Is BaZi the same as Chinese astrology?

BaZi is the most widely used form of Chinese astrology, but the term also covers other systems such as Zi Wei Dou Shu. This site uses “BaZi” for the four-pillars method specifically.

What is a Day Master in one sentence?

The heavenly stem of your day pillar — the character every other part of the chart is read against.

Do I need my exact birth time?

For the hour pillar and the luck-cycle start age, yes. Without it, the chart still reads from the year, month and day pillars, but the hour is left out.

BaZi glossary

The vocabulary of BaZi in one place: four pillars, Day Master, heavenly stems, earthly branches, hidden stems, ten gods, luck cycles and solar terms, each defined in a sentence.

The vocabulary used across this guide library, grouped by topic. Each entry gives the English term, the Chinese characters, and a one-sentence definition.

The chart

Term	Chinese	Meaning
BaZi	八字	“Eight characters”: the four pillars of a birth moment.
Four Pillars	四柱	Year, month, day and hour, each written as a stem and a branch.
Heavenly Stem	天干	One of ten characters (Jia to Gui) that carry an element and polarity.
Earthly Branch	地支	One of twelve characters (Zi to Hai) that carry an element, a season and hidden stems.
Day Master	日干	The stem of the day pillar; the centre of the chart and the reference for every other character.
Day pillar	日柱	The stem-branch pair of the birth day; its branch is the closest environment to the self.

Elements and branches

Term	Chinese	Meaning
Five elements	五行	Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water, related by generating and controlling cycles.
Hidden stems	藏干	The stems contained inside a branch, read even when not visible among the eight characters.
Na Yin	纳音	A classical image assigned to each of the sixty pillars, such as “gold in the sea”.
Twelve stages	十二长生	The twelve phases from birth to storage that describe an element’s condition in a branch.
Seasonal strength	旺相休囚死	Five grades of an element’s strength in a given season, from flourishing to depleted.

The ten gods

Term	Chinese	Meaning
Ten gods	十神	Ten relationships a stem can form with the Day Master, grouped into five pairs.
Companion	比劫	Same element as the Day Master: Friend (same polarity) and Rob Wealth (opposite).
Output	食伤	The element the Day Master produces: Eating God and Hurting Officer.
Wealth	财星	The element the Day Master controls: Indirect and Direct Wealth.
Power	官杀	The element that controls the Day Master: Seven Killings and Direct Officer.
Resource	印星	The element that produces the Day Master: Indirect and Direct Resource.

Timing

Term	Chinese	Meaning
Luck cycle	大运	A ten-year cycle that follows the month pillar, read as a moving layer over the fixed chart.
Annual pillar	流年	The stem-branch pair of a given year; the weather inside a luck cycle.
Month pillar	月柱	The stem-branch pair of the birth month; the seed of the luck sequence.
Solar term	节气	One of twenty-four markers of the solar year; BaZi months begin at the twelve “jie”.
Start of Spring	立春	The solar term that begins the BaZi year, usually on 3–5 February.
True solar time	真太阳时	Local sun time corrected for longitude and the equation of time; the hour pillar should use it.

Frequently asked questions

Is BaZi the same as Chinese astrology?: BaZi is the most widely used form of Chinese astrology, but the term also covers other systems such as Zi Wei Dou Shu. This site uses “BaZi” for the four-pillars method specifically.
What is a Day Master in one sentence?: The heavenly stem of your day pillar — the character every other part of the chart is read against.
Do I need my exact birth time?: For the hour pillar and the luck-cycle start age, yes. Without it, the chart still reads from the year, month and day pillars, but the hour is left out.

See it in your own chart

Enter your birth date, time and place, and the calculator returns the four pillars, your Day Master, the five-element balance and the luck cycles.

Cast your free BaZi chart

This page is a study aid for classical BaZi symbolism, not a prediction. It describes tendencies and temperaments, not events, outcomes or dates. For medical, legal or financial decisions, consult a qualified professional.

Last updated 2026-11-09