Question 1

What is BaZi (Four Pillars of Destiny)?

Accepted Answer

BaZi (八字) literally means "eight characters" — it assigns a heavenly stem and earthly branch to your year, month, day, and hour of birth, creating four "pillars." These eight characters encode your elemental balance, personality, relationships, career potential, health tendencies, and life timing through the Day Master, Ten Gods, and Luck Pillars.

Question 2

What is a Day Master?

Accepted Answer

The Day Master (日主 Rì Zhǔ) is the heavenly stem of your day pillar — it represents your core self, willpower, and decision-making style. All other stems and branches in your chart are interpreted relative to the Day Master through the Ten Gods system. It determines whether you need more or less of certain elements for balance.

Question 3

What are Ten Gods (Shi Shen)?

Accepted Answer

The Ten Gods (十神) are ten relationship types between stems based on the Five Elements cycles and yin/yang polarity: Friend, Rob Wealth, Eating God, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Direct Officer, Seven Killings, Direct Resource, and Indirect Resource. They reveal how you relate to money, authority, creativity, and relationships.

Question 4

What are Luck Pillars (Da Yun)?

Accepted Answer

Luck Pillars (大运 Dà Yùn) are 10-year periods that overlay your natal chart, bringing different elemental influences throughout your life. The direction (forward or backward through the 60 Jiazi cycle) is determined by your gender and the yin/yang polarity of your birth year stem.

Question 5

Why does BaZi use solar terms instead of calendar months?

Accepted Answer

BaZi months are defined by Jié qi (solar term) boundaries based on the Sun's ecliptic longitude, not calendar months or lunar months. This ensures astronomical precision. The BaZi year also starts at Li Chun (Spring Begins, ~Feb 4) rather than the Lunar New Year or January 1.

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