45 Chéré betchi Earth monkey 46 Chéré takia Earth fowl 47 Temur mokhé Iron dog 48 Temur khakhé Iron pig 49 Oussou khouloukhana Water mouse 50 Oussou oukhere Water ox 51 Moto bara Wooden tiger 52 Moto tolé Wooden hare 53 Gal lou Fire dragon 54 Gal mokhé Fire serpent 55 Chéré mori Earth horse 56 Chéré khoui Earth ram 57 Temur betchi Iron monkey 58 Temur takia Iron fowl 59 Oussou nokhé Water dog 60 Oussou khakhé Water pig As this cycle returns periodically every sixty years, it may be imagined that great confusion might occur in chronology, if they had not a sure method of fixing the past sexagenary cycles. To obviate this inconvenience, the sovereigns give to each year of their reign a particular name, and by this means the cyclic epochs are fixed in a way to leave no doubt. Thus the Mongols say, “The twenty-eighth year Tao-Kouang, which is that of the fiery ram (1848.)” In China, the present sexagenary cycle commenced with the year 1805, and the years Tao-Kouang date from 1820, the epoch when the Emperor now reigning mounted the throne. It is to be observed that Chun-Tchi, Khang-Hi, Young-Tching, Kien-Long, Kia-King, Tao-Kouang, are not at all the names of the six first Emperors of the Mantchou dynasty, but special denominations to denote the years of their reign. The Thibetians have adopted the use of the denary and duodenary cycles. But by making them undergo more numerous combinations than the Mongols, they obtain a cycle of 252 years. The twelve first years merely bear the names of twelve animals; then these same names are combined with those of the five elements, repeated twice up to the 72nd year of the cycle. They then add to these combinations the word _po_ (male), which carries them up to the 132nd year; then the word _mo_ (female), which takes it up to the 192nd year; finally, they alternate the words _po_ and _mo_ to the end of the cycle.