子丑寅卯

Chinese

		child; son; (noun suffix) child; son; (noun suffix); small thing; seed; egg; 1st earthly branch; 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight	2nd earthly branch; 1–3 a.m.; clown 2nd earthly branch; 1–3 a.m.; clown; surname	3rd earthly branch; 3–5 a.m.	4th earthly branch; 5–7 a.m.
trad. (子丑寅卯)		子	丑	寅	卯
simp. #(子丑寅卯)		子	丑	寅	卯

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zǐchǒuyínmǎo

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˇ ㄔㄡˇ ㄧㄣˊ ㄇㄠˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zi² cau² jan⁴ maau⁵

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zǐchǒuyínmǎo [Phonetic: zíchǒuyínmǎo]
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˇ ㄔㄡˇ ㄧㄣˊ ㄇㄠˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zǐhchǒuyínmǎo
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ³-chʻou³-yin²-mao³
    • Yale: dž-chǒu-yín-mǎu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyychoouynmao
    • Palladius: цзычоуиньмао (czyčouinʹmao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩²¹⁴⁻³⁵ ʈ͡ʂʰoʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ in³⁵ mɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi² cau² jan⁴ maau⁵
    • Yale: jí cháu yàhn máauh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi² tsau² jan⁴ maau⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji² ceo² yen⁴ mao⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː³⁵ t͡sʰɐu̯³⁵ jɐn²¹ maːu̯¹³/

Idiom

子丑寅卯

1. (literally) zi, chou, yin and mao (the first four earthly branches)
2. (figurative) underlying reasons or logic; main threads (of a complicated affair)

   我費勁巴拉的，看了這麼多資料也沒看出個子丑寅卯來。 [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
   我费劲巴拉的，看了这么多资料也没看出个子丑寅卯来。 [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]

   Wǒ fèijìnbālā de, kàn le zènme duō zīliào yě méi kànchū ge zǐ‐chǒu‐yín‐mǎo lai. [Pinyin]

   I still don't have a clue after trying hard to read all this material.

See also

• 甲乙丙丁 (jiǎyǐbǐngdīng)