Chinese

BaZi (Four Pillars)

Your year, month, day and hour of birth in eight Chinese characters: your Day Master and the balance of your five elements.

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What is it?

BaZi (“eight characters”) turns your date and time of birth into four pillars: year, month, day and hour. Each pillar pairs a heavenly stem with an earthly branch, eight characters in all.

The stem of the day pillar is your Day Master: it represents you. You then read the balance of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) around it, and the luck pillars that change every ten years.

What it’s for

Know your Day Master and your element
See which elements you lack or which dominate
Read your luck pillars, decade by decade
Compare two BaZi charts for a relationship

Frequently asked questions

Is BaZi the same as my Chinese year sign?

No: the animal of the year is only one of the eight components. BaZi reads all four pillars, and above all the day pillar.

Do I need my birth time?

It gives the fourth pillar. Without a time, you read three pillars, which is still useful but less complete.

Why doesn’t the Chinese year start on 1 January?

BaZi follows the Chinese solar calendar: the year starts at Lichun, around 4 February, and the months follow the solar terms.