earthly branch

noun8

1. •
   One of the twelve terms used in East Asian cultures to represent
2. •
   The twelve animals representing the Chinese zodiac, (particularly) as a birthyear.
3. •
   The twelve bearings of traditional Chinese navigation, comprising 30° divisions of the compass beginning with due north.
4. •
   The duodecimal divisions of the day into "Chinese" or "double hours", beginning with 11 pm.
5. •
   The exact time at the middle of a "Chinese" or "double hour", beginning with midnight.
6. •
   (historical) The (approximately) twelve years of Jupiter's orbital period, forming the Chinese zodiac and personified as twelve or sixty gods known as Tai Sui.
7. •
   (historical) The duodecimal divisions of the Chinese seasons, beginning with the second of the three divisions of winter.
8. •
   (no longer used) The twelve months of the Chinese lunar year.