Heavenly & Monthly Virtue in BaZi: A Kind Heart and Quiet Protection: The Stars That Soften Trouble
The Sanming Tonghui (“On Heavenly and Monthly Virtue”) quotes Yan Dongsou: “When the two Virtues lend support, the host of ominous stars disperses.” Traditionally, people who carry them are kind-hearted and meet few great disasters, and ominous stars that meet them are softened. This page lays out how to find it, the traditional view and a reading closer to modern life, with a lookup so you can check your own chart.
How to find Heavenly & Monthly Virtue
| Month branch | Heavenly Virtue | Monthly Virtue |
|---|---|---|
| Zi 子 month | Si 巳 (branch) | Ren 壬 |
| Chou 丑 month | Geng 庚 | Geng 庚 |
| Yin 寅 month | Ding 丁 | Bing 丙 |
| Mao 卯 month | Shen 申 (branch) | Jia 甲 |
| Chen 辰 month | Ren 壬 | Ren 壬 |
| Si 巳 month | Xin 辛 | Geng 庚 |
| Wu 午 month | Hai 亥 (branch) | Bing 丙 |
| Wei 未 month | Jia 甲 | Jia 甲 |
| Shen 申 month | Gui 癸 | Ren 壬 |
| You 酉 month | Yin 寅 (branch) | Geng 庚 |
| Xu 戌 month | Bing 丙 | Bing 丙 |
| Hai 亥 month | Yi 乙 | Jia 甲 |
Heavenly Virtue follows the months in a fixed sequence. In four months (Mao, Wu, You and Zi) it falls on a branch (Shen, Hai, Yin and Si); in the other eight it falls on a stem. Monthly Virtue follows the three-harmony group of the month branch: Yin-Wu-Xu months Bing, Shen-Zi-Chen months Ren, Hai-Mao-Wei months Jia, Si-You-Chou months Geng.
How we counted: our engine cast one chart for every day from 1960 to 2005, with the birth hour drawn by a fixed-seed random sample, 16,802 charts in all, and checked each star by the formal method on this page.
The traditional view, and a closer modern reading
Traditional view: The Sanming Tonghui (“On Heavenly and Monthly Virtue”) quotes Yan Dongsou: “When the two Virtues lend support, the host of ominous stars disperses.” Traditionally, people who carry them are kind-hearted and meet few great disasters, and ominous stars that meet them are softened.
Modern reading: In practice it is a streak of decency: generous with others, leaving them room, and so less likely to make enemies and more likely to find help when trouble comes. Think of it as protection built into character, not a supernatural charm.
Where it sits and how to read it
- Both Virtues usually fall on stems, so you check whether they appear among the four stems of the year, month, day and hour.
- When Heavenly and Monthly Virtue both appear, tradition calls them the “Two Virtues”, with a stronger power to ease trouble.
- When an ominous star shares a pillar with one of the Virtues, tradition says the ominous star loses force.
Always read a star back through the Five Elements and the Ten Gods. On a favorable element, helper stars get better and even ominous stars can become assets; on an unfavorable one, helper stars lose value and an ominous star’s reminder deserves more attention. For what each pillar stands for, see the four pillar palaces; for how to tell favorable from unfavorable, see favorable elements.
Does your chart have Heavenly or Monthly Virtue?
Enter your birth date (Gregorian calendar) to check all 24 common stars at once: whether you have each one, which pillar it sits on, and how it was found. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Uses your Gregorian birth date; the day changes at 11 p.m. with the late Zi hour. Without a birth hour, the hour pillar cannot be read.
Two common misunderstandings
With the two Virtues, nothing bad will happen.
They are a tendency to ease trouble, not immunity. Life still has its ups and downs; the difference is a more generous way of meeting them.
People without the Virtues are less kind.
By our count about 47.5% of charts carry Heavenly or Monthly Virtue. Lacking them says nothing about decency; character is something you build.
Other symbolic stars
A straight word: symbolic stars are footnotes, not fate
Symbolic stars are labels the ancients pinned onto a chart, some auspicious and some ominous, but what really decides a chart is the strength of the Five Elements and how the Ten Gods combine. A helper star on an unfavorable element loses value; an ominous star on a favorable element can become an asset. Whatever stars you find, treat them as a reminder or a small bonus. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment only.
Beyond Heavenly & Monthly Virtue, which other stars does your chart carry?
Symbolic stars are only footnotes. The in-depth reading starts from the Five Elements, the Ten Gods and what is favorable for you, and covers personality, career, love and money together.
Heavenly & Monthly Virtue FAQ
How do I find Heavenly and Monthly Virtue?
Both come from the month branch. Heavenly Virtue follows a fixed sequence: Yin month Ding, Mao month Shen, Chen month Ren, Si month Xin, Wu month Hai, Wei month Jia, Shen month Gui, You month Yin, Xu month Bing, Hai month Yi, Zi month Si, Chou month Geng. Monthly Virtue follows the month’s three-harmony group: Yin-Wu-Xu Bing, Shen-Zi-Chen Ren, Hai-Mao-Wei Jia, Si-You-Chou Geng.
What do the two Virtues do?
Tradition treats them as stars that dissolve trouble: kindness, inherited blessing, misfortune turning to fortune, and ominous stars losing force when they meet.