Calque fromChinese天干 (tiāngān).
heavenlystem (pluralheavenly stems)
For a list of the heavenly stems, see the Chinese entry for天干.
The heavenly stems are also used as the first component of each of the sixty terms of theChinese sexagenary cycle (干支), used in ancient China to record dates and in traditional contexts in modern China to order years. They appear in this context as early as theShang-eraoracle bones.
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