The sixty day pillars
In BaZi, your day pillar is the pillar of the self. Its heavenly stem is your Day Master, and its earthly branch describes the ground you stand on. The sexagenary cycle produces sixty combinations; each has its own temperament, element and classical image.
Find yours by casting a free chart, or read through the sixty below to understand the vocabulary first. If you only want the stem, start with the ten Day Masters.
Cast your free BaZi chartWood Day Masters
A seed of yang wood germinating under winter water.
A vine rooted in frozen field soil.
A tree standing on high dry ground.
A water-fed vine at the edge of a river.
A tree growing beside a mountain spring.
A slender branch against a sharp blade.
A tree growing on a sunlit slope.
A pliant shrub rooted in warm earth.
A great tree rooted in a wet hillside.
A climbing plant wrapping a warm stone.
A great tree at the edge of the forest.
A thicket of soft green in early spring.
Fire Day Masters
A bonfire lit at the mouth of the forest.
A lamp kept burning in a quiet room.
A torch carried across dark water.
A candle sheltered in a winter barn.
A fire burning on a high dry ridge.
A lamp reflecting on still water.
A fire on a peak, seen from far off.
A candle beside a polished mirror.
The sun at noon over open country.
A hearth kept lit through a dry summer.
A sun rising over a misty valley.
A flame that knows exactly what it is doing.
Earth Day Masters
A mountain with a reservoir inside.
Fertile soil warmed by a hidden sun.
A walled city built at the forest edge.
A garden path between soft borders.
A dam holding a deep cold reservoir.
A frozen field waiting for spring.
A dry plateau under steady wind.
A soft field drinking in a slow river.
A mountain with a road cut through it.
A tidy field at harvest time.
A sunlit plateau, warm and unshaded.
A warm field at the end of summer.
Metal Day Masters
A blade left in the midday sun.
A finely worked ornament resting on warm earth.
An axe resting in a deep quarry.
A fine instrument warming in the sun.
An axe carried into a young forest.
Sharp shears trimming soft new growth.
A blade cooled in dark water.
A fine tool kept in a cold workshop.
A well-kept sword in a loyal house.
A silver thread drawn through still water.
A forged blade in its own forge.
A mirror polished until it disappears.
Water Day Masters
A fast river cutting through metal country.
Fine rain falling on a polished blade.
A river running through hot plains.
Dew settling on dry summer grass.
A river pooling behind a mountain.
Mist rising off a warm stone.
A river spilling into a new forest.
Dew on new leaves at dawn.
A deep river under a winter sky.
Frost in the furrows of a winter field.
A sea held behind a long seawall.
Deep water beneath a calm surface.
These descriptions are a study aid for classical BaZi symbolism, not a prediction. They describe tendencies and temperaments, not events or outcomes.