About BaZi · 八字

BaZi: The Four Pillars

Four Pillars bring the year, month, day, and hour of birth into one eight-character chart—read through stems, branches, the Five Elements, and timing.

Read the essentials

Start with the Four Pillars.

  1. 01

    Four Pillars

    Year, Month, Day, and Hour each hold a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch. Together they form the eight characters.

  2. 02

    Day Master

    The Heavenly Stem in the Day Pillar is the central reference point for comparing the other characters.

  3. 03

    Five Elements

    Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water name the elemental relationships visible across the chart.

  4. 04

    Timing

    Season, Horoscope Cycles, and other calendar layers are read after the visible pillars and their relationships.

Read a Four Pillars Chart.

  1. 01Four Pillarssee the structure
  2. 02Day Masterfind the reference
  3. 03Five Elementsnotice relationships
  4. 04Timingadd context last
FOUR PILLARS CHART
LayerHour
时柱		Day
日柱 · you		Month
月柱		Year
年柱
Heavenly Stem
天干		 Gui · Water癸 Ji · Earth己 Yi · Wood乙 Gui · Water癸
Earthly Branch
地支		 You · Metal酉 Si · Fire巳 Mao · Wood卯 Hai · Water亥

Read the Four Pillars first: Year, Month, Day, and Hour. The Day Stem is the Day Master—the reference point for comparing the other characters.

Heavenly Stems. The top row shows the four Stems and their elemental qualities.

Earthly Branches. The bottom row names the four Branches, seasonal positions, and animal associations.

Day Master · 日主
Ji Earth
己

In BaZi education, the Day Master gives the chart a reference point. A reading then considers season, surrounding stems and branches, and their relationships before making any claim.

Five Elements · 五行

The Five Elements in Your Chart.

  • Woodgrowth and direction
  • Fireexpression and visibility
  • Earthholding and transition
  • Metalstandards and refinement
  • Watermovement and information

Read the chart in layers.

  1. 01

    Locate the Day Master. Here, 己 / Ji Earth is the reference point—not a complete personality label.

  2. 02

    Read the chart together. Compare the Four Pillars and Five Elements in relation to the Day Master.

  3. 03

    Add timing carefully. Horoscope Cycles are a longer timing layer and require confirmed birth details plus stated calendar conventions in a live chart.

Go deeper: What Is BaZi?Four PillarsDay MasterFive Elements

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