The Chinese Concept of Time

While a lot of Singaporeans are familiar with the Chinese lunar calendar (probably from Chinese New Year celebration and the Seventh Month Ghost Festival), I have noticed that not many of us know the exact hour that marks the beginning of a new lunar day. Take for example, the Ghost Festival, where children were scurried home by their parents before twelve midnight. Unknown to them though, the hellish month has already started one hour earlier. Yes, one hour. Let me explain.

The standard time structure we use nowadays is derived by demarcating a day into twenty-four equal parts. But for the ancient Chinese, it was instead divided into twelve parts. Each of these parts are called Shi Chen (this term is most often heard in Chinese pugilistic serial dramas) and are each equivalent to our two conventional hours. Individual names were given to each of the Shi Chen, beginning with Zi, until the last one, Hai. The names are not allocated randomly but carefully done so as to represent the prevalent energy of the Five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) during that particular hour in that part of the world.

Zi: 11pm – 1am
Chou: 1am – 3am
Yin: 3am – 5am
Mao: 5am – 7am
Chen: 7am – 9am
Si: 9am – 11am
Wu: 11am – 1pm
Wei: 1pm – 3pm
Shen: 3pm – 5pm
You: 5pm – 7pm
Xu: 7pm – 9pm
Hai: 9pm – 11pm

Therefore, you can see from the above that the ancient Chinese regarded 11pm to be the start of a new day, unlike the Western concept of twelve midnight (the time where most paranormal activities supposed to occur). Accurate use of this hour system is crucial to people involved in Daoist and Chinese Buddhist rituals and customs. Chinese astrologers and Feng Shui masters also place great emphasis on it when calculating horoscopes and selecting auspicious dates. Thus those dabbling into Oriental metaphysics and spirits research ought to have some knowledge about it.

So if one day you experience strange encounters before the clock strike twelve, don’t be surprise.