The Chinese Hour

Chinese Astrology has more than 2,500 years of history.  And included in that history is the old Chinese system for reckoning time.  That system divides the years into 12-year cycles, to base the month on the lunar cycle, and to divide the day into “12 hours/time intervals/units”, called 십이시[十二時].  Thus, 1 Chinese hour is equivalent to the modern era 2 hours/120 minutes.  The following is taken from a Korean 한문[漢文] educational resource named 《계몽편 / 啓蒙篇》, 《천편 / 天篇》.  IMPORTANT NOTE :  The following is ONLY meant for 한문[漢文] reading practice for a historical fact.  Hence, the following does not necessarily represent the original and actual written historical records.

一晝夜之內	일주야지내
有十二時	유십이시
十二時會	십이시회
而爲一日	이위일일
三十日會	삼십일회
而爲一月	이위일월
十有二月合	십유이월합
而成一歲	이성일세

{ ◄◄ [一 – one][晝 – day][夜 – night][之 – that of][內 – within] ◄◄ }

[有 – there is][十二 – twelve][時 – hours/time intervals]
[十二 – twelve][時 – hours/time intervals][會 – be accumulated]
[而 – and][爲 – become][一 – one][日 – day]
[三十 – thirty][日 – day][會 – be accumulated]
[而 – and][爲 – become][一 – one][月 – month]
[十 – ten][有 – and also][二 – two][月 – month][合 – combine]
[而 – and][成 – make][一 – one][歲 – year]

Within that of one day and night
There are twelve hours
When twelve hours have been accumulated
And that will become one day
When thirty days have been accumulated
And that will become one month
Ten months and also two months when combined
And that makes one year

There is more information that is written in the textbook and it will be mentioned in a separate post.