The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

甲子

jiǎ zǐdictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
first year of the sixty-year cycle (where each year is numbered with one of the 10 heavenly stems 天干[tiān gān] and one of the 12 earthly branches 地支[dì zhī]) / the sixty-year cycle
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-44416391803718e8. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

甲子 甲子 [jia3 zi3] /first year of the sixty-year cycle (where each year is numbered with one of the 10 heavenly stems 天干[tian1 gan1] and one of the 12 earthly branches 地支[di4 zhi1])/the sixty-year cycle/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 甲
    jiǎ

    first of the ten Heavenly Stems 十天干[shí tiān gān] / (used for an unspecified person or thing) / first (in a list, as a party to a contract etc) / letter "A" or roman "I" in list "A, B, C", or "I, II, III" etc / armor plating / shell or carapace / (of the fingers or toes) nail / bladed leather or metal armor (old) / ranking system used in the Imperial examinations (old) / civil administration unit in the baojia 保甲[bǎo jiǎ] system (old) / ancient Chinese compass point: 75°

  • 子
    zǐ

    son / child / seed / egg / small thing / 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat / viscount, fourth of five orders of nobility 五等爵位[wǔ děng jué wèi] / ancient Chinese compass point: 0° (north) / subsidiary / subordinate / (prefix) sub-

    zi

    noun suffix, as in 椅子[yǐ zi] "chair"

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.