Three Cycles, Nine Periods · 180 Years
Year Ahead Overview
1864–2043: one hundred and eighty years, nine riverbeds — pick any year to see its stem-branch, zodiac sign, and Nine-Period home.
Three Cycles & Nine Periods · Span
Three Cycles and Nine Periods is a way of dividing time in the traditional calendar: one cycle runs sixty years, and the three cycles are Upper, Middle and Lower. Each cycle holds three periods of twenty years, nine periods in all. The years 1864–2043 make one complete round: Upper Cycle 1864–1923 (Periods 1–3), Middle Cycle 1924–1983 (Periods 4–6), Lower Cycle 1984–2043 (Periods 7–9). The next Upper Cycle begins in 2044.
Nine Periods · Riverbeds
Pick any year — that year's card appears below.
Upper Cycle 1864–1923
Middle Cycle 1924–1983
Lower Cycle 1984–2043
Years · Period 9 · Purple Fire (Li) (2024–2043)
2026
Stem-branch of the year
丙午
Zodiac sign
Horse
Nine-Period home
The year in brief
2026, stem-branch 丙午, zodiac Horse. In the Three Cycles and Nine Periods it falls in the Lower Cycle, Period 9 (Period 9 · Purple Fire (Li), 2024–2043). Seasons turn: look back on what worked, judge your strength and move steadily forward.