What Is BaZi (八字)
BaZi (Four Pillars Destiny Analysis) takes one set of Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch (干支) for each of the year, month, day, and hour of birth — eight characters in total, hence the name BaZi ("Eight Characters").
It uses the Day Master (日主, the Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar) to represent the native, and reads the structure of a life through the generating and controlling cycles of the Five Elements, the Ten Gods (十神) relationships, and Major Luck Cycles (大运) and Annual Years (流年).
How the Four Pillars Are Arranged
| Pillar | Method | Represents |
|---|---|---|
| Year Pillar | Begins at Li Chun (Start of Spring), not the 1st day of the lunar month | Ancestors, roots, early years |
| Month Pillar | Month changes with the solar terms (Yin month begins at Li Chun) | Parents, siblings, youth, the guiding principle (the month command determines strength and weakness) |
| Day Pillar | Day counted by Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch | Day Stem = self; Day Branch = Spouse Palace (夫妻宫) |
| Hour Pillar | Hour derived from the day (Five-Rat Method) | Children, later years, final destination |
The BaZi chart calculation on this site uses the lunar-python calendar library, sharing the same conventions as Zi Wei Dou Shu for solar-term month changes and true solar time correction.
Order of Interpretation
- Determine the structure: Assess the Day Master's strength or weakness in the month command to establish whether the self is strong or weak
- Select the useful element (用神): The Five Element that corrects the imbalance — the pivot of the whole chart
- Examine the Ten Gods combinations: The proportions of Direct Officer/Seven Killings, Direct and Indirect Wealth, Output, Resource, and Companion stars define personality and life themes
- Overlay Major Luck Cycles and Annual Years: Ten-year cycles show trends; year-by-year Annual Years show timing of events
Relationship with Zi Wei Dou Shu
BaZi excels at reading Five Element strengths and the structure of temperament, while Zi Wei Dou Shu excels at reading palace scenes and the details of life events.
Both systems share the same origin (the stem-branch calendar), so their conclusions can often be cross-referenced. This site runs both systems in parallel — the same birth moment can be compared on both sides.