BaZi Basics: Four Pillars, Stems and Branches, Yin-Yang and the Five Elements
These are the words to know before any chart makes sense. A BaZi chart is four pillars, each with a stem above and a branch below, and the stem of the day pillar is you.
Index of this group
- BaZi
- Four Pillars
- Ten Heavenly Stems
- Twelve Earthly Branches
- Yin and yang
- Five Elements
- Day Master
- Hidden Stems
- Sixty Jiazi
- Nayin elements
- Which element are you missing
- The useful element
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12 terms
- BaZi 八字
- BaZi, the “eight characters,” takes one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch for each of the year, month, day and hour of birth, giving four pillars of eight characters that describe the five-element makeup of that moment. More on BaZi →
- Four Pillars 四柱
- The Four Pillars are the four stem-branch pairs of a BaZi chart: year, month, day and hour. Each has a Heavenly Stem on top and an Earthly Branch below, and each stands for a palace and a stage of life. More on Four Pillars →
- Ten Heavenly Stems 十天干
- The Ten Heavenly Stems, Jia through Gui, are ten symbols, each with a polarity and an element, that form the top character of every BaZi pillar. The classic Di Tian Sui gives each one a short verse. More on Ten Heavenly Stems →
- Twelve Earthly Branches 十二地支
- The Twelve Earthly Branches, Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai, match the twelve months, the twelve double-hours and the twelve zodiac animals. Each is the lower half of a pillar and holds hidden stems. More on Twelve Earthly Branches →
- Yin and yang 陰陽
- Yin and yang split the stems and branches in two: Jia, Bing, Wu, Geng and Ren are yang stems; Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin and Gui are yin. Whether two stems share a polarity decides a Ten God’s direct or indirect form. More on Yin and yang →
- Five Elements 五行
- The Five Elements are Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, linked by a generating cycle (Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth…) and a controlling cycle (Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water…). BaZi reads a chart by their amounts and interplay. More on Five Elements →
- Day Master 日主
- The Day Master is the Heavenly Stem of the birth day in a BaZi chart, and it stands for the person themselves. Each of the ten stems, from Jia to Gui, forms one Day Master and sets the core tone of that person’s character. More on Day Master →
- Hidden Stems 地支藏干
- Hidden Stems are the one to three Heavenly Stems held inside each Earthly Branch. They are not written on the face of a chart, yet they decide the real weight of the Ten Gods and of the five elements. More on Hidden Stems →
- Sixty Jiazi 六十甲子
- The Sixty Jiazi are the sixty stem-branch pairs made by matching the ten stems and twelve branches in order, from Jia-Zi to Gui-Hai. They count years, months, days and hours, and every BaZi pillar is one of them. More on Sixty Jiazi →
- Nayin elements 納音五行
- The Nayin elements (na yin, 納音) pair the sixty jiazi into thirty image-based elements, such as Gold in the Sea or Fire in the Furnace. The Nayin of the year pillar is called the year life. More on Nayin elements →
- Which element are you missing 五行缺什麼
- Which element are you missing asks which of the five elements, Metal, Wood, Water, Fire or Earth, never appears among the eight characters of a BaZi chart. It describes quantity; whether the missing element should be added depends on whether it is one of the chart's favorable elements, and the two questions have to be judged separately. More on Which element are you missing →
- The useful element 五行補洩剋
- The useful element is the one a chart most needs strengthened. Finding it starts with the Day Master: a strong one wants draining or controlling, a weak one wants support, and color, direction and daily habit follow from there. More on The useful element →
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About this glossary
Every definition is taken from the one-line definition on the matching page of this site, so when a page is updated, the glossary follows; only terms without their own page are written here. Usage varies a little between schools; this site follows the Zi Ping BaZi usage common in Taiwan. Everything here is for reference and entertainment only.
Find these terms on your own chart
A free chart lists your Four Pillars, Ten Gods, hidden stems and Five Elements; the in-depth reading then turns them into twelve areas of life.
BaZi basics terms FAQ
What does “BaZi” mean in BaZi?
BaZi, the “eight characters,” takes one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch for each of the year, month, day and hour of birth, giving four pillars of eight characters that describe the five-element makeup of that moment.
What does “Four Pillars” mean in BaZi?
The Four Pillars are the four stem-branch pairs of a BaZi chart: year, month, day and hour. Each has a Heavenly Stem on top and an Earthly Branch below, and each stands for a palace and a stage of life.
What does “Ten Heavenly Stems” mean in BaZi?
The Ten Heavenly Stems, Jia through Gui, are ten symbols, each with a polarity and an element, that form the top character of every BaZi pillar. The classic Di Tian Sui gives each one a short verse.
What does “Twelve Earthly Branches” mean in BaZi?
The Twelve Earthly Branches, Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu and Hai, match the twelve months, the twelve double-hours and the twelve zodiac animals. Each is the lower half of a pillar and holds hidden stems.