Word origin · etymology
Descriptive English translation.
Double states that the traditional time unit spans two modern hours; the English label explains size rather than reproducing shíchen, 時辰.
Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches ↗
How we know · epistemology
Traditional division of the day
The twelve divisions can be assigned using a declared clock basis. Civil, mean solar and apparent solar time can disagree near boundaries, so an hour label is incomplete without explaining which time was used.
Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches ↗
Connected concepts
Read alongside this entry
Mentioned in 2 other entries
These links connect subjects and terminology. They do not establish a shared historical origin.
Sources & provenance
Use the citations beside each section to distinguish a calculation convention, a historical teaching and an editorial example.