1TheCyclicalFlowoftheSixty-GanzhiTemporalUnits'TimefortheChineseisforeverflowingwithoutbeginningorend',notedThomeH.Fang.And'itiscustomaryforChinesetousethekan-Chih(ganzhi)tomarkthepassageoftime.Therearetenheavenlystems(gan)andtwelveearthlybranches(zhi),analternatingandsequentialcombinationofthetwomakesacycleofsixtyyears,months,daysandtwo-hourperiodshichen(时辰)inaday'.ThesixtyganzhitemporalcycleisveryimportantinthepracticeofChinesemedicine.Itisanimportantpracticaltemporaltoolintheacupuncturepracticeof子午流注(ziwuliuzhu)whichisamethodofchoosingandusingacupuncturepointsindealingwithaspecificclinicalpatterninaccordancewiththepatient'stemporalclottingandflowingofhis/herQiandblood.Inaddition,thesixtygan-zhitemporalcyclicalsystemisalsoanimportanttoolinforecastingadverseweather/climacticconditionsandtheillnessesthatcomeswiththemonthebasisoftheancientmethodologyof'thecirculatingfiveelements/phasesandthesixclimacticinfluences'五运六气.Hence,IhaveincludedthisganzhiorcelestialstemsandearthlybranchesforeachofthedaysintheChineseMedicalandAgriculturalLunisolarCalendarfortheyearofRatwuzinian(wuisthecelestialstemwhileziistheearthlybranchfortheyear2008).
