Chou (丑) Earthly Branch in Bazi
Chou (丑) is branch 2 of 12, classified as Yin Earth. Learn its month, double-hour, hidden stems, harmony, clash, trine, and reading limits.
Overview
Chou (丑) is the Yin Earth branch associated with late winter. It is a calendrical and structural chart symbol, not a stand-alone zodiac personality label.
At a glance
- Character and reading
- 丑 · Chǒu
- Sequence position
- 2 of 12
- Yin-Yang and phase
- Yin Earth
- Zodiac animal
- Ox
- Solar month and season
- 12th solar month · begins near Minor Cold · Late winter
- Conventional double-hour
- 01:00–02:59
- Hidden stems
- 己 Earth · 癸 Water · 辛 Metal
- Core relations
- Harmony: Zi (子) · Clash: Wei (未) · Metal trine with Si (巳) and You (酉)
Definition and place in the cycle
Chou is second in the branch cycle, after Zi and before Yin.
Chou (丑) is classified as a Yin Earth Earthly Branch. Its animal is a calendrical mnemonic; neither the animal nor the phase alone establishes personality, strength, or outcome.
Season, solar month, and double-hour
Chou (丑) governs the 12th solar month · begins near minor cold and is associated with late winter. The listed civil-clock double-hour is 01:00–02:59.
Chou marks the close of winter and is traditionally treated as cold, damp transitional Earth rather than generic dry Earth. Solar-term boundaries and the time standard used for a chart can shift the practical calendar or hour boundary, so calculate the chart rather than guessing from a date or wall clock alone.
Branch relations and reliable reading boundary
Chou (丑) forms a Six Harmony pair with Zi (子), a Six Clash axis with Wei (未), and a Metal trine group with Si (巳) and You (酉). A listed relation is a structural possibility, not proof of a favorable, harmful, or transformed result.
- Read month command, pillar position, hidden stems, visible stems, support, control, and timing together.
- Do not reduce an Earthly Branch to its zodiac animal or one personality adjective.
- Do not assume that a harmony, clash, or trine automatically activates or decides the whole chart.
Sources and editorial basis
- Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly BranchesAn official modern reference for the canonical stem and branch orders, the sexagenary cycle, and calendrical use.
- 《御定星曆考原》卷一A historical source for stem and branch Yin-Yang, Five Phase, direction, seasonal, and calendrical correspondences.
- 《淵海子平》 (Yuanhai Ziping)A foundational Ziping reference for branch months, hidden stems, roots, and stem-branch relationships.
- 《子平真詮》 (True Explanations of Ziping)A major reference for month-command, structure, and contextual Bazi interpretation.
- OpenFate Editorial MethodologyOpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.