The Jian Lu & Yang Blade Structures in BaZi: The Month Branch Is the Self, So Look to Wealth and Officer on the Stems
When the month branch is the Day Master's Lu or Blade branch, or its Main Qi is the same element as the Day Master, the month branch stands for the self and cannot serve as the chart's theme. With these structures, the point is whether Wealth, the Officer or Output on the stems gives that strength something to do, and whether anything there breaks it.
What are the Jian Lu & Yang Blade Structures?
When the month branch is the Day Master's Lu or Blade branch, or its Main Qi is the same element as the Day Master, the month branch stands for the self and cannot serve as the chart's theme. The classics treat these charts separately. If the month branch is the Day Master's Lu (prosperity) branch, it is a Jian Lu Structure (建祿格); Wu Earth's Lu is Si and Ji Earth's is Wu, which count even though their Main Qi is Fire. If a Yang stem sits in its peak-strength branch, it is a Yang Blade Structure (月刃格, also 陽刃格), and Wu Earth in a Wu month counts too. Any other month whose Main Qi shares the Day Master's element is a Month Rob Wealth Structure (月劫格); that Main Qi is the Friend when it shares the Day Master's yin or yang and Rob Wealth when it does not (for Yi Wood born in a Yin month, the Jia in Yin is Rob Wealth). Wu or Ji Earth born in a Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei month is not in this group: those four storage branches hold mixed qi, so you first check which hidden stem shows. These Day Masters are usually rooted and strong; the question is whether Wealth, the Officer or Output shows on the stems for that strength to be "used."
How it is taken: when the month branch is the Day Master's Lu branch or a Yang stem's Blade branch, or its Main Qi is the same element as the Day Master, the chart is read separately as a Jian Lu, Yang Blade or Month Rob Wealth Structure (see the table below). Wu or Ji Earth born in a Chen, Xu, Chou or Wei month holds mixed qi, so check which hidden stem shows first.
| Structure | Share of all charts |
|---|---|
| Jian Lu Structure | 8.4% |
| Yang Blade Structure | 4.2% |
| Month Rob Wealth Structure | 6.7% |
How it is made
| Making factor | What it means |
|---|---|
| Lu or Rob Wealth uses the Officer | The Direct Officer shows on a stem, or the Seven Killings show with Output to restrain them, giving a strong Day Master discipline and direction. |
| Lu or Rob Wealth uses Wealth | Wealth shows on a stem, helped by Output or the Officer. Strength turns into management and income. |
| Yang Blade uses the Officer | In a Yang Blade Structure, the Officer or Killings hold the Blade down; the classics call it "the Blade driving the Killings," often a setup for nerve and command. |
How it is broken
| Breaking factor | What it means |
|---|---|
| Peers with nothing to use | No Wealth, Officer or Output shows on the stems. Plenty of strength and no outlet. |
| Lu or Rob Wealth meets unchecked Killings | In a Jian Lu or Month Rob Wealth Structure, the Seven Killings show on a stem with no Direct Officer or Output alongside. The Zi Ping Zhen Quan says the Killings used here must be restrained; unrestrained, they turn on the self. |
| Unchecked Yang Blade | A Yang Blade Structure with no Officer or Killings on the stems: hard and unrestrained. |
| Month branch clashed | Another branch clashes the month branch, shaking the root. |
We look at all of these on the stems only (Zi Ping puts weight on what shows), and we list them without passing a verdict. The factors that turn up most often on the stems of these charts in our sample:
| Factor | Share of these charts |
|---|---|
| Lu or Rob Wealth uses the Officer | about 36% |
| Lu or Rob Wealth uses Wealth | about 36% |
| Lu or Rob Wealth meets unchecked Killings | about 12% |
| Unchecked Yang Blade (Yang Blade Structure only) | 51.4% |
The Jian Lu & Yang Blade Structures with a strong or weak Day Master
- Strong: Jian Lu and Yang Blade charts are mostly strong, and what they need most is Wealth, the Officer, the Killings or Output to "use" that strength.
- Weak: A few Jian Lu charts come out weak because the other pillars drain the Day Master. Then shore up the self first, and only then talk about using Wealth and the Officer.
Structure and strength are read separately; for how strength is judged, see strong or weak Day Master.
Jia Wood in a Jian Lu Structure using the Officer and Wealth
Born February 12, 1976, Chen hour (7–9 a.m.)
- Taking the structure: Jia Wood is born in Yin month, and Yin is Jia's Lu branch, so this is a Jian Lu Structure.
- Making factors: Geng Metal on the month stem is Seven Killings, restrained by the Bing Fire Eating God on the year stem, so the Lu uses the Officer; Wu Earth on the hour stem is Indirect Wealth, helped by that Eating God, so the Lu uses Wealth.
- Breaking factors: the Killings are restrained by the Eating God, so this is not a case of unchecked Killings; nor of Peers with nothing to use; and the month branch is not clashed.
- Strength: Yin and Wu form a half Fire bureau and Wu Fire drains the Day Master, so this Jian Lu chart actually comes out on the weak side and favors Water and Wood. It shows that structure and strength are two different questions, to be read separately.
Find your chart structure: from the month branch, with every making and breaking factor
Enter your date of birth to see how your structure is taken under the Zi Ping Zhen Quan rule of reading the month branch, and which factors on the stems help make it or break it. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Uses your Gregorian birth date, with the day changing at 11 p.m. Without a birth hour, the hour stem cannot take part in finding the structure or judging its factors.
Other structures
A straight word: a structure is a chart's theme, not a label of rank
The classics often equate a structure that "holds" with wealth and rank, and a "broken" one with poverty and low standing. A reading closer to today is this: the structure tells you what a chart is built around, what holds it up, and where it is most easily thrown off. A structure that holds does not promise an easy life, and a broken one is not failure. Plenty of broken charts grow their real strengths in the work of mending the break. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Does your month branch stand for yourself?
Enter your birth date to see how your structure is taken and which making and breaking factors show on your stems.
Jian Lu & Yang Blade Structures FAQ
What is a Jian Lu Structure?
The Day Master is born in its own Lu month (Jia Wood in Yin month, Geng Metal in Shen month, Wu Earth in Si month, Ji Earth in Wu month, for example). The month branch stands for the self, so the structure is not taken from it; instead you look at the Wealth, Officer, Killings and Output showing on the stems to "use."
How do you read a Yang Blade Structure?
A Yang stem born in its peak-strength month (Jia Wood in Mao month, Bing Fire in Wu month, Wu Earth in Wu month, for example) makes a hard, forceful Day Master that most needs the Officer or Killings to hold it down, which the classics call "the Blade driving the Killings." With no Officer or Killings on the stems, the Blade runs unchecked.