Ji Earth in the Di Tian Sui: "Low and Damp," Line by Line
Ji Earth (己) is yin Earth, usually pictured as fields and gardens: moist soil that can be farmed. The Di Tian Sui gives it eight four-character lines: 己土卑濕，中正蓄藏，不愁木盛，不畏水狂，火少火晦，金多金光，若要物旺，宜助宜幫。 This page takes the verse apart line by line and tests the lines that set out checkable conditions against real charts. For Ji Earth as you, your personality, career and relationships, see Ji Earth Day Master.
The verse, line by line
| Original | In English | Plain reading |
|---|---|---|
| 己土卑濕，中正蓄藏 | Ji Earth is low and damp, central and upright, it stores and holds. | Ji Earth is the damp soil of fields and gardens, yin Earth: low-lying and holding water, able to store all things. |
| 不愁木盛，不畏水狂 | It does not fret over thriving Wood, nor fear raging Water. | When Wood is plentiful, Ji Earth nurtures it rather than being ruined by it; when Water is plentiful, it holds the Water rather than being washed away. |
| 火少火晦，金多金光 | With little Fire, the Fire is dimmed; with much Metal, the Metal shines. | When Fire is scarce, Ji Earth dims what little light it has ("obscures the Fire"); when Metal is plentiful, Ji Earth produces Metal and the Metal shines all the more. |
| 若要物旺，宜助宜幫 | If things are to flourish, it needs help and support. | For Ji Earth to make things flourish, it needs Fire to warm it and Earth to help it. |
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 Ji Earth as the day stem. Here is how they fall:
| Line | Condition checked | Share of charts |
|---|---|---|
| 不愁木盛 (It does not fret over thriving Wood) | Wood runs heavy | 14.0% |
| 不畏水狂 (fear raging Water) | Water runs heavy | 10.8% |
| 金多金光 (with much Metal, the Metal shines) | Metal runs heavy | 12.0% |
| 若要物旺 (If things are to flourish) | When the Day Master is weak, is there Fire, or Earth on a stem, to help? | Weak: 35.6%; weak with no Fire or Earth help: 3.8% |
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.
Ji Earth meets the other nine stems
| Meets | Element | Relationship | Combine / clash |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Wood | Wood | It controls me | Combine (transforming to Earth) |
| Yi Wood | Wood | It controls me | — |
| Bing Fire | Fire | It produces me | — |
| Ding Fire | Fire | It produces me | — |
| Wu Earth | Earth | Same element, opposite polarity | — |
| Geng Metal | Metal | I produce it | — |
| Xin Metal | Metal | I produce it | — |
| Ren Water | Water | I control it | — |
| Gui Water | Water | I control it | — |
"I" in the table means Ji Earth. For the full rules on stem combinations and clashes, see the Ten Heavenly Stems and stem and branch relations. When Ji Earth is the day stem, these relationships become the Ten Gods; see the Ten Gods.
Ji Earth on the year, month or hour stem
When Ji Earth is not on the day pillar, it speaks about the area of life its position stands for: on the year stem, the field quality in your family and early surroundings; on the month stem, the field 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 Ji Earth needs in each birth month
The Di Tian Sui describes Ji Earth's general nature. The Qiong Tong Bao Jian goes further and sets out, month by month, what Ji Earth takes for climate adjustment in each of the twelve months; see Ji Earth 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 Ji Earth 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.
Ji Earth (Heavenly Stem) FAQ
What is the Di Tian Sui verse on Ji Earth?
己土卑濕，中正蓄藏，不愁木盛，不畏水狂，火少火晦，金多金光，若要物旺，宜助宜幫。 In English: "Ji Earth is low and damp, central and upright, it stores and holds. It does not fret over thriving Wood, nor fear raging Water. With little Fire, the Fire is dimmed; with much Metal, the Metal shines. If things are to flourish, it needs help and support." Eight lines in all.
What does "Ji Earth is low and damp, central and upright, it stores and holds" mean?
Ji Earth is the damp soil of fields and gardens, yin Earth: low-lying and holding water, able to store all things.
What does "It does not fret over thriving Wood, nor fear raging Water" mean?
When Wood is plentiful, Ji Earth nurtures it rather than being ruined by it; when Water is plentiful, it holds the Water rather than being washed away.
What is the imagery of Ji Earth?
Ji Earth is yin Earth, usually pictured as fields and gardens: moist soil that can be farmed. The other Earth stem is Wu Earth; with the opposite polarity, it behaves quite differently.