Ba Zi Glossary 八字术语

Core Concepts

Chinese birth chartBa Zi 八字Bā Zì

Your Chinese birth chart reads the moment you were born through the Chinese solar calendar: your birth year, month, day and hour, each written as an element and an animal. The year animal most people know is only one of its parts. It describes your nature and your timing; it is not fortune-telling or a fixed fate. (Classical term: Ba Zi 八字, literally eight characters, also called the Four Pillars of Destiny 四柱.)

Columns of the chartFour Pillars 四柱Sì Zhù

Your chart has one column for each part of your birth: year, month, day and hour. The element on top and the animal below are that column's two characters. Each column covers part of your life: Year, family roots and wider circle; Month, work and parents; Day, the self and partnership; Hour, children, future plans and private hopes. With no birth time, the hour column is missing and the chart is read from the other three. (Classical terms: Pillar 柱; the element is a Heavenly Stem 天干, the animal an Earthly Branch 地支.)

Three-column chartThree Pillars 三柱Sān Zhù

When the birth time is not known, the chart has no hour column and is read on three: the year, month and day columns. Your core self and your year animal stay the same. What is missing is the hour column's own reading (children, future plans and private hopes), its share of your element mix and any links its element and animal would make with the rest of the chart. (Classical term: Three Pillars 三柱.)

Core selfDay Master 日主Rì Zhǔ

Your core self is the part of your chart that stands for you, and the point every other part is read from. It is the element at the top of your birth-day column, so it is different from your year animal and has no animal of its own. There are ten types: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water, each in a Yang (outgoing) or Yin (inward) form. Its support level is not a grade of you: it only says how much backing your core self gets from the rest of the chart, against how much the chart draws on it. (Classical term: Day Master 日主, the Heavenly Stem of your Day Pillar.)

Support levelDay Master strength 身强 身弱Shēn Qiáng, Shēn Ruò

Your support level says how much backing your core self gets from the rest of your chart: from elements like it or that feed it, against elements it feeds, keeps in check or is kept in check by. Your birth month, the season you were born into, counts extra. Well supported, lightly supported and balanced are descriptions, not grades of you: each one changes which element balances your chart. (Classical terms: a strong Day Master 身强, a weak one 身弱.)

Year animalYear Branch 年支Nián Zhī

Your year animal is the animal and element of your birth year, the sign most people know. In Ba Zi the year starts at Lichun, the Start of Spring, around February 4, so a birth before that moment belongs to the year before (this site's reports count the whole Lichun day in the new year). Everyone born that year shares it; your core self is the more personal part of your chart. (Classical term: the Year Pillar 年柱, whose animal is the Year Branch 年支.)

Partner seatSpouse Palace 日支Rì Zhī

Your partner seat is the animal at the bottom of your birth-day column, right under your core self. Classical texts read it for close partnership: the kind of partner you are drawn to and how everyday life together tends to feel. It is not the Spouse area of the twelve life areas, not the partner marker and not a Western house. (Classical term: Spouse Palace 日支, the Day Branch.)

Heavenly Stems天干Tiān Gān

The ten celestial stems that cycle through Chinese calendrical calculations: Jia (甲), Yi (乙), Bing (丙), Ding (丁), Wu (戊), Ji (己), Geng (庚), Xin (辛), Ren (壬), and Gui (癸). Each stem carries an element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water) and a polarity (Yin or Yang). They appear as the top character in each pillar of a Ba Zi chart.

Earthly Branches地支Dì Zhī

The twelve terrestrial branches that correspond to the twelve Chinese zodiac animals: Zi/Rat (子), Chou/Ox (丑), Yin/Tiger (寅), Mao/Rabbit (卯), Chen/Dragon (辰), Si/Snake (巳), Wu/Horse (午), Wei/Goat (未), Shen/Monkey (申), You/Rooster (酉), Xu/Dog (戌), Hai/Pig (亥). They form the bottom character of each pillar and contain hidden stems that add depth to chart analysis.

Hidden elementsHidden Stems 藏干Cáng Gān

Each animal in your chart carries one to three elements inside it. They count toward your element mix: the main one as much as an element on top of a column, the second and third less. They show the quieter side of each column. (Classical term: Hidden Stems 藏干.)

Showing openly or hiddenHeavenly Stems 天干, Hidden Stems 藏干Tiān Gān, Cáng Gān

An element in your chart either shows openly, as the element on top of a column, or sits hidden inside one of the animals. Both count toward your element mix and your ten relationships. One that shows openly is read as more visible in how you act and in what others see; a hidden one works more quietly, in the background. (Classical terms: Heavenly Stems 天干, the visible elements; Hidden Stems 藏干.)

Stem-Branch Cycle干支Gān Zhī

The sexagenary (60-year) cycle formed by pairing the 10 Heavenly Stems with the 12 Earthly Branches. Beginning with Jia-Zi (甲子) and ending with Gui-Hai (癸亥), this cycle produces 60 unique combinations that repeat throughout Chinese calendrical history. Each day, month, and year is assigned a stem-branch pair, forming the basis of all Ba Zi calculations.

Five Elements (Wu Xing)

The five elements (五行), Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, are phases that feed each other and keep each other in check. They are not the Western Fire, Earth, Air and Water.

Wood木Mù

The element of growth, flexibility, and creativity. Wood represents upward movement, expansion, and the energy of spring. In personality, Wood is associated with kindness, vision, planning, and determination. Wood people tend to be innovative, compassionate, and driven to grow.

Fire火Huǒ

The element of passion, warmth, and transformation. Fire represents radiance, illumination, and the energy of summer. In personality, Fire is associated with enthusiasm, charisma, expressiveness, and joy. Fire people tend to be warm-hearted, inspiring, and socially magnetic.

Earth土Tǔ

The element of stability, nourishment, and grounding. Earth represents centering, reliability, and the transitional energy between seasons. In personality, Earth is associated with trustworthiness, patience, practicality, and nurturing. Earth people tend to be dependable, loyal, and methodical.

Metal金Jīn

The element of precision, strength, and refinement. Metal represents contraction, structure, and the energy of autumn. In personality, Metal is associated with discipline, righteousness, decisiveness, and clarity. Metal people tend to be organized, principled, and results-oriented.

Water水Shuǐ

The element of wisdom, adaptability, and flow. Water represents downward movement, depth, and the energy of winter. In personality, Water is associated with intelligence, resourcefulness, introspection, and diplomacy. Water people tend to be perceptive, flexible, and philosophically minded.

Generating Cycle相生Xiāng Shēng

The productive cycle in which each element nourishes the next: Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth (ash), Earth bears Metal (ore), Metal enriches Water (minerals), and Water nurtures Wood. This cycle describes supportive, nurturing relationships between elements in a Ba Zi chart.

Controlling Cycle相克Xiāng Kè

The restrictive cycle in which each element restrains another: Wood parts Earth (roots), Earth dams Water, Water extinguishes Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal chops Wood. This cycle describes challenging or disciplining relationships between elements in a Ba Zi chart.

Element mixFive Elements 五行Wǔ Xíng

Your element mix shows how much of each of the five elements your chart holds, counting the elements on top of the columns and those hidden inside the animals. A big share is not good and a small one is not bad. Your balancing element, called favorable, is the one that evens your chart out, and it is often one your chart holds little of. The five elements are phases that feed each other and keep each other in check, not the Western Fire, Earth, Air and Water. (Classical terms: Five Elements 五行; the balancing element is the Useful God 用神.)

Balancing elementUseful God 用神Yòng Shén

Your balancing element, labelled favorable in your report, is the element that evens your chart out: more of it, in colors, surroundings, people or work, tends to suit you. It is often one your chart holds little of, but not always, because it depends on your core self's support level. The element labelled unfavorable is the one that tips your chart further out of balance: one to go easy on, not one to fear. (Classical terms: Useful God 用神; the element to go easy on is the Unfavorable God 忌神.)

AlmanacFive Elements 五行 associations

The almanac lists traditional associations of your year animal: numbers, colors, a direction, the animal's two-hour block of the day, a gemstone (a modern association) and a planet. The planet comes from the Chinese five-planet tradition, where each element has one; it is not a Western ruling planet. These belong to your year animal, not to your full chart: your balancing element is the one read from your whole chart. (Classical basis: the Five Elements 五行 correspondences.)

Yin & Yang

Yin and Yang阴阳Yīn Yáng

Yin and Yang are the two forms every element and animal comes in: Yang outgoing and active, Yin inward and steady. Neither is better, and neither is about gender. (Classical term: Yin Yang 阴阳.)

Yang陽

The active, bright, and expansive polarity. Yang represents outward energy, assertiveness, initiative, and the dynamic aspect of nature. Yang stems and branches tend to express their elemental qualities in a bold, direct, and forceful manner.

Yin陰

The receptive, quiet, and inward polarity. Yin represents internal energy, subtlety, patience, and the reflective aspect of nature. Yin stems and branches tend to express their elemental qualities in a gentle, flexible, and refined manner.

Ten Gods (Shi Shen)

Ten relationshipsTen Gods 十神Shí Shén

Your ten relationships say what each element in your chart is to your core self: what stands beside it, what it feeds, what it keeps in check, what keeps it in check and what feeds it, each in the same or the opposite Yin or Yang form. The same element plays a different role in someone else's chart. The classical names are traditional labels for these relationships, not gods or planets. (Classical term: Ten Gods 十神.)

Self & IdentityFriend 比肩Bǐ Jiān

People and drives that stand beside you as equals: peers, independence, self-reliance and the competition that comes with them. In the chart, it is the same element as your core self (the Day Master), in the same Yin or Yang form.

Competition & DriveRob Wealth 劫财Jié Cái

A bolder sibling of your core self: rivalry, boldness, sociability and a readiness to take risks. The classical name is traditional and does not mean theft. In the chart, it is the same element as your core self (the Day Master), in the opposite Yin or Yang form.

Creativity & ExpressionEating God 食神Shí Shén

Easy, enjoyable output: creativity, pleasure, artistic talent and a relaxed manner. The classical name is a traditional label, not a god. In the chart, it is the element your core self (the Day Master) feeds, in the same Yin or Yang form.

Innovation & DisruptionHurting Officer 伤官Shāng Guān

Bold, rule-testing output: original thinking, sharp intelligence and outspokenness. The classical name is traditional and does not mean harm. In the chart, it is the element your core self (the Day Master) feeds, in the opposite Yin or Yang form.

Steady ProsperityDirect Wealth 正财Zhèng Cái

Steady earning and managing: stable income, diligence and care with money. In the chart, it is the element your core self (the Day Master) keeps in check, in the opposite Yin or Yang form.

Windfall & OpportunityIndirect Wealth 偏财Piān Cái

Openings and enterprise: windfalls, generosity, social charm and a head for business. In the chart, it is the element your core self (the Day Master) keeps in check, in the same Yin or Yang form.

Authority & StructureDirect Officer 正官Zhèng Guān

Rules and responsibility: discipline, reputation and advancement through established systems. In the chart, it is the element that keeps your core self (the Day Master) in check, in the opposite Yin or Yang form.

Pressure & PowerSeven Killings 七杀Qī Shā

Pressure without a cushion, the kind that builds courage: ambition, drive and willpower. The classical name is traditional and does not mean danger. In the chart, it is the element that keeps your core self (the Day Master) in check, in the same Yin or Yang form.

Support & WisdomDirect Resource 正印Zhèng Yìn

Care, learning and mentors: nurturing support, wisdom and protection. In the chart, it is the element that feeds your core self (the Day Master), in the opposite Yin or Yang form.

Intuition & SolitudeIndirect Resource 偏印Piān Yìn

Unusual knowledge and intuition: insight, solitary thinking and specialized learning. In the chart, it is the element that feeds your core self (the Day Master), in the same Yin or Yang form.

Center of gravityTen God groups 十神

Your ten relationships fall into five groups: Peers, Output, Wealth, Authority and Support. Your chart's center of gravity is the group it holds most of, the kind of energy that organizes your life most. A group your chart lacks is not a flaw; it points to something you build on purpose. (Classical terms: the five groups of the Ten Gods 十神: 比劫, 食伤, 财, 官杀, 印.)

Branch Relationships

Animal linksBranch Interactions 地支关系Dì Zhī Guān Xì

Animal links are the classical ways two animals get along. A Natural Pair or Triangle Allies draw together; Opposite Animals pull apart; Hidden Friction, a Repeating Test, Self-Pressure or a Disruption rub. Inside your chart they show how parts of your life pull together or apart, for life rather than on a date; between two charts, how two lives fit. (Classical term: Branch Interactions 地支关系: harmonies 合, clashes 冲, harms 害, punishments 刑 and destructions 破.)

Natural PairSix Harmony 六合Liù Hé

Two animals that draw together: an easy, cooperative bond in which each side brings something the other needs. The six pairs are Rat-Ox (Earth), Tiger-Pig (Wood), Rabbit-Dog (Fire), Dragon-Rooster (Metal), Snake-Monkey (Water) and Horse-Goat (Fire); each pair can combine into the element beside it.

Triangle AlliesThree Harmony 三合Sān Hé

Animals that pull the same way: allies that gather strength around one element, which can become a major theme in life. They belong to one of four groups of three, whose animals sit four places apart on the twelve-animal wheel: Monkey-Rat-Dragon (Water), Tiger-Horse-Dog (Fire), Snake-Rooster-Ox (Metal) and Pig-Rabbit-Goat (Wood). Two from the same group already draw together; all three together make a Full Triangle, the strongest form.

Opposite AnimalsSix Clash 六冲Liù Chōng

Two animals that pull apart: tension, movement and change. It is not simply bad: the strain can drive growth when both sides are given room. The six pairs sit directly opposite each other on the twelve-animal wheel: Rat-Horse, Ox-Goat, Tiger-Monkey, Rabbit-Rooster, Dragon-Dog and Snake-Pig. In a daily reading, a clash day calls for flexibility.

Hidden FrictionSix Harm 六害Liù Hài

A quiet snag between two animals: things left unsaid, needs assumed rather than spoken and small misreadings that build up over time. Care in communication eases it. Unlike Opposite Animals, it works beneath the surface. The six pairs are Rat-Goat, Ox-Horse, Tiger-Snake, Rabbit-Dragon, Monkey-Pig and Rooster-Dog.

Repeating TestThree Punishment 三刑Sān Xíng

A test that tends to come back until it is handled, often as friction with people, with rules or with yourself. 刑 means punishment or correction: it shows where effort is needed, not a penalty. It forms among certain animals: the Punishment of Ingratitude involves Tiger-Snake-Monkey, the Punishment of Bullying involves Ox-Goat-Dog, the Punishment of Rudeness involves Rat-Rabbit, and Self-Pressure (self-punishment) involves Horse-Horse, Dragon-Dragon, Rooster-Rooster or Pig-Pig.

DisruptionDestruction 破Pò

A small disruption: plans that fall through, minor setbacks or a slow wearing-down of what was built, which patience and flexibility help with. It is milder than Opposite Animals or a Repeating Test. It forms between certain pairs of animals, each three places apart on the twelve-animal wheel, and can weaken links that are already there.

Special Stars (Shen Sha)

MarkersSpecial Stars 神煞Shén Shà

Markers are named points in the classical calendar tables, read from the animals and the core self in a chart. Each one either sits in a chart or does not, and each stands for one theme, such as charm, timely help or a strong alliance. They are not bodies in the sky. (Classical term: Special Stars 神煞.)

Charm markerPeach Blossom 桃花Táo Huā

The charm marker points to appeal and attraction. Your birth-year and birth-day animals each name one Peach Blossom animal; when that animal turns up in your chart, in another person's chart or on a given day, it marks heightened charm. (Classical term: Peach Blossom 桃花.)

Helper markerNoble Helper 贵人Guì Rén

The helper marker points to timely help. Each core self has its own helper animals; when a chart holds one of them, yours or another person's, help tends to arrive when it counts. (Classical term: Noble Helper 天乙贵人.)

Partner markerSpouse Star 配偶星Pèi Ǒu Xīng

The partner marker is the relationship classical texts read for a partner. For a woman it is Authority & Structure, the element that keeps her core self in check, in the opposite Yin or Yang form; for a man it is Steady Prosperity, the element his core self keeps in check, in the opposite form. Your partner seat is a separate reading: the animal at the bottom of your birth-day column. Neither is a planet or a house. (Classical terms: Spouse Star 配偶星, Direct Officer 正官 or Direct Wealth 正财; the partner seat is the Spouse Palace 日支.)

Timing

10-year chaptersLuck Pillars 大运Dà Yùn

Your 10-year chapters are the stretches your life moves through, each with its own element and animal, like seasons your chart lives in. They follow on from your birth month, counted forward or backward by your gender and by whether your birth year is Yin or Yang. The starting ages are estimated from your birth date the traditional way (every three days count as one year), so they can be a few months out, and a chapter describes a climate, not a schedule. (Classical term: Luck Pillars 大运.)

The year's element and animalAnnual Pillar 流年Liú Nián

Each year has its own element and animal, from Lichun, the Start of Spring around February 4, to the next. This part compares that pair with your chart: the role the year's element plays for your core self, and how its animal meets the animals in your chart. It describes the year's weather for you, not fixed events. (Classical term: Annual Pillar 流年.)

The year's role for youthe year's Ten God 十神

The year's role for you is what the year's element is to your core self, one of your ten relationships. It says what kind of year it is. Whether the year's element suits your chart is a separate reading, so a year can have a gentle role and still feel heavy, or the reverse. (Classical term: the year's Ten God 十神.)

The year's guardianTai Sui 太岁Tài Suì

The year's guardian is the traditional figure that presides over each year. Tradition checks whether the year's animal meets your birth-year animal; this report checks every column of your chart. Your own animal year comes round every 12 years and is one to take steadily and carefully. It is a point in the calendar, not a body in the sky. (Classical term: Tai Sui 太岁, often called the Grand Duke.)

Your animal yearBen Ming Nian 本命年Běn Mìng Nián

Your animal year comes round every 12 years, when the year's animal is your birth-year animal again, around the years you turn 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60. Chinese tradition treats it as a year to take steadily and carefully, because your animal is then the year's own animal, the one the year's guardian presides over; many people wear red in it for protection. (Classical term: Ben Ming Nian 本命年; the Tai Sui tables call it 值太岁.)

Sun monthssolar terms 节气Jié Qì

Each month here is a Sun month. It begins on a solar term, one of the Sun's seasonal markers, around the 4th to the 8th of a Western month, not on the 1st or at a new moon. The Ba Zi year itself starts at Lichun, the Start of Spring, around February 4. Dates are Beijing dates. (Classical terms: solar terms 节气; Lichun 立春.)

Start of SpringLichun 立春Lì Chūn

Lichun, the Start of Spring, is the solar term that begins the Ba Zi year, around February 4 (February 3 to 5, Beijing time). A birth before that moment belongs to the year before (this site's reports count the whole Lichun day in the new year): someone born on January 30, 2026 is still a Snake, not a Horse. Lichun also starts the first Sun month of the year, the Tiger month. Chinese New Year follows the Moon and can fall up to about two weeks before or after it, so it is not where the Ba Zi year begins. (Classical term: Lichun 立春.)

Twelve Palaces

Twelve life areasTwelve Palaces 十二宮Shí Èr Gōng

The twelve life areas are a traditional grid that gives each of the 12 animals one part of life, such as Life, Wealth, Career or Spouse. Where the animals of your chart fall on it shows which life areas each column speaks to. The grid uses one fixed traditional layout for everyone; it is not worked out from your birth time or place, and the areas are not Western houses. (Classical term: Twelve Palaces 十二宮.)

Between Two Charts

Match scoreBa Zi compatibility 八字合婚Bā Zì Hé Hūn

Your match score compares your two full birth charts in seven parts: how your core selves meet, your animal links, your element balance, your element bonds, the attraction and helper markers, and your most personal link. Each part starts from its own neutral value and moves only when the charts show something, so a middling score often means nothing was found. (Classical term: Ba Zi compatibility 八字合婚.)

Classical animal match生肖配对Shēng Xiào Pèi Duì

The classical animal match reads your two year animals as a pair, the oldest and best-known layer of Chinese compatibility. It looks at the birth years only, so the readings that use your full charts can say more, or say something different. (Classical term: zodiac animal matching 生肖配对.)

Element bondsStem Interactions 天干关系Tiān Gān Guān Xì

Element bonds compare the elements on top of the columns of two charts. Some pairs classically attract and combine; others meet head-on and clash. A bond points to plans and ideas that run together; a clash, to different approaches that need talking through. (Classical term: Stem Interactions 天干关系: combinations 合 and clashes 冲.)

Most personal linkDay Pillar Bond 日柱Rì Zhù

Your most personal link compares your two birth-day columns. The element on top is each person's core self; the animal below is each person's partner seat, read for closeness and everyday life together. It is where two charts meet at their most personal point. (Classical term: Day Pillar Bond 日柱, with the partner seat, the Spouse Palace 日支.)

Palace DialogueFour Pillars 四柱 side by side

Palace Dialogue sets your two charts side by side, column by column, from your birth years to your birth hours, and reads how each pair of animals meets. It is a different scheme from the twelve life areas. (Classical basis: the Four Pillars 四柱, read pillar by pillar.)