Tool 08 · Chinese tradition
BaZi
Four pillars
Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches and the elements of the year, month, day and hour pillars from your birth date by the Chinese calendar
BaZi chart · born
Element balance
Missing element:Ten Gods (十神) against the Day Master
The chart follows the Chinese calendar and is not a prediction · at some times the day pillar has 2 values and the site shows both ·
The 10 Day Masters
Which Day Master stems and elements does BaZi have?
About this tool
What is BaZi and what do the texts say
Bazi, or the Four Pillars chart, sets out the year, month, day and hour pillars from your birth date by the Chinese calendar. Each pillar has a Heavenly Stem, an Earthly Branch, an element and a yin or yang side. The stem of the day pillar is called the Day Master, which the texts treat as the core of the chart.
This tool shows the four pillars with the element and the yin or yang side of each pillar, your Day Master and its main traits, the balance of the five elements, the missing element, and the Ten Gods of each pillar against the Day Master.
Once you enter your birth date, this page sums up which element your Day Master is, and which elements are strong or missing in the chart. With no birth time you get a chart of 3 pillars with no hour pillar. The result is a chart based on belief, not a prediction, and the site does not keep the birth date you enter.
To learn which part of your birth date and time each pillar comes from, read on in the guide to the BaZi four pillars
In practice
When to read your BaZi chart, and who it is for
Getting to know your Day Master. The result tells you which element your own stem belongs to, whether it sits on the yin or yang side, and what its main traits are.
Seeing the share of each element. The chart shows the share of each of the five elements and names any element that does not appear. The Thai version adds a simple element-balance reading below the chart, which is not a diagnosis.
Charts for people close to you. Enter a partner's or a child's birth date one at a time, then compare each person's element with the table of 10 stems above.
Starting to learn BaZi. The four pillars with the Ten Gods of each pillar give you an overview of the chart before you read further in the texts.
Frequently asked questions about BaZi
Why only 3 pillars with no birth time? +
With no birth time there is no hour pillar, so the year, month and day pillars are shown without the Ten Gods of the hour pillar
Why does the day pillar sometimes have 2 values? +
Some birth times fall close to the change of day in the Chinese calendar, so the day pillar can be 2 values. The site shows both
What are the Ten Gods? +
The relation of each pillar's stem to the Day Master, used to read the role of each pillar
How is BaZi different from the zodiac year? +
The zodiac year looks only at the birth year, while BaZi uses the year, month, day and hour of birth, so the chart holds more detail and centers on the Day Master.
What does a missing element in the chart mean? +
It is an element that does not appear in your chart at all. This page points it out, and the Thai version adds a simple element-balance reading below the chart, which is not a diagnosis.
Does a slightly wrong birth time matter? +
It affects the hour pillar first, and near the change of day in the Chinese calendar the day pillar may change too. The year and month pillars mostly stay the same.