Chinese double hours
The twelve double hours with clock times, traditional names, zodiac animals and night watches, the current double hour, and old units of time.
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Runs in this page in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
About this tool
A reference table of the twelve Chinese double hours (时辰) and the clock times they cover, with each one’s traditional name, zodiac animal and night watch. Use it when a novel, a period drama or an old text mentions a time such as 子时 or 三更, or when you want to know which double hour a birth time falls in.
The top of the page shows the current double hour, down to its 初 or 正 half and its 15-minute 刻, based on your device’s clock. A second table converts old units such as 刻, 更, 须臾 and 弹指 into minutes and seconds. It runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.
How to use it
- Read the current double hour at the top, for example 子时（子正二刻）. Its row in the table is highlighted.
- Find a double hour in the table to see its “Clock time”, “Traditional name”, “Zodiac” and “Night watch”.
- Scroll to “Old units of time” to see how 时辰, 刻, 更, 须臾 and smaller units convert into hours, minutes and seconds.
Common questions
What clock times does 子时 cover?
子时 runs from 23:00 to 01:00 and is the first of the twelve double hours; 午时 runs from 11:00 to 13:00. Each double hour lasts two hours.
What do 初, 正 and 刻 mean in the current time?
Each double hour has two halves: 初 is its first hour and 正 the second. Each hour is split into 15-minute 刻; the first quarter has no number, then come 一刻, 二刻 and 三刻. So 子正二刻 is 00:30 to 00:44.
When are the night watches?
The first watch (一更) is 戌时, 19:00 to 21:00, and each watch lasts about two hours up to the fifth watch (五更) in 寅时, 03:00 to 05:00. The third watch (三更) is 子时, 23:00 to 01:00.
Which clock is the current double hour based on?
Your device’s local time, refreshed every 30 seconds. If your device is not set to China time, the highlighted double hour follows your local clock.
How long is one 刻?
15 minutes in the 96-刻 day used from the Qing dynasty on, or 14.4 minutes in the older 100-刻 system; its length changed between dynasties. The units from 须臾 down follow the Mahāsāṃghika Vinaya.
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