Time and date in Themiclesia
Time and date in Themiclesia are specified by two distinct systems. The more traditional system, derived from Menghean practice in antiquity, has been little altered, and it remains the standard by which traditional holidays, birthdays, and certain are defined. The Western system is based on the Gregorian Calendar. Legislation requires certain types of documents to specify date and time via the traditional system to be effective, but the Western system is more prevalent in commercial correspondence for ease of communication with foreign states. Newspapers typically specify the date of the current issue with both systems, one in each corner on the top margin.
Traditional system
Date
Date in the traditional system is specified in the following format:
Where:
- For dates in any reign, the year that begins after the reigning monarch's ascension is year one; the regnal year co-incides with the administrative year and does not begin in the first month of the calendar year, but the tenth. For deceased monarchs, the regnal year is prefixed with the monarch's posthumous name; for the current monarch, the word "current" is prefixed, though it can be omitted in most contexts.
- The sexagenary date is a combination of the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches, providing 60 combinations used cyclically. The sexagenary date can be omitted in informal contexts, though in legal instruments it is always present.
- The lunar month is declared ordinally, i.e. first month, second month, third month, ....
- The lunar date is also declared ordinally
Thus, the date of writing of this article, June 10, 2020, would be given as:
(Current reign third year, day krap-l′jin; intercalary fourth month, nineteenth day)
A range of adverbs are employed to speak of relative time.
- The future from the speaker's persent is usually specified with the adverb n′jangh (向)
- "Tomorrow", n′jangh-njik (向日)
- "Coming dawn", n′jangh-smrjang′ (向爽)
- "Coming May", n′jangh-nga′-ngwjat (向五月)
- The future from a specified point of reference is given by ljek (翌)
- "Next day", ljek-njik (翌日)
- "Day after eighty days from today", kjot-pret-gjep-njik-ljek-njik (厥八十日翌日)
Time
| 23:00 | 子 | tsje′ |
| 1:00 | 丑 | n′rju′ |
| 3:00 | 寅 | ljen |
| 5:00 | 卯 | mru′ |
| 7:00 | 辰 | djer′ |
| 9:00 | 巳 | ljeh |
| 11:00 | 午 | ngja′ |
| 13:00 | 未 | mjedh |
| 15:00 | 申 | l′jin |
| 17:00 | 酉 | lju′ |
| 19:00 | 戌 | m′jet |
| 21:00 | 亥 | geh |
The Themiclesian day is divided into twelve "signs" whose character also translates the English word "hour", with the first sign beginning at 23:00 Septentrion Mean Time. A new day commences not at the beginning of the first sign, but during its midpoint, which co-incides exactly with 0:00 in SMT. Each day is divided into 96 "ticks" for practical purposes but 100 ticks in the legal system. The two divide a day of identical length; thus, under 96 ticks, each tick is precisely 15 minutes long; under 100 ticks, each is 14 minutes and 24 seconds long. The latter system is rarely encountered, and due to their proximity not tending to cause any great error when used with reference to hours. To note time under the 96 ticks system, the sign is given first, and one tick is added for every 15 minutes passed.
Western system
Date
Date in the western format is given in the following format:
- "Western Era" (西元, sner-ngjon) is declared to specify the Gregorian Calendar.
- Year since the beginning of the Anno Domini or Common Era.
- Month, from January, February, ... December, but noted as first month, second month, ... twelfth month.
- Day, sequentially from first day, second day, ... thirtieth/thirty-first day.
The date of writing of this article, June 10, 2020, is therefore noted as:
Time
The day is divided into twenty-four equal hours, called "dots" (點, têm′) in Shinasthana.
| 1:00 | 一點 | ′jik-têm′ |
| 2:00 | 二點 | njih-têm′ |
| 3:00 | 三點 | srum-têm′ |
| 4:00 | 四點 | pljih-têm′ |
| 5:00 | 五點 | nga′-têm′ |
| 6:00 | 六點 | rjuk-têm′ |
| 7:00 | 七點 | sn′jit-têm′ |
| 8:00 | 八點 | pret-têm′ |
| 9:00 | 九點 | kju′-têm′ |
| 10:00 | 十點 | gjep-têm′ |
| 11:00 | 十一點 | gjep-′jik-têm′ |
| 12:00 | 十二點 | gjep-njih-têm′ |
To specify ante meridiem, the term trjugh (晝) can be added, and in like fashion mljak (夕) for post meridiem. Terms like gjep-srum-têm′ (十三點, 13:00) and rjeng-têm′ (零點, 0:00) are theoretically possible but rarely used. Additionally, time after 0:00 and before 2:59 are typically considered "before dawn" (未旦, mjedh-tanh), and from 3:00 to 5:59 "dawn" (既旦, kjebh-tanh). Likewise, after 6:00 PM "at night" (夜, ljagh) is far more usual than persisting with mljak. Minutes then seconds follow the hour; thus, 11:59:01 would be gjep-′jik-têm′-nga′-gjep-kju′-pjen-′jik-mjaw′ (十一點五十九分一秒). Note that while it is usual to speak of days and months in tens then units, this is never done with hours, minutes, and seconds.