What is BaZi (the Four Pillars of Destiny)?

BaZi, or the Four Pillars of Destiny, is the core method of classical Chinese astrology. A person's birth year, month, day and hour are each expressed as a Heavenly Stem paired with an Earthly Branch — eight characters in total ("BaZi" = "eight characters"), arranged in four pillars ("Si Zhu"). The Day Stem is the Day Master, representing the person; the relationships (Ten Gods), hidden stems, melodic elements, symbolic stars, and luck pillars among the other characters form a complete system of analysis rooted in classics such as Zi Ping Zhen Quan and Di Tian Sui.

Are "Four Pillars", "birth eight characters" and "Zi Ping" the same thing?

Yes — they are different names for one tradition. "Four Pillars" stresses the year/month/day/hour structure, "birth eight characters" stresses the birth time as the source, and "Zi Ping" refers to the day-master-centred method established by Xu Ziping in the Song dynasty. Modern BaZi charting follows this Zi Ping orthodoxy, as does this tool.

What are the Ten Gods, and why are they central to BaZi?

The Ten Gods describe how every other stem and branch relates to the Day Master by the five-element cycle and yin/yang: Friend & Rob Wealth (same as self), Eating God & Hurting Officer (output), Direct & Indirect Wealth (what self controls), Direct Officer & Seven Killings (what controls self), Direct & Indirect Resource (what generates self). They translate abstract element relations into human meaning (wealth, authority, resource, expression) and drive structure, success and the choice of the favourable element.

How is the strength of the Day Master judged?

Strength depends mainly on whether the Day Master is supported by the month branch (the seasonal command), reinforced by stems and rooted in branches, balanced against what drains or controls it. A strong Day Master favours output, wealth and authority to balance it; a weak one favours resource and peers. The tool tallies element energy and Ten-God strength to help you judge.

What are hidden stems, and why list them?

Each Earthly Branch hides 1–3 Heavenly Stems (the "human element"), e.g. Yin hides Jia/Bing/Wu. Hidden stems carry primary, middle and residual qi and define a branch's true element and Ten-God content. The commanding hidden stem of the month branch is decisive for structure and the favourable element, so a professional chart always lists them.

What are the melodic (NaYin) elements?

NaYin assigns one of thirty melodic elements to each pair of the sixty Jia-Zi (e.g. Jia-Zi/Yi-Chou = "Gold in the Sea"). NaYin is used in compatibility, date selection and some schools' analysis, alongside the regular elements. The tool labels NaYin for all four pillars and the luck pillars.

Are the symbolic stars (ShenSha) reliable?

Symbolic stars are auxiliary markers — auspicious (Nobleman, Academic Star, Travelling Horse, Peach Blossom…) and inauspicious. The classical view treats structure and the Ten Gods as primary and stars as secondary: alone they are limited, but combined with structure and luck pillars they add nuance and warnings. The tool lists the mainstream stars by tier.

How are luck pillars arranged? What is the starting age?

Luck pillars derive from the month pillar, running forward or backward by the yin/yang of the year and the sex, each governing ten years. The starting age comes from the days between birth and the adjacent solar term divided by three. The tool determines the direction automatically, computes the exact start age, and links annual, monthly and daily luck.

What are the Life Palace, Body Palace and Fetal Origin?

The Life Palace (from month and hour branches) marks innate disposition; the Body Palace (from day and hour branches) marks lived experience; the Fetal Origin (derived from the month pillar) marks conception. With the four pillars they form the "seven pillars" used in advanced analysis — all generated automatically here.

What does "void" (KongWang) mean?

Within each ten-stem cycle two branches are left without a stem — these are the "void" branches of that day pillar. Forces falling on a void position are often reduced, to be re-weighed against clashes, combinations and "filling". The tool marks void branches from the day pillar's cycle head.

What is the chart structure (GeJu), and how is the favourable element chosen?

Structure is the core pattern, based on what the month branch's hidden stems reveal — normal structures (Officer, Killings, Wealth, Eating, Hurting, Resource) and special ones (Lu, Yang Blade, Follow, Transformation, Dominance…). The favourable element balances the chart through strength, climate and mediation. The tool applies Zi Ping Zhen Quan structure rules, Qiong Tong Bao Jian climate use and strength heuristics for a reference verdict.

What is the climatic favourable element (TiaoHou)?

Climate balances the chart by the season's cold/warm/dry/damp: winter births often need fire to warm, summer births water to moisten. Qiong Tong Bao Jian lists the climatic element for each "day stem + month" combination. The tool matches the relevant passage automatically.

Why correct to true solar time?

BaZi depends on an exact hour. China uses one standard time (120°E) but spans ~73°E–135°E, so local solar time can differ by over an hour. Near a pillar boundary — especially the Zi-hour day change at 23:00/01:00 — true-solar-time correction can change the hour or even day pillar. The tool offers longitude + equation-of-time correction in one click.

What is the difference between solar, lunar and eight-character input?

Three input modes are supported: solar (Gregorian) date is the most common; lunar date is converted to solar automatically, with leap months; and if you already know the four pillars you can enter them to reverse-look-up the date. All three produce the same chart — pick whichever you have.

Is this Four Pillars chart tool free? Do I need an account?

It is fully free with no sign-up: four pillars, Ten Gods, hidden stems, NaYin, symbolic stars, luck pillars, element strength, structure, climatic use and true-solar-time correction are open to everyone. Signing in adds cloud saving, cross-device sync and per-year notes.

Is online BaZi charting accurate?

Charting is deterministic astronomical/calendar computation: stems, hidden stems, NaYin, stars, luck-pillar start and the palaces are computed precisely and reliably. Note that charting is objective, while interpretation (verdicts, choice of favourable element) belongs to differing schools — the structure and favourable element shown here are for study only.

Can I save or share a chart?

Yes. After charting you can export JSON, generate a share link or save a poster image; signed-in users can store charts in the cloud, recall them from history and add per-year notes for long-term tracking.

BaZi Calculator · Four Pillars of Destiny

Free online BaZi chart — stems & branches, Ten Gods, hidden stems, NaYin, symbolic stars, luck pillars, element strength and structure

2003年03月03日 06:00雨水(2003.02.19)后12天6小时 · 距惊蛰3天Commanding Qi: 甲木(本气 · day 14/16)Luck starts: 8y 10m 20d(handover on 2012-01-23)

Structure: also（月令本气与日主同气, 比劫当权, 依禄刃格论）

Gender

Input mode

Four Pillars 四柱

Year

Month

Day

Hour

→ 2003-03-03 06:00

Four Pillars Chart

Show Conception / Life / Body palaces

	YearAncestry	MonthMonth Command	DayDay Master · Self	HourLater Life
Stem God	偏印Ind. Resource	劫财Rob Wealth	男主	偏财Ind. Wealth
Stem	癸	甲	乙	己
Strength	休	旺	旺	死
Branch	未	寅	亥	卯
Hidden	己·土60% 丁·火30% 乙·木10%	甲·木60% 丙·火30% 戊·土10%	壬·水70% 甲·木30%	乙·木100%
Hidden God	偏财透食神比肩透	劫财透伤官正财	正印劫财透	比肩透
NaYin	杨柳木	大溪水	山头火	城头土
Void	申酉	子丑	申酉	申酉
Stage	养	帝旺	死	临官
Seat	墓	临官	死	病
Stars	华盖	亡神孤辰绞煞	国印贵人十灵	福星贵人禄神将星
Stem	甲己五合化土 (spaced apart · weakened) (Combination)
Branch	寅亥相合 (Combination)·寅亥相破 (Destruction)·三合木局（亥卯未） (Combination)
Strength by month branch:木旺火相水休金囚土死

Relations:CombinationClashPunishmentHarmDestructionHover a stem or branch to see its relationsTap a stem or branch to see its relations

Percentages are this tool's hidden-stem weighting, not the live commanding-qi strength.

Advanced analysis (structure, favourable element, classical texts) is currently available in Chinese only.

壬子 Luck 2022–2031

Luck Pillars

Ten years to a pillar · the axis of a life

子未害 (Harm · Year branch)子卯刑 (Punishment · Hour branch)

壬子 Luck · Annual Pillars

One pillar a year · the season in command

Energy distribution

Weighted Five Elements · Ten Gods

木

火

土

水

木

Wood

53%

火

Fire

12%

土

Earth

18%

金

Metal

水

Water

16%

How are these numbers computed? (show the formula)

A two-layer weighted sum, then normalisation. Each heavenly stem contributes the full positional weight of its pillar; each branch splits its positional weight across its hidden stems (primary / middle / residual), and every part is mapped to an element and a Ten God before being summed.

score(element e) = Σ stems [ W_stem(pos) · 1(element = e) ] + Σ branches Σ hidden_k [ W_branch(pos) · R(count)[k] · 1(element = e) ] percent(e) = score(e) / Σ score

Positional weights W: year stem 6, month stem 12, day stem 12, hour stem 12; year branch 10, month branch 40, day branch 20, hour branch 10. The month branch dominates — it carries the seasonal command.
Hidden-stem split R: branches with three hidden stems use 0.6 / 0.3 / 0.1 (primary / middle / residual), two hidden stems use 0.7 / 0.3, a single hidden stem takes the full 1.0. Example — a 寅 month branch (hiding 甲丙戊) gives Wood +40×0.6=24, Fire +40×0.3=12, Earth +40×0.1=4.
Normalisation: each score is divided by the total to give a percentage. Cards show scores to one decimal and percentages rounded to integers, so the five percentages may not sum to exactly 100%.
Scope: the element bar includes the Day Master stem itself (weight 12) to show overall momentum; the Ten Gods bar excludes it (the Day Master has no Ten God relation to itself), so the two totals differ.

This chart applies only the two layers above — positional weight and hidden-stem split. It does not apply seasonal-phase coefficients (prosperous/strong/resting/trapped/dead), depth-of-command bonuses, or adjustments for punishments, clashes and combinations. Seasonal phases are shown in a separate row under the chart; clash/combination corrections apply only to the strength and Useful God verdicts, which use a different scoring basis and should not be cross-checked against these numbers.

格局详解

主格 · 判定链路 · 兼格

禄旺

禄刃格

月令本气与日主同气, 比劫当权, 依禄刃格论

判定链路 · 子平真诠

○ 化气格→○ 专旺格→○ 从旺/从强→○ 从格→○ 两神成象→● 禄刃格→─ 月令取用

依序尝试, 首个命中即为主格：● 命中 · ○ 不成立 · ─ 未检 (前序已命中)。悬停可见各步判定条件。

兼格 · 不与主格竞争

奇格

时支卯为日主乙之禄, 官杀不透, 日禄归时号青云得路

用神喜忌

两派并参 · 喜忌分明

身强

综合喜用

金火土

综合忌神

水木

格局派 ·《子平真诠》

扶抑

月劫格

相神金

喜神火土

忌神水木

格局无专可取, 回退扶抑: 身强宜克泄耗, 以官杀为先, 食伤财星次之; 忌印比生扶。

盲派 · 段氏做功

做功不显

喜用火

忌神水

全局冲合刑穿俱无财官可取, 做功不显; 退而取食伤火泄秀为用, 以才华技艺谋生。

格局派依《子平真诠》之成败救应 · 顺逆用神法立相神；盲派依段氏做功论命，以功神论喜忌、不论身强身弱。两派并参，综合喜用为两派之并集。

命局病药

病药论 ·《神峰通考》

病轻药显

此局之病: 忌神秉令、喜用金不见; 对症之药: 土 (制忌)、金 (制忌)、火 (通关)。小病有良药, 局中自带解救, 顺逆之间回旋余地大。纯药之运始于 40 岁后, 中晚运药力接续 — 大器晚成之象。

命中之病

●●●
忌神秉令
月令寅属木, 忌神当权得时, 一局气势先输一着, 全盘喜用皆须逆势做功。
●●●
喜用金不见
喜用金原局全无, 此路之福须待岁运送来。

对症之药

土制忌原局有力

克制忌神水, 直去其病。

原局有气, 岁运一引即可发力。

金制忌原局不见

克制忌神木, 直去其病。

原局无此药, 全凭岁运送药。

火通关原局有力

泄忌神木之气而转生喜用, 化敌为友。

原局有气, 岁运一引即可发力。

药至应期 · 逐运

癸丑10-19岁药至丑截脚制癸, 病干无根, 药气仍行
壬子今20-29岁病发忌神壬子会聚入运, 病处受激, 守成为要
辛亥30-39岁药病相杂辛虽为药, 反滋亥中病气, 明得暗失
庚戌40-49岁药至庚戌药气入运而不带病, 病处得医之期
己酉50-59岁药至己酉药气入运而不带病, 病处得医之期
戊申60-69岁药至戊申药气入运而不带病, 病处得医之期
丁未70-79岁药至丁未药气入运而不带病, 病处得医之期
丙午80-89岁药至丙午药气入运而不带病, 病处得医之期
乙巳90-99岁药至乙中病气下泄于巳, 病气自化

What is BaZi (the Four Pillars)?

BaZi, the Four Pillars of Destiny, is the core method of classical Chinese astrology. A person's birth year, month, day and hour each form a "pillar" of one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch — eight characters in total. The Day Stem is the Day Master, representing the person; the other seven characters interact with it through the five-element cycle to form a complete natal chart.

A professional Four Pillars chart shows not only the eight characters but also the Ten Gods, hidden stems, NaYin elements, voids, the twelve life stages, symbolic stars, luck pillars, element strength, the Life/Body Palaces and Fetal Origin, plus structure and climatic favourable elements. This tool computes all of them at once, supports solar, lunar and eight-character input with true-solar-time correction, and is free with no sign-up.

How to chart BaZi: four steps to your natal chart

Charting is deterministic calendar computation — these four steps let you read any BaZi chart.

1
① Fix the birth time
BaZi rests on an exact hour. For cross-region or boundary Zi-hour (23:00/01:00) births, correct longitude with true solar time first.
2
② Lay out the four pillars
Set the month pillar by the 24 solar terms and the hour stem from the day stem to get all eight characters.
3
③ Annotate the elements
List the Ten Gods, hidden stems, NaYin, voids, life stages and stars for each pillar, and tally element strength.
4
④ Luck pillars & favourable element
Arrange luck pillars by yin/yang direction, compute the start age, then judge the favourable element from structure and climate.

Every step above is automated here — enter your birth details and tap "Chart" to get the full result at once: pillars, Ten Gods, hidden stems, NaYin, stars, luck pillars, element strength and structure.

What a BaZi chart shows: the ten core elements

Understand these ten elements and the whole Four Pillars chart opens up.

Stems, Branches & the Four Pillars: Ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches pair into the sixty Jia-Zi. Year, month, day and hour each take one pair — the four pillars, the skeleton of the chart.
Day Master & the Ten Gods: The Day Stem is the Day Master. Measured against it, the other characters yield the Ten Gods (Friend, Rob Wealth, Eating God, Hurting Officer, Wealth, Officer, Killings, Resource…), which drive structure and analysis.
Hidden Stems: Each branch hides 1–3 stems (primary, middle, residual). The commanding stem of the month branch is decisive for structure and the favourable element.
NaYin Elements: Each pair of the sixty Jia-Zi carries a NaYin element (e.g. Gold in the Sea), thirty in all, used in compatibility, date selection and analysis.
Symbolic Stars (ShenSha): Auspicious stars (Nobleman, Academic, Travelling Horse, Peach Blossom…) and inauspicious ones add nuance and warnings alongside structure — treated as secondary in the classics.
Luck Pillars & Annual Luck: Luck pillars run from the month pillar, ten years each; the annual pillar interacts with the chart to shape each period. The tool links annual, monthly and daily luck.
Element Strength & Favourable Element: Judge the Day Master's strength from the season, roots and stems, then choose the favourable and unfavourable elements by strength, climate and mediation.
Chart Structure: The month branch defines normal and special structures (Officer, Killings, Wealth, Eating, Hurting, Resource, Lu, Yang Blade, Follow, Transformation…), whose success sets the chart's level.
Void & Life Stages: Voids (two stem-less branches from the day pillar's cycle) weaken forces that land on them; the twelve life stages (Birth, Bath … Peak … Tomb, Death) gauge a stem's state within a branch.
Life / Body Palace & Fetal Origin: The Life Palace (month + hour), Body Palace (day + hour) and Fetal Origin form the "seven pillars" with the four pillars — auxiliary coordinates for advanced reading.
True Solar Time: China uses one standard time (120°E) yet local solar time can differ by over an hour. Boundary Zi-hour births especially need true-solar-time correction.
Classical Sources: Structure follows Zi Ping Zhen Quan and climatic use follows Qiong Tong Bao Jian, with reference to Di Tian Sui, San Ming Tong Hui and Yuan Hai Zi Ping.

FAQ

Four Pillars (BaZi) Chart — FAQ

延伸阅读

名人命例与流年通览，都可一键回到排盘工具对照。

名人八字命例

帝王将相、文臣名士的四柱与十神，附生辰出处与可靠度。

2026 年流年运势 · 十日主分论

按日主看今年太岁十神：事业、财运、感情逐项解读。

Related charting tools

Beyond BaZi charting, these tools share the same Four Pillars roots.

True Solar Time

Longitude + equation-of-time correction — the essential step before BaZi charting.

Ganzhi Kaleidoscope

Stems & branches at a glance: sixty Jia-Zi, relation wheel, life-stage matrix, NaYin.