Ding Fire in the Di Tian Sui: "Soft and Centered," Line by Line
Ding Fire (丁) is yin Fire, usually pictured as a lamp, candle or hearth fire: soft light that lasts. The Di Tian Sui gives it eight four-character lines: 丁火柔中，內性昭融，抱乙而孝，合壬而忠，旺而不烈，衰而不窮，如有嫡母，可秋可冬。 This page takes the verse apart line by line and tests the lines that set out checkable conditions against real charts. For Ding Fire as you, your personality, career and relationships, see Ding Fire Day Master.
The verse, line by line
| Original | In English | Plain reading |
|---|---|---|
| 丁火柔中，內性昭融 | Ding Fire is soft and centered; its inner nature is bright and clear. | Ding Fire is a lamp or a hearth fire, yin Fire: soft outside and bright within. Its light is not large, but it lasts. |
| 抱乙而孝，合壬而忠 | Holding Yi, it is filial; combining with Ren, it is loyal. | Yi Wood produces Ding Fire and Ding Fire looks after Yi Wood, like a devoted child. Ding combines with Ren, yin Fire with yang Water: affectionate and loyal. |
| 旺而不烈，衰而不窮 | Strong, it is never fierce; weak, it never runs out. | When strong, Ding Fire is never as fierce as Bing Fire; when weak, it does not go out. A little fuel is enough to keep it going. |
| 如有嫡母，可秋可冬 | If it has its true mother, it can last through autumn and winter. | With Jia Wood (its "true mother," Ding Fire's Direct Resource) producing it, it can give light even in autumn and winter. |
Text follows the Di Tian Sui Chan Wei (滴天髓闡微), the edition with Ren Tieqiao's commentary. Commentators over the centuries have read some lines differently; we follow the more widely accepted reading.
How often the verse's conditions show up in real charts
Some lines set out conditions that can be checked on a chart: the season, whether a certain stem appears, whether an element runs heavy. Of the 16,802 charts our engine cast, about 1,680 have Ding Fire as the day stem. Here is how they fall:
| Line | Condition checked | Share of charts |
|---|---|---|
| 抱乙而孝 (Holding Yi, it is filial) | Yi in the chart | 79.3% |
| 合壬而忠 (combining with Ren, it is loyal) | Ren on a stem (Ding–Ren combine) | 25.4% |
| 如有嫡母 (If it has its true mother) | Born in autumn or winter: does Jia show on a stem? | Autumn or winter-born: 49.4%; Jia on a stem 12.3%, no Jia at all 17.7% |
How we counted: our engine cast one chart for every day from 1960 to 2005, with the birth hour drawn at random from a fixed seed, 16,802 charts in all, about 1,680 for each day stem. Each percentage uses that day stem's charts as the base. This describes how chart structures are distributed; it says nothing about anyone's luck.
Ding Fire meets the other nine stems
| Meets | Element | Relationship | Combine / clash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Wood | Wood | It produces me | — |
| Yi Wood | Wood | It produces me | — |
| Bing Fire | Fire | Same element, opposite polarity | — |
| Wu Earth | Earth | I produce it | — |
| Ji Earth | Earth | I produce it | — |
| Geng Metal | Metal | I control it | — |
| Xin Metal | Metal | I control it | — |
| Ren Water | Water | It controls me | Combine (transforming to Wood) |
| Gui Water | Water | It controls me | Clash |
"I" in the table means Ding Fire. For the full rules on stem combinations and clashes, see the Ten Heavenly Stems and stem and branch relations. When Ding Fire is the day stem, these relationships become the Ten Gods; see the Ten Gods.
Ding Fire on the year, month or hour stem
When Ding Fire is not on the day pillar, it speaks about the area of life its position stands for: on the year stem, the candle flame quality in your family and early surroundings; on the month stem, the candle flame quality on your stage at work; on the hour stem, later life and long-term plans. Whether it helps or pressures you depends on how it relates to your day stem (the table above) and on your favorable elements.
What Ding Fire needs in each birth month
The Di Tian Sui describes Ding Fire's general nature. The Qiong Tong Bao Jian goes further and sets out, month by month, what Ding Fire takes for climate adjustment in each of the twelve months; see Ding Fire climate by month.
Your day stem in the Di Tian Sui: the verse's conditions, checked one by one
Enter your date of birth (the hour is optional). You will see your day stem's verse, whether each line that sets out a checkable condition holds in your chart, and whether your year, month and hour stems produce, control or combine with your day stem. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Uses your Gregorian birth date, with the day changing at 11 p.m. "On a stem" means it appears on the year, month or hour stem; "hidden in the branches" means it appears among the hidden stems of the branches.
A straight word: an old verse is a point of view, not a verdict
The Di Tian Sui is one of the most respected classical texts on BaZi from the Ming and Qing dynasties, and its section on the ten stems sums up each stem's nature and needs in four-character lines. Its strength is its brevity, and so is its weakness: commentators over the centuries have read the same line in different ways. We test the lines that set out checkable conditions against real charts and present the rest as written, without stretching them into predictions of good or bad fortune. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Does your chart have what Ding Fire needs?
Enter your birth date to check your day stem's verse conditions one by one on your chart, and see whether your year, month and hour stems produce, control or combine with it.
Ding Fire (Heavenly Stem) FAQ
What is the Di Tian Sui verse on Ding Fire?
丁火柔中，內性昭融，抱乙而孝，合壬而忠，旺而不烈，衰而不窮，如有嫡母，可秋可冬。 In English: "Ding Fire is soft and centered; its inner nature is bright and clear. Holding Yi, it is filial; combining with Ren, it is loyal. Strong, it is never fierce; weak, it never runs out. If it has its true mother, it can last through autumn and winter." Eight lines in all.
What does "Ding Fire is soft and centered; its inner nature is bright and clear" mean?
Ding Fire is a lamp or a hearth fire, yin Fire: soft outside and bright within. Its light is not large, but it lasts.
What does "Holding Yi, it is filial; combining with Ren, it is loyal" mean?
Yi Wood produces Ding Fire and Ding Fire looks after Yi Wood, like a devoted child. Ding combines with Ren, yin Fire with yang Water: affectionate and loyal.
What is the imagery of Ding Fire?
Ding Fire is yin Fire, usually pictured as a lamp, candle or hearth fire: soft light that lasts. The other Fire stem is Bing Fire; with the opposite polarity, it behaves quite differently.