BaZi Birth Chart - Online Four Pillars Calculator
Four Pillars / Ten Gods / Five Elements / Major Cycles · True Solar Time correction supported
Automatically derives the four pillars, ten gods, hidden stems, five-element strength, Na Yin, and major cycles. Enable true solar time to correct the hour by your birthplace longitude for results closer to the traditional convention.
The Four Pillars
Five Elements Balance (weighted with hidden stems, not a simple count)
Major Cycles & Start
Day Master Strength & Favorable Elements
The favorable elements are derived from a simplified Day-Master-strength rule, for traditional cultural understanding and reference only — not any kind of life or decision advice.
Sample chart: born 1990-05-15 14:30
Day Master Geng Metal, born in the Si month (April); strong Fire controls Metal, and the Hour stem Gui (Water) drains the brilliance — Metal and Water flow while the officer stars are kept in check.（日主 庚金）
Open the tool above, switch to 1990-05-15 14:30 male, enable true solar correction, and you will see exactly this result. This section is a visual reference for "how the four pillars look and what a chart is".
How to read this example? Four steps
Step 1 — find the Day Master: the Day pillar's stem "Geng" is the Day Master; Geng is Metal, so this chart's core is "Geng Metal". Step 2 — read the month order: the Month branch "Si" (Si is Fire); Geng Metal born in the Si month, Fire strong controls Metal, so the Day Master is restrained and偏弱. Step 3 — count the elements: the four pillars have Metal, Water, Fire and Earth, missing Wood (no Wood stem/branch), but "missing" ≠ must-replenish — it depends on a weak master favoring resource/peer. Step 4 — derive the ten gods: from Day Master Geng Metal, the Year stem Geng is "peer" (same as me), the Month stem Xin is "rob wealth" (same as me), the Hour stem Gui is "hurting officer" (what I produce). The ten-god relations reveal how the Day Master interacts with surrounding elements. These four steps are a beginner's view; real analysis is more complex, for traditional understanding only.
How to Read Your Own Chart
With the four pillars in hand, read them generally in the order "Day Master → five elements → ten gods → major cycles". The Day pillar's heavenly stem is the Day Master (representing you) and is the core of the analysis; see which element it belongs to and which month it was born in (whether it is "in season") to judge strong/weak. Then look at the five-element distribution across the stems and branches to see what is strong and what is weak. Next, from the Day Master read the ten gods: peer (same as me), output (what I produce), wealth (what I control), officer (what controls me), resource (what nourishes me) — this reveals temperament, relationships and career leanings. Finally, combine with the major cycles to see life-stage trends. To look up which zodiac a birth year corresponds to, see the year–zodiac table.
What If an Element Is Missing
"Missing an element" means one of metal/wood/water/fire/earth counts zero across the visible stems and the branches' main qi. Three caveats: first, missing ≠ weak — if the Day Master is strong, the missing element may actually be unfavorable, and not replenishing it is better; second, hidden stems count too — this page's "Five Elements Balance" weights hidden stems, more accurate than simply counting stems; third, don't replenish on sight — judge by Day-Master strength and five-element interactions. This page flags the truly zero elements (marked "missing") and suggests a direction via the favorable elements, for traditional understanding only, with no adjustment advice.
Missing Metal — should you replenish it?
Before rushing to buy metal jewelry — whether missing Metal needs replenishing depends on the Day Master: if the Day Master is Metal and weak, Metal happens to be favorable, so tradition leans toward color (white/gold), accessories (metal) and industries (finance/machinery); if the Day Master is strong and Metal unfavorable, you should not replenish it. Missing Metal also does not mean "short of money" — Metal is just one element with no direct tie to wealth. The above is folk correspondence, for reference only.
Missing Wood — should you replenish it?
Whether missing Wood needs Wood follows the favorable elements too: if the Day Master is Wood and weak, or Wood is favorable, tradition leans toward color (green), direction (East) and industries (education/agriculture/creative). But if strong and Wood unfavorable, don't replenish. Missing Wood also doesn't mean "short of vitality" or "short of benefactors" — the elements are a symbolic classification that doesn't map directly to life events. Folk correspondence, for understanding only.
Missing Water — should you replenish it?
If Water is favorable, folk custom leans toward color (black/blue), direction (North) and industries (water/ logistics/travel). If Water is unfavorable, don't replenish. Missing Water doesn't mean "short of wealth" or "short of wisdom" — there is no scientific correspondence between elements and life attributes. Above is traditional understanding, not adjustment advice.
Missing Fire — should you replenish it?
If Fire is favorable, tradition leans toward color (red/purple), direction (South) and industries (catering/energy/internet). If Fire is unfavorable, don't replenish. Missing Fire doesn's mean "short of passion" or "short of luck" — five-element interactions are symbolic logic that doesn't map directly to character or destiny. Folk reference — view rationally.
Missing Earth — should you replenish it?
If Earth is favorable, tradition leans toward color (yellow/brown), direction (Center) and industries (real estate/ceramics/agriculture). If Earth is unfavorable, don't replenish. Missing Earth doesn't mean "short of foundation" or "short of stability" — the elements are the ancients' symbolic classification of the world, with no scientific mapping to life fortune. All the above is folk-cultural understanding, not any decision advice.
How the Major Cycles Are Derived
The major cycles (Da Yun) are decade-long life-stage fortunes derived from the Month pillar. Rule: a Yang-year (Jia/Bing/Wu/Geng/Ren) male or Yin-year (Yi/Ding/Ji/Xin/Gui) female is arranged forward (顺); the reverse otherwise. The starting age = (days from birth to the nearest solar term "jie", not "qi") ÷ 3, rounded to whole years — e.g. 9 days to the next term means starting at about age 3. This page auto-derives the forward/reverse order and starting age by gender, and lists each cycle's stems/branches with its age range. The major cycle together with the year's stem-branch is called the "flow year (Liu Nian)", showing stage trends but not predicting specific events.
Why True Solar Time Matters
The Beijing time we use daily is mean solar time at 120°E, but China spans a wide longitude and Earth's uneven orbital speed creates an equation of time (about −14 to +16 minutes), so real solar time can deviate from Beijing time by minutes to two hours. If you were born west (e.g. Xinjiang, Tibet) or not exactly at 120°E, charting with Beijing time can misplace the hour pillar — especially near a boundary (5:00, 7:00, 23:00), where a few minutes shift the pillar entirely. Enabling true solar correction and picking your birthplace city lets the page auto-correct by "(120° − birthplace longitude) × 4 min/deg + equation of time", closer to the traditional convention. Solar terms are the basis for the Month pillar boundary; see the 24 solar terms for the chart–term relation.
Marriage, Career & Wealth in BaZi (cultural reading)
Traditional metaphysics draws some common symbolic correspondences for relationships, career and wealth, introduced below. These belong to a traditional symbolic system, not a scientifically validated prediction method — for cultural understanding only.
Marriage, love and soulmate in BaZi
In traditional metaphysics a man's "proper wealth star" is often the wife star and "partial wealth" the lover, while a woman's "proper officer" is the husband star and "seven killings" the paramour. The Day branch is also the "marriage palace"; the stems it hides and their relation to the spouse star are key references for relationships. If the spouse star is in the Month pillar, marriage may be early or the spouse a hometown match; in the Hour pillar, late or from afar. These are symbolic traditional readings, not matchmaking advice. Zodiac pairing and "harmony marriage" via complementary elements and mutual favorable elements are common folk practices, but not a basis for relationship decisions.
Career direction and suitable industries
For career, tradition reads "officer/killing" as status and responsibility, "food/output" as talent and output, and "resource" as learning and backing. A strong master who can "bear wealth" suits entrepreneurship; a weak master who favors resource/peer suits a stable system or academic path. The favorable element also hints at industries: Fire → catering/energy/internet, Wood → education/creative/agriculture, Metal → finance/machinery/law, Water → logistics/travel/water, Earth → real estate/ceramics/agriculture. The above is folk correspondence; career choice should weigh your interests, ability and the real market.
Wealth and health in BaZi
For wealth, the "wealth star" is central (for a man the proper/partial wealth; for a woman the officer star isn't directly wealth), combined with strong/weak to judge whether one can "bear wealth": strong and able → steadier income; weak and seeing wealth → easy to dissipate. The elements also map to health in folk theory: Fire → heart/blood vessels/eyes, Wood → liver/gall/limbs, Metal → lungs/airways, Water → kidneys/urinary, Earth → spleen/stomach/skin. These are traditional five-element mappings with no medical diagnostic value — for health, consult a professional doctor.
The correspondences above belong to a traditional symbolic system, not a scientifically validated prediction method. The same chart can read differently across schools and contexts, and "hits" are usually hindsight or probabilistic. This tool only shows the chart and symbols, with no event prediction; major life decisions still need your own effort, professional advice and rational judgment — never treat metaphysics as a decision "guide".
Twelve Double-Hours vs Modern Time
The day was split into twelve double-hours, each two modern hours — the basis for the BaZi Hour pillar:
Note: 23:00–00:59 is Zi hour, where 23:00 is the start of the new day's Zi (traditionally the "late Zi" belongs to the next day); 00:00–00:59, though past midnight, is still Zi. Schools differ slightly on the Day pillar at this boundary (this site counts 23:00 as the new day, see FAQ).
Glossary
What is Na Yin
Na Yin is the five-element name assigned to each pair of stems/branches in the 60-cycle, e.g. Jia-Zi/Yi-Chou = "Metal in the Sea", Bing-Yin/Ding-Mao = "Fire in the Furnace", Geng-Wu/Xin-Wei = "Earth by the Road". Folk sayings like "I am a Metal life" usually refer to Na Yin. But Na Yin and the Day-Master element are two separate systems: the Day-Master stem is the core for analyzing interactions, while Na Yin is mostly a folk label. This page shows each pillar's Na Yin; analysis follows the Day Master.
What is Void (Kong Wang)
Void (Kong Wang) refers to the two branches "left unused" in each 60-cycle decade (Xun). Each decade pairs ten stems with ten branches, leaving two branches as that decade's Void. The two Void branches of the Day pillar's decade are traditionally seen as weakened or "fallen empty". Void is only a marker in traditional metaphysics, not judged auspicious/inauspicious on its own; it needs the whole chart, for cultural understanding only.
What is a BaZi pattern (Ge)
A pattern (Ge) is a classification of the chart centered on the Month pillar's main qi versus the Day Master: a "regular pattern" (Proper Officer, Partial Wealth, Eating God, etc., collectively "Zheng Ge") is when the Day Master can "bear" the month's energy; when the Day Master is extremely weak and one element dominates, a "subordinate pattern" (Cong, e.g. Cong Wealth, Cong Killing) may form. Patterns are an advanced concept; beginners should first master Day-Master strength and ten-god interactions. This tool does not label patterns, to avoid misleading newcomers; pattern classification is for traditional understanding only.
Ten Heavenly Stems & Elements
Twelve Earthly Branches & Elements
References
The charting logic here references classical metaphysics texts and calendrical rules — e.g. "Yuan Hai Zi Ping", "San Ming Tong Hui", "Di Tian Sui" on the ten gods, five elements and major cycles, plus modern astronomical algorithms for solar terms and true solar time. Metaphysical conclusions are a traditional-culture subject, not a scientific verdict; defer to professional study and rational understanding.
This page is traditional folk-culture reference and charting demonstration, not a scientifically validated conclusion, and constitutes no advice on life, health, finance or decisions. BaZi is traditional culture, offered for understanding and entertainment — please keep a rational view and do not be superstitious. For real concerns, consult qualified professionals.
BaZi Calculator FAQ
How do I read a BaZi chart? What do the four pillars represent?
A BaZi chart starts with the four pillars. The Year pillar relates to ancestry and early childhood, the Month pillar to parents and youth, the Day pillar (whose heavenly stem is the "Day Master" representing yourself) to yourself and your spouse, and the Hour pillar to children and later life. Each pillar has one heavenly stem and one earthly branch; the ten gods (Shi Shen) are read from the Day Master, and the branches carry hidden stems and the five elements. After the chart is generated this page shows the stems/branches, ten gods and Na Yin for each pillar under "The Four Pillars" — see also "How to Read Your Chart" below.
What does it mean if an element is "missing"? Must it be replenished?
A "missing" element means its count across the four pillars is zero. But "missing" is not the same as "weak", and certainly not the same as "must be replenished": if the Day Master is strong, the missing element may actually be unfavorable; if it is hidden inside a branch, it is not truly absent. Judge by the Day Master's strength and the five-element interactions, not by filling every gap. See "What If an Element Is Missing" below.
My birth hour is uncertain — how is the chart derived?
The hour determines the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch of the Hour pillar. Each traditional double-hour equals two modern hours, and near a boundary (e.g. 5:00, 7:00, 23:00) a few minutes can shift the pillar. If you only know the approximate hour, try generating the two adjacent double-hours and compare. If the hour is completely unknown, tradition offers two approaches: (1) default to Zi hour (23:00–01:00) and derive all four pillars, or (2) use only the year, month and day pillars. This site uses the first; the second suits cases with no hour clue at all. If your birth date is lunar, convert it with the lunar-to-solar tool first for accuracy.
Lunar to Solar tool →How are the major cycles (Da Yun) derived, and at what age do they start?
Major cycles run in ten-year steps, derived forward or backward from the Month pillar based on the polarity of the year stem and the gender. A forward (顺) arrangement applies to a male born in a Yang year or a female born in a Yin year; the reverse applies otherwise. The starting age = (days from birth to the nearest solar term "jie") ÷ 3, rounded to whole years. For example 9 days to the next term means roughly age 3. This page directly gives the starting age and each cycle's stems/branches.
What are the favorable elements (Xi Yong Shen)? Are they accurate?
The favorable elements are the five elements traditionally considered beneficial to the Day Master: when weak, same-element support and resource stars help; when strong, controlling/draining elements help. This page derives them from a simplified Day-Master-strength rule, for cultural understanding only — not a scientific conclusion and not any kind of life or decision advice.
What is true solar time correction for? Is it inaccurate without it?
Beijing time is mean solar time at 120°E, but China spans a wide longitude and the equation of time shifts real solar time by minutes to two hours. If you were born west of or away from 120°E, using Beijing time can misplace the hour pillar (especially near boundaries). Enabling true solar correction adjusts by your birthplace longitude and date, matching the traditional convention more closely. See "Why True Solar Time Matters" below.
Solar terms & charting →Born at 23:00 — same day or next day?
By the traditional convention 23:00–00:59 is Zi hour, and 23:00 is treated as the start of the new day's Zi (the "late Zi" belongs to the next day). This tool follows that rule: the Day pillar uses the Gregorian day, the Hour pillar is Zi, but some schools assign late Zi to the next day's Day pillar. Both conventions exist; this page defaults to the former, consistent with most online charting tools.
Why does the Month pillar change at a solar term, not at the lunar new year?
The BaZi Month pillar is bounded by the "jie" (major solar term), not the "qi": e.g. from Beginning of Spring to Awakening of Insects is the Yin month, then to Pure Brightness the Mao month, and so on. This differs from the lunar calendar, whose new year starts on the first day of the first lunar month. The month pillar switches strictly at the solar-term boundary. See the 24 solar terms page for reference.
24 Solar Terms →What is the difference between major cycles (Da Yun) and the yearly cycle (Liu Nian)?
Major cycles are decade-long stages derived forward/back from the Month pillar, broad and sustained in effect; the yearly cycle is the stem-branch of each year (e.g. 2026 is Bing-Wu), specific and transient. Read them together: first the trend of the current major cycle, then locate the specific year with the yearly cycle.
I was born outside mainland China (e.g. overseas Chinese) — how is true solar time corrected?
Being born overseas does not affect the four-pillar calculation (the Gregorian/lunar date is enough); true solar correction uses the birthplace longitude. Most provincial capitals and major overseas Chinese cities (New York, London, Sydney, Singapore, Toronto, etc.) are already in the birthplace dropdown — just pick your city; the correction formula is the same as for mainland China.
What do missing Fire / Metal / Water / Wood / Earth each mean?
A "missing" element is only a statistical result (its count in the four pillars is zero) and carries no inherent good/bad meaning by itself. Whether to compensate depends on (1) the Day Master's strength and (2) whether the missing element is favorable or unfavorable. Generally a weak master benefits from same-element support, so a missing favorable element might be gently favored in name, direction or color; a strong master benefits from draining, so a missing unfavorable element needs no compensation. Judge together with this page's favorable-element result, and treat it as cultural context.
Is BaZi fortune-telling accurate? Should I believe it?
BaZi belongs to traditional folk-culture study — useful as cultural material for understanding ancient cosmology and the view of time, but it is not a scientifically validated prediction method. The same chart can be interpreted differently by different schools, and "hits" on specific events are usually hindsight or probabilistic. This tool exists for cultural study and charting demonstration; results are for reference only and constitute no advice on life, health, finance, relationships or career. For real concerns, consult qualified professionals and keep a rational mindset.
What are the heavenly stems and earthly branches?
The ten heavenly stems are 甲乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸; the twelve earthly branches are 子丑寅卯辰巳午未申酉戌亥. Paired in order they form the 60-year cycle (Jia-Zi), used to count days, months, years and hours. Each has a five-element attribute (stems: Jia-Yi Wood, Bing-Ding Fire, Wu-Ji Earth, Geng-Xin Metal, Ren-Gui Water; branches: Yin-Mao Wood, Si-Wu Fire, Shen-You Metal, Hai-Zi Water, Chen-Xu-Chou-Wei Earth), which is the basis for analyzing the five-element interactions. See the stem/branch table under "Glossary".
How do the twelve double-hours map to modern time? When is Zi hour?
The day was divided into twelve double-hours, each two modern hours: Zi 23:00–01:00, Chou 01:00–03:00, Yin 03:00–05:00, Mao 05:00–07:00, Chen 07:00–09:00, Si 09:00–11:00, Wu 11:00–13:00, Wei 13:00–15:00, Shen 15:00–17:00, You 17:00–19:00, Xu 19:00–21:00, Hai 21:00–23:00. The BaZi Hour pillar follows this division; see the "Twelve Double-Hours" table below.
Is BaZi trustworthy for marriage, career or wealth?
Traditional metaphysics draws correspondences such as "a man's wealth star / a woman's officer star for relationships", "food/output stars for career", and "wealth star for money". But these belong to a traditional symbolic system and should not be used as a "guide" for choosing a partner, career or investment. This tool only shows the chart and its symbols, with no event prediction; treat it as cultural understanding, and base major life decisions on your own effort, professional advice and rational judgment.
Do BaZi patterns (Ge) matter? What are regular and subordinate patterns?
A pattern (Ge) is a classification of the chart centered on the Month pillar's energy versus the Day Master: a "regular pattern" (e.g. Proper Officer, Partial Wealth, Eating God) is when the Day Master can "bear" the month's energy; a "subordinate pattern" (Cong) is when the Day Master is extremely weak and must follow the strongest element in the chart. Patterns are an advanced concept; beginners should first master Day-Master strength and the ten-god interactions. This tool does not label patterns, to avoid misleading newcomers. Patterns are for cultural understanding only and do not decide one's life path.
What is Na Yin? What "destiny" is a Geng-Wu birth?
Na Yin is the five-element name assigned to each pair of stems/branches in the 60-cycle (e.g. Jia-Zi/Yi-Chou = "Metal in the Sea", Geng-Wu/Xin-Wei = "Earth by the Road"). Folk sayings like "I am a Metal life" usually refer to Na Yin. But Na Yin and the Day-Master element are two separate systems: the Day-Master stem is the core for analyzing interactions, while Na Yin is mostly a folk label. A Geng-Wu year has Na Yin "Earth by the Road", but your Day Master depends on the Day stem and may differ entirely. This page shows each pillar's Na Yin; analysis follows the Day Master.
Are purely Yin or purely Yang charts good? How to read them?
Pure Yin or pure Yang means all eight characters' stems and branches are either all Yin or all Yang. Tradition loosely associates pure Yang with a more assertive, outgoing temperament and pure Yin with a more reserved, resilient one, but this is only a symbolic generalization and cannot be judged auspicious or inauspicious on its own. Real analysis still centers on Day-Master strength, ten-god interactions and five-element balance. Pure Yin/Yang is merely a feature of the chart, not a verdict on destiny, and is for cultural understanding only.
How do favorable elements map to colors, directions and numbers?
In folk custom the favorable element maps to colors/directions/numbers as: Wood → green / East / 1,2; Fire → red / South / 3,4; Earth → yellow / Center / 5,6; Metal → white / West / 7,8; Water → black / North / 9,0. These are folk "luck-boosting" correspondences with no scientific basis, offered for cultural reference only. What truly affects life is your choices, effort and environment; pick colors and directions by personal comfort.
Which is more accurate, the "Bone-Weighing" or the BaZi method?
They are different traditional systems. BaZi centers on the four pillars' five-element interactions, ten gods and major cycles — complex with rich information. Bone-Weighing adds up the "weight" of each birth unit (year/month/day/hour) into "taels and cents", then reads a verse. Different schools, different conventions, no scientific basis for "which is more accurate". Both are traditional culture; treat them as cultural understanding.