BaZi Learn: Course & Library
Plain-language explanations of BaZi theory and classical sayings, quoted from the original texts with real chart examples.
What Is BaZi (Four Pillars)? How a Birth Chart Is Built
BaZi, also called Four Pillars of Destiny (四柱命理), takes the four time units of birth — year, month, day, and hour — and pairs one Heavenly Stem with one Earthly Branch for each, forming a "pillar." Together they make eight characters, the basic framework of the chart. Practitioners read the Five Element generating and controlling relationships among these eight characters to understand a person's personality tendencies, life phases, and timing. BaZi is a framework for self-knowledge, not an unchangeable verdict of fate.
BaZi Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches: Five Elements
The Ten Heavenly Stems (Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui) and the Twelve Earthly Branches (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai) are the foundational symbol system of BaZi. Each stem and branch corresponds to a specific Five-Element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and Yin-Yang identity, and every generating and controlling interaction among the Four Pillars unfolds from these 22 symbols.
Five Elements Sheng and Ke Cycles in BaZi Explained
The Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) are the foundational framework of BaZi (Four Pillars of Destiny). They relate to one another through two major cycles: the Generating cycle (Sheng 相生, mutual nourishment) and the Overcoming cycle (Ke 相剋, mutual restraint). To read a BaZi chart, you must first understand how these two cycles operate across the four pillars; only then can you go on to analyse the Ten Gods, the Useful God, and the Luck Pillars.
Day Master in BaZi: Why Your Day Stem Is You
In Ziping BaZi, the Day Master (日主, also called Day Element, 日元) is the Heavenly Stem of your Day Pillar — the single character that represents the chart owner, "yourself". The ten gods are calculated with the Day Master as the reference point; favourable and unfavourable elements (喜忌) are chosen mainly by the Month Branch (月令) pattern, then adjusted for the Day Master's strength and the chart's overall climate (cold/heat, dryness/dampness); the pattern (格局) itself is determined mainly by the Month Branch, but its success, failure and level must still be measured against the Day Master's strength. Finding your Day Master is the most important first step in learning BaZi.
BaZi Hidden Stems: How the Month Branch Sets Strength
Every Earthly Branch in a BaZi chart contains one to three hidden Heavenly Stems, called "hidden stems" (Cang Gan, 藏干). Among them, the Month Branch (Yue Ling, 月令) ranks highest, because it represents the solar season of birth and is the primary basis for judging whether the Day Master is in season, i.e. its strength. However, the Month Branch cannot decide strength on its own; rooting and the other stems and branches must also be considered. The Month Branch carries the greatest weight, but it is not the only factor. Mastering the hidden stems of the Month Branch is the first step in analysing structure and the useful god.
BaZi Day Master Strength: De Ling, De Di & De Shi
In BaZi, Day Master strength is traditionally assessed by three criteria: seasonal command (De Ling 得令 — whether the Month Branch is the Day Master's own element in season; a Resource element in season only counts as receiving production, not as De Ling), rooting (De Di 得地 — whether the Earthly Branches give the Day Master roots), and momentum (De Shi 得勢 — whether most of the stems and branches across the chart support the Day Master). The three tests are a useful first reference, but you should not mechanically declare a chart strong or weak just because two tests are met. Look at the Month Branch first, then examine how deep the roots are and whether the supporting elements are revealed in the stems and rooted in the branches, while watching for balanced (neutral) charts and special structures. This is the first step in determining favourable and unfavourable elements (Useful God), and the most fundamental skill in BaZi analysis.
BaZi Ten Gods: How They're Named from the Day Master
The BaZi Ten Gods (Shi Shen, 十神) are ten relationship names obtained by taking the stem of the day pillar (the Day Master, 日主) as the reference point, measuring the five-element producing and overcoming relationship between it and every other stem and branch, and then factoring in whether their Yin/Yang polarity is the same or different. The same Heavenly Stem can carry a completely different Ten God name in charts with different Day Masters, because the Ten Gods fundamentally describe a "relationship," not "the element itself."
BaZi Useful God (Yong Shen): Find Your Favorable Elements
The Useful God (Yong Shen, 用神) is the key on which a chart forms its structure and which brings the Day Master into harmony with the whole chart. Methods for selecting it include the Month Command structure method, the support-and-restrain method (扶抑), climate adjustment (調候), and bridging (通關); which applies depends on the chart. Once the Useful God is found, elements that produce, support, or protect it without obstructing the structure are favorable; those that control or damage it, or break the structure, are unfavorable; elements that drain the Useful God are judged favorable or unfavorable depending on whether they can restrain the unfavorable force and complete the structure. The strength of the Useful God and how the luck cycles interact with it are the core basis for judging whether a luck period is fortunate or not.
BaZi Branch Relationships: He, Chong, Xing, Hai
In BaZi, the twelve Earthly Branches interact through four main types of relationship: combinations (He 合, including the Six Harmonies, Three Harmonies and Three Meetings), clashes (Chong 沖), punishments (Xing 刑) and harms (Hai 害). These relationships change the strength and nature of the Five Elements in a chart, and they are the core tool for reading how luck cycles and annual years activate the natal chart.
BaZi Structures (Ge Ju): Normal vs Special Explained
A BaZi structure (格局, ge ju) is an analytical framework centred on the month branch, used to determine which Ten-God relationship dominates the whole chart. Most charts are normal structures (the eight structures, plus the Jian Lu and Yue Jie / Yang Ren structures). Only a minority of charts require the logic of special structures: Follow Structures usually arise when the Day Master is extremely weak, rootless, and lacks strong Resource or Companion support; Dominant Structures arise when the Day Master is extremely strong and same-type elements form a combination; Transformation Structures arise when the Day Stem combines and transforms and the transformed element is supported by the month command. Each has different conditions for forming and follows an entirely different method of judgement. Correctly identifying the structure is the first step in judging favourable and unfavourable elements and forecasting the fortunes of the luck cycles.
Luck Cycles and Annual Pillars in BaZi Explained
BaZi (Four Pillars of Destiny) observes the rises and falls of life through two layers of time: Luck Cycles (Da Yun, 大運) run in ten-year periods and set the basic energetic backdrop of a life phase, while the Annual Pillar (Liu Nian, 流年) is the pillar of each calendar year, representing that year's flowing energy. Both must be overlaid on the natal Four Pillars to judge accurately when a given theme is most likely to surface. Mastering the "three-layer overlay" (natal chart + Da Yun + Liu Nian) is the core skill of BaZi event analysis.
How to Read a Complete BaZi Chart Step by Step
Reading a BaZi (Four Pillars) chart is a step-by-step process: first confirm the Day Master's strength, label the Ten Gods, determine the structure from the month command, then select the useful god, and finally layer in the luck pillars and annual years. No single pillar or auxiliary star can determine destiny on its own — the whole chart must be allowed to "speak." This lesson uses a complete worked example to integrate every concept from Lessons 1–11 into one practical chart-reading workflow.