they form the lower half of each of the Four Pillars, carrying hidden stems and complex relationships of clash and combination.

The atlas gives each branch its animal, hour, direction and phase. The stems it pairs with, and the zodiac animals attached to it, are treated in their own categories under Eastern Systems.