first cycle of the sexagenary cycle; sixty-year period; age
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
jiazi, the first pair in the sexagenary cycle; a sixty-year cycle
formalIn the traditional Chinese calendrical system, the sexagenary cycle consists of 60 ordered pairs formed by combining the 10 Heavenly Stems (天干) and the 12 Earthly Branches (地支). '甲子' is the first pair in this 60-year cycle. It is commonly used to refer to a full 60-year period or to calculate a person's age.
Jīn今
nián年
shì是
nóng农
lì历
jiǎ甲
zǐ子
nián年
。
This year is the Year of Jiazi in the lunar calendar.
Tā他
yǐ已
jīng经
huó活
le了
yī一
gè个
jiǎ甲
zǐ子
le了
。
He has already lived for a full sixty-year cycle.
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Jiǎ甲
zǐ子
xún循
huán环
shì是
gǔ古
dài代
zhòng重
yào要
de的
jì纪
nián年
fāng方
fǎ法
。
The Jiazi cycle was an important method for recording years in ancient times.