Year markers on a luck cycle
A year marker is one year inside a luck-cycle step. It adds a stem and branch so you can see which element is heavier that year. It does not date an event.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fateshow · Editorial method
The year sits between the cycle and the natal chart
A reading wants three layers: the natal day master and weights, the current cycle’s stem and branch, and this year’s marker. A year without the natal chart becomes a fortune column.
Ask which element is louder
Read the year’s stem and branch as ten gods against the same day master. It does not replace the day master and it does not erase the cycle. Two different markers mean two years emphasise different elements.
A Geng year on an already woody chart
Illustration: wood is heavy in the natal chart, the cycle is already metal, and the year marker is Geng. You can say this year’s marker is still metal, the same kind as the cycle, while the woody base remains. It is not “a Geng year must bring a change,” and it does not name a signing day.
Common mistakes
- Letting the year marker cover the natal chart.
- Using it to pick a date.
- Assigning a stem and branch to a year the chart did not mark.
Use it in fateshow
Frequently asked questions
Is this the same as a Zi Wei year?
No. This is a BaZi stem and branch. A Zi Wei year brings a palace forward. Do not copy the ages across.
What if the marker matches the birth year pillar?
It only means this year’s pair meets the same pair as the year pillar. Still write the day master and the ten gods. Do not jump to a verdict about clash and outcome.
Can one year answer several concrete matters?
It only makes an element heavier. A concrete matter returns to which kind of ten god is heavier in the natal chart. It does not become a schedule.
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.