si4 san4 baat3 zi6時辰八字时辰八字
Jyutpingsi4 san4 baat3 zi6
Yalesìh sàhn baat jih
Definition
One's birth date and time expressed in the eight characters of the sexagenary cycle, used for fortune telling.
colloquialpeopleother
How it's used
Refers specifically to the eight characters derived from the sexagenary cycle of one's birth moment. While often shortened to just 八字 in casual conversation, the full term is used when emphasizing the precision of the birth timing required for accurate divination. It carries a strong cultural association with traditional fortune telling and compatibility matching.
Examples
The master asked for my birth date and time to tell my fortune.
Related words
Common phrases
to ask for someone's birth date and time
to check the compatibility of two people's birth characters
Common mistake
Learners often confuse this with a simple birth date, but it requires the exact hour of birth to calculate the final two characters. Providing only the date without the time makes the calculation impossible for a fortune teller.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- QuestionsFrom yes or no questions to asking who, what, where, and when. The patterns you need to ask questions naturally in Cantonese.
- ClassifiersCantonese puts a classifier between a number and a noun, and a bare classifier on its own can mean the. Learn the common ones and how to use them.
- ComparisonsHow to say bigger than, the most, the same as, and not as good as. Cantonese uses 過 where Mandarin uses 比, and that catches a lot of learners out.
