Gui Water in the Di Tian Sui: "The Weakest Water," Line by Line
Gui Water (癸) is yin Water, usually pictured as rain, dew and springs: fine water that seeps in. The Di Tian Sui gives it eight four-character lines: 癸水至弱，達於天津，得龍而運，功化斯神，不愁火土，不論庚辛，合戊見火，化象斯真。 This page takes the verse apart line by line and tests the lines that set out checkable conditions against real charts. For Gui Water as you, your personality, career and relationships, see Gui Water Day Master.
The verse, line by line
| Original | In English | Plain reading |
|---|---|---|
| 癸水至弱，達於天津 | Gui Water is the weakest of all, yet it reaches the Heavenly Ford. | Gui Water is rain and dew, the most delicate of the yin waters, yet it reaches up to the heavens (the "Heavenly Ford" is the Milky Way). |
| 得龍而運，功化斯神 | Finding the Dragon, it moves; its work of transformation is wondrous. | Meeting Chen (the Dragon), it can move and transform, and its effect is wondrous. |
| 不愁火土，不論庚辛 | It does not fret over Fire and Earth, nor care about Geng and Xin. | It does not fear plenty of Fire and Earth, and can go along with them; nor does it mind how much Geng or Xin Metal there is. |
| 合戊見火，化象斯真 | Combined with Wu and meeting Fire, its transformation is genuine. | Combining with Wu, with strong Fire as well, the image of Wu and Gui transforming into Fire is genuine. |
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 Gui Water as the day stem. Here is how they fall:
| Line | Condition checked | Share of charts |
|---|---|---|
| 得龍而運 (Finding the Dragon, it moves) | Chen in the branches | 23.0% |
| 不愁火土 (It does not fret over Fire and Earth) | Fire or Earth runs heavy | 39.3% |
| 合戊見火 (Combined with Wu and meeting Fire) | Wu on a stem, with strong Fire or a summer birth | Wu on a stem: 25.2%; with strong Fire or a summer birth as well: 6.4% |
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.
Gui Water meets the other nine stems
| Meets | Element | Relationship | Combine / clash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Wood | Wood | I produce it | — |
| Yi Wood | Wood | I produce it | — |
| Bing Fire | Fire | I control it | — |
| Ding Fire | Fire | I control it | Clash |
| Wu Earth | Earth | It controls me | Combine (transforming to Fire) |
| Ji Earth | Earth | It controls me | — |
| Geng Metal | Metal | It produces me | — |
| Xin Metal | Metal | It produces me | — |
| Ren Water | Water | Same element, opposite polarity | — |
"I" in the table means Gui Water. For the full rules on stem combinations and clashes, see the Ten Heavenly Stems and stem and branch relations. When Gui Water is the day stem, these relationships become the Ten Gods; see the Ten Gods.
Gui Water on the year, month or hour stem
When Gui Water is not on the day pillar, it speaks about the area of life its position stands for: on the year stem, the rain quality in your family and early surroundings; on the month stem, the rain 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 Gui Water needs in each birth month
The Di Tian Sui describes Gui Water's general nature. The Qiong Tong Bao Jian goes further and sets out, month by month, what Gui Water takes for climate adjustment in each of the twelve months; see Gui Water 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 Gui Water 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.
Gui Water (Heavenly Stem) FAQ
What is the Di Tian Sui verse on Gui Water?
癸水至弱，達於天津，得龍而運，功化斯神，不愁火土，不論庚辛，合戊見火，化象斯真。 In English: "Gui Water is the weakest of all, yet it reaches the Heavenly Ford. Finding the Dragon, it moves; its work of transformation is wondrous. It does not fret over Fire and Earth, nor care about Geng and Xin. Combined with Wu and meeting Fire, its transformation is genuine." Eight lines in all.
What does "Gui Water is the weakest of all, yet it reaches the Heavenly Ford" mean?
Gui Water is rain and dew, the most delicate of the yin waters, yet it reaches up to the heavens (the "Heavenly Ford" is the Milky Way).
What does "Finding the Dragon, it moves; its work of transformation is wondrous" mean?
Meeting Chen (the Dragon), it can move and transform, and its effect is wondrous.
What is the imagery of Gui Water?
Gui Water is yin Water, usually pictured as rain, dew and springs: fine water that seeps in. The other Water stem is Ren Water; with the opposite polarity, it behaves quite differently.