An overview of BaZi
BaZi cuts one birth moment into four stem-branch pairs. Name the day master, see how the other characters face it, and only then look at which ten-year step is laid on top.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method
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Pillars and the cuts
The four pillars and where they are cut
The four pillars are not a calendar date copied into eight characters. Year, month, day, and hour each have their own edge. Move an edge and the characters move.
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Ten gods and hidden stems
Ten gods and the hidden stems
Ten gods are five relations of other stems toward the day master, each split by whether the polarity matches. Hidden stems sit inside the branches and are weighted 1, 0.5, and 0.3 here.
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Elements and strength
Element weight and day-master strength
The five elements are a count after weighting. Day-master strength is whether that one stem stands up in the month, in its roots, and in what produces it. Neither is a rank.
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Luck cycles and year markers
Ten-year cycles and the year markers
A luck cycle is a ten-year step laid on the four pillars. A year marker is a shorter layer inside that step. The person is still the original day master. A decade does not install someone else.
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The day master is the reference
The day stem is the day master. Ten gods, strength, and structure are other characters facing that one stem, not the year pillar. Without it, the later names have nowhere to land.
Cut the pillars before any lucky wording
The year turns at Beginning of Spring, the month follows solar terms, and the day and hour use the boundaries printed on the chart. True solar time is on by default. Until those cuts match, do not ask which of two charts is more accurate.
A sentence that stays on the chart
Illustration: the day master is Jia wood, and the month branch’s main qi is Wu earth. Say the day master is Jia, then that Wu toward Jia is indirect wealth and carries the heaviest weight. It is not “born in March, so money goes well.” BaZi is not the twelve Zi Wei palaces, and it is not income or a diagnosis.
Common mistakes
- Using the year stem as the day master.
- Taking the calendar month as the month pillar.
- Ranking a pattern before the weights are read.
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Frequently asked questions
Are BaZi and Zi Wei the same chart?
No. BaZi is four stem-branch pairs. Zi Wei is twelve palaces and stars. The birth time can match and the objects still differ.
Can I read it without the hour?
The year, month, and day pillars can be read. Leave the hour pillar, and the ten gods that hang on it, empty. Do not choose a flattering hour.
Does a luck cycle replace the day master?
No. A cycle is a ten-year step laid on top. The day master remains the stem of the birth day.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. fateshow chart rule snapshot
Each generated report stores the engine settings that produced it. Compare those settings before treating two charts as the same calculation.
- 2. fateshow interpretation dictionary
Plain-language tendencies used in reports. They describe conditions and cautions, not fixed personality or inevitable outcomes.