Foundations
Core vocabulary: stems, branches, day master, time
8 articles
- FoundationsBeginner
The Ten Heavenly Stems — The Chart's Principal Energies
Ten heavenly stems mapped to Five Elements and Yin-Yang — far more than labels; they are the principal energies of the chart.
Read →4 min - FoundationsBeginner
The Twelve Earthly Branches — The Chart's Foundation
Twelve branches map to zodiac, elements, hours, months — and contain hidden stems within. The chart's roots are all here.
Read →4 min - FoundationsBeginner
The Day Master — The Heart of the Chart
Day Stem = 'self'. Every reading begins by knowing your Day Master's nature.
Read →4 min - FoundationsBeginner
The Sixty Jiazi Cycle — A Code for Time
Ten stems times twelve branches cycle into sixty pairs — the oldest structural rhythm in the Chinese calendar.
Read →4 min - FoundationsBeginner
Yin and Yang — The Root of All Phenomena
Yin and Yang are not opposites — they are two complementary poles that flow into and contain each other. Every character in the chart carries one or the other.
Read →4 min - FoundationsBeginner
The Twenty-Four Solar Terms — The Rhythm of the Chart
Solar terms divide the year into 24 segments by solar longitude. BaZi changes months at solar terms — not at lunar new moons.
Read →4 min - FoundationsBeginner
True Solar Time — The Hour's True Position
Clock time is not always your BaZi hour. Longitude correction and Daylight Saving must be accounted for.
Read →5 min - FoundationsBeginner
Dayun — The Ten-Year Chapters of Life
Dayun divides life into ten-year chapters. Its direction and starting age both come from your birth.
Read →4 min