What it is. BaZi (the Four Pillars) turns your birth moment into four pairs of Chinese characters — a year, month, day and hour pillar — and reads you as an elemental system rather than a zodiac.
The parts. The DAY MASTER is the top character in the day pillar — the symbol BaZi uses to represent the person whose chart this is. That top character is a HEAVENLY STEM: one of five elements in yin or yang form. Each pillar pairs a stem with an EARTHLY BRANCH, the lower character associated with a zodiac animal. Other elements are interpreted through their relationship to the Day Master's element: matching it, feeding it, being produced by it, controlling it or being controlled by it.
How to read it. Find the Day Master first, then follow how the other characters relate to it. The elements across the eight characters provide context for that interpretation; a simple count does not establish a personal trait. Luck cycles (Da Yun) are ten-year chapters layered on top.
The five elements and yin/yang
BaZi and Zi Wei run on five elements in a cycle: Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth (ash), Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water (condensation), Water grows Wood. Each also controls one: Wood breaks Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood. What feeds your Day Master supports you; what it produces is Output (expression); what it controls is Wealth (resources you manage); what controls it is pressure.
- Wood木
- Growth, expansion, kindness, planning — spring; feeds Fire, breaks Earth, cut by Metal.
- Fire火
- Warmth, expression, visibility, passion — summer; makes Earth, melts Metal, quenched by Water.
- Earth土
- Stability, trust, nourishment, stubbornness — the transitions between seasons; bears Metal, dams Water, broken by Wood.
- Metal金
- Structure, precision, decisiveness, righteousness — autumn; carries Water, cuts Wood, melted by Fire.
- Water水
- Wisdom, flow, communication, fear — winter; grows Wood, quenches Fire, dammed by Earth.
- Yang陽 / 阳 · the + sign after a stem
- The outward, active, forceful expression of an element.
- Yin陰 / 阴 · the − sign after a stem
- The inward, receptive, refined expression of an element.
The ten Heavenly Stems
The stem is the top character of each pillar: one of the five elements in a yin or yang form. Yang is the outward, forceful version; yin is the inward, refined one. Your day pillar's stem is the Day Master — the character that stands for you.
- Jiǎ甲 · Yang Wood
- The tall tree — upright, principled, grows straight toward the light; can be rigid.
- Yǐ乙 · Yin Wood
- The vine — flexible, adaptive, finds a way around; needs something to climb.
- Bǐng丙 · Yang Fire
- The sun — warm, generous, visible, expansive; burns out if it never sets.
- Dīng丁 · Yin Fire
- The candle — focused, warm up close, illuminating; flickers under pressure.
- Wù戊 · Yang Earth
- The mountain — steady, protective, immovable; slow to change.
- Jǐ己 · Yin Earth
- The garden soil — nurturing, receptive, resourceful; can be taken for granted.
- Gēng庚 · Yang Metal
- The broadsword, raw ore — direct, decisive, tough, unrefined; cuts through, sometimes too hard.
- Xīn辛 · Yin Metal
- The jewel, the fine blade — precise, polished, discerning; sensitive to how it's valued.
- Rén壬 · Yang Water
- The ocean, the river — powerful, wide-ranging, restless; hard to contain.
- Guǐ癸 · Yin Water
- Rain, mist, groundwater — quiet, intuitive, seeps in everywhere; underestimated.
The twelve Earthly Branches
The branch is the bottom character of each pillar — one of twelve, each tied to a zodiac animal, a season, and a hidden element. The year branch is the animal most people know as 'their sign'; the day branch is your private self; the hour branch is your inner life and later years.
- Zǐ · Rat子 · Water · midwinter · 11pm–1am
- Quick, resourceful, sociable, survives anything; scheming when cornered.
- Chǒu · Ox丑 · Earth (holding Water and Metal) · late winter · 1–3am
- Patient, dependable, hard-working, stubborn; carries the load without complaint.
- Yín · Tiger寅 · Wood (holding Fire and Earth) · early spring · 3–5am
- Bold, restless, charismatic, impulsive; leads by charging.
- Mǎo · Rabbit卯 · Wood · mid-spring · 5–7am
- Gentle, tactful, refined, cautious; wins by not fighting.
- Chén · Dragon辰 · Earth (holding Wood and Water) · late spring · 7–9am
- Ambitious, dramatic, lucky, proud; larger than the room.
- Sì · Snake巳 · Fire (holding Metal and Earth) · early summer · 9–11am
- Wise, private, elegant, calculating; waits, then strikes.
- Wǔ · Horse午 · Fire (holding Earth) · midsummer · 11am–1pm
- Energetic, independent, popular, impatient; needs to run.
- Wèi · Goat未 · Earth (holding Fire and Wood) · late summer · 1–3pm
- Kind, artistic, worried, generous; thrives with support.
- Shēn · Monkey申 · Metal (holding Water and Earth) · early autumn · 3–5pm
- Clever, playful, inventive, mischievous; solves it sideways.
- Yǒu · Rooster酉 · Metal · mid-autumn · 5–7pm
- Precise, outspoken, observant, proud; notices everything and says so.
- Xū · Dog戌 · Earth (holding Metal and Fire) · late autumn · 7–9pm
- Loyal, honest, anxious, protective; guards what it loves.
- Hài · Pig亥 · Water (holding Wood) · early winter · 9–11pm
- Warm, honest, indulgent, trusting; enjoys life and shares it.