What is Lục Thập Hoa Giáp?

What is Lục Thập Hoa Giáp?

Lục Thập Hoa Giáp (六十花甲) is a cycle of 60 units formed by pairing the ten Heavenly Stems (Giáp, Ất, Bính, Đinh, Mậu, Kỷ, Canh, Tân, Nhâm, Quý) with the twelve Earthly Branches (Tý, Sửu, Dần, Mão, Thìn, Tỵ, Ngọ, Mùi, Thân, Dậu, Tuất, Hợi). Because a Stem and a Branch only combine in pairs of the same polarity, either both Yin or both Yang, the number of possible combinations is the least common multiple of 10 and 12, which is 60. After 60 years, the Stem and Branch cycle returns to its starting point, which is why people also call it "one hoa giáp" or "one full con giáp".

Why is it called "hoa giáp"?

The word "hoa" (花) in the name carries the sense of variety and intricacy, like flowers and leaves, hinting at the complex interweaving of the 60 Stem and Branch combinations. The word "giáp" (甲) is both the name of the first Stem and carries the meaning of "first" or "beginning". The phrase "hoa giáp" is also used to refer to the age of 60, the age at which one has completed a full Stem and Branch cycle. In traditional culture, celebrating a 60th birthday is considered an important milestone, marking one complete cycle of a person's life according to the Stem and Branch calendar.

What are nạp âm and their role in calendrical systems?

Each consecutive Stem and Branch pair is assigned a "nạp âm" (納音), that is, a name together with a Five Elements phase, such as Hải Trung Kim, Lư Trung Hỏa, Đại Hải Thủy. The nạp âm is not derived directly from the Stem or the Branch alone but follows an ancient rule. In calendrical systems, the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp is used to record reign titles, dates, months and hours; in Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology), phong thủy and date selection, the nạp âm of the birth year is often used to assess a person's nạp âm Five Elements.

How is it distinguished from easily confused concepts?

The Lục Thập Hoa Giáp should be distinguished from the "Thập Nhị Địa Chi" (which refers only to the 12 zodiac animals) and the "Thập Thiên Can" (which refers only to the 10 Stems). The Lục Thập Hoa Giáp is the integration of both, not a separate set of symbols. One should also distinguish "nạp âm" from the "bản mệnh" based on the Stem or Branch alone: two people both born in a Tý year can still have different nạp âm if their Stems differ. In addition, "one hoa giáp" refers to a 60 year cycle and is not the same as "one century" in the sense of 100 years.

Note: this is traditional knowledge offered for reference, and it has not been verified by science. Its applications in Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology), phong thủy and date selection should be regarded as cultural heritage, not as a substitute for decisions based on scientific grounds.

How do different schools understand it?

• The purely calendrical understanding: Regards the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp simply as a base 60 counting system used to record years, months, days and hours, carrying no predictive or destiny related meaning.
• The nạp âm Five Elements understanding: Holds that each Stem and Branch combination is tied to a nạp âm and a corresponding element, and from this uses it to assess personality, marital compatibility, date selection and phong thủy.
• The cultural understanding of age: Emphasises the symbolic meaning of "one hoa giáp" as the milestone of 60 years, tied to longevity celebration customs and the idea of a complete life cycle.

Related articles

• What is the nạp âm Đại Khê Thủy in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp, and its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Hải Trung Kim in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Tích Lịch Hỏa in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Dương Liễu Mộc in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp, and its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Lư Trung Hỏa in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Sa Trung Thổ in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Đại Hải Thủy in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Kim Bạch Kim in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Trường Lưu Thủy in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp, and its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Kiếm Phong Kim in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp, and its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Thiên Hà Thủy in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp, and its Five Elements meaning
• What is the nạp âm Sơn Hạ Hỏa in the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp? Its Five Elements meaning

Which Stem and Branch pairs make up the Lục Thập Hoa Giáp table?

The 60 unit cycle repeats exactly once every 60 years, which is the root of the custom of celebrating a 60th birthday. The nạp âm column is the element of the Stem and Branch PAIR, which differs from the individual element of the Stem and of the Branch.

The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.