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The Bazi Chart
Bāzì (八字), literally the “Eight Characters,” is a classical Chinese system that reads the year, month, day and hour of birth as four pillars. Each pillar carries one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch — eight symbols that map the elemental weather at the moment you arrived.
The Four Pillars
四柱Year Pillar · 年支
Ancestry · Environment · Network
Your external environment; how society sees you, your network, social circle, heritage and ancestry. Your external persona and your early childhood upbringing.
Month Pillar · 月支
Career · Profession · Season
Represents your professional life, career, industry, and work environment. It often reveals your professional strengths and opportunities. The dominant season of your birth chart.
Day Pillar · 日支
You · Health · Self · Spouse
The most important branch which represents you; your core personality, personal relationships (‘Spouse Palace’), and overall well-being. The foundation of your personal identity.
Hour Pillar · 時支
Future · Output · Children
Reveals your future life; includes your inner thoughts, ambitions, and hidden potential, providing insights into your late-life fortune such as children, investments and legacy.
Ten Heavenly Stems
天干Ten stems cycle through the five elements in Yang and Yin form — the upper, visible energy of each pillar.
- 甲JiǎYang Wood
- 乙YǐYin Wood
- 丙BǐngYang Fire
- 丁DīngYin Fire
- 戊WùYang Earth
- 己JǐYin Earth
- 庚GēngYang Metal
- 辛XīnYin Metal
- 壬RénYang Water
- 癸GuǐYin Water
Twelve Earthly Branches
地支The Twelve Symbols
The Division: There are exactly 12 Earthly Branches.
The Zodiac Connection: Each branch is paired with a specific animal sign to make the calendar easier for the general public to remember.
The Sequence: They always progress in a strict, unchangeable order: Zi (Rat), Chou (Ox), Yin (Tiger), Mao (Rabbit), Chen (Dragon), Si (Snake), Wu (Horse), Wei (Goat), Shen (Monkey), You (Rooster), Xu (Dog), and Hai (Pig).
Time and Seasonal Markers
The 12 Months: Each branch represents a specific month of the lunar year, tracking the solar terms and changing seasons.
The 12 Chinese Hours: Each branch represents a two-hour block of a 24-hour day (for example, Zi hour is 11:00 PM to 1:00 AM).
The Compass Directions: They correspond to specific spatial directions, with Zi representing North and Wu representing South.
Astrological Foundation
The Fixed Elements: Every Earthly Branch carries an inherent, unchangeable “fixed” element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water) and a specific Yin or Yang polarity.
The Destiny Pillars: In Chinese astrology (BaZi), the Earthly Branches form the bottom row of the “Four Pillars of Destiny,” representing a person’s hidden traits, inner self, and relationship with family.
| Branch | Pinyin | Zodiac | Element | Yin / Yang | Month | Hour | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 子 | Zǐ | 🐀 Rat | 💧 Water | Yang 陽 | 11 (Dec) | 23:00–01:00 | North |
| 丑 | Chǒu | 🐂 Ox | 🌱 Earth | Yin 陰 | 12 (Jan) | 01:00–03:00 | NNE |
| 寅 | Yín | 🐯 Tiger | 🪵 Wood | Yang 陽 | 1 (Feb) | 03:00–05:00 | NE |
| 卯 | Mǎo | 🐇 Rabbit | 🪵 Wood | Yin 陰 | 2 (Mar) | 05:00–07:00 | East |
| 辰 | Chén | 🐉 Dragon | 🌱 Earth | Yang 陽 | 3 (Apr) | 07:00–09:00 | ESE |
| 巳 | Sì | 🐍 Snake | 🔥 Fire | Yin 陰 | 4 (May) | 09:00–11:00 | SE |
| 午 | Wǔ | 🐎 Horse | 🔥 Fire | Yang 陽 | 5 (Jun) | 11:00–13:00 | South |
| 未 | Wèi | 🐐 Goat | 🌱 Earth | Yin 陰 | 6 (Jul) | 13:00–15:00 | SSW |
| 申 | Shēn | 🐒 Monkey | ⚙️ Metal | Yang 陽 | 7 (Aug) | 15:00–17:00 | SW |
| 酉 | Yǒu | 🐓 Rooster | ⚙️ Metal | Yin 陰 | 8 (Sep) | 17:00–19:00 | West |
| 戌 | Xū | 🐕 Dog | 🌱 Earth | Yang 陽 | 9 (Oct) | 19:00–21:00 | WNW |
| 亥 | Hài | 🐷 Pig | 💧 Water | Yin 陰 | 10 (Nov) | 21:00–23:00 | NW |
How to read a pillar
讀柱A pillar such as 辛巳 pairs a stem (辛 Xīn, Yin Metal) with a branch (巳 Sì, Snake / Fire). Read the stem as the visible personality of that life-area, the branch as its underlying season, and the branch’s hidden stems (藏干) as the deeper motives stored inside. The Day Master — your Day Stem — is the reference point everything else is weighed against.
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