The way the Decimal Cycle (tian-gan T ) and the Duodecimal Cycle (di-zhi t ) are combined and permuted to designate time is one of the most striking features in the Chinese sphere of cultural influence. Under this influence, most surrounding minorities have borrowed such terms as part of their cultural vocabulary. Xixia, for instance, is one of them; its Chinese-inspired month-names are recorded completely in Zhang ZhOng Zhu *474 `Pearl in the Palm'. However, today the Chinese commonly use the Gregorian calendar, and the twelve months are expressed by cardinal numbers in the spoken language. The old terms are used only in writing and then only occasionally. Thus by observing what minorities without independent written characters call the twelve months, we may gain insight into their speakers' indigenous conceptualizations of time, as reflected in their own languages. ; Published version