Chinese Astrology · BaZi

Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches

Every BaZi chart is built from two ancient sets of symbols: the Ten Heavenly Stems (天干) and the Twelve Earthly Branches (地支). Each of your four pillars pairs one stem with one branch — that's the “eight characters” of BaZi.

The Ten Heavenly Stems (天干)

Each stem is one of the five elements in its yang or yin form. The stem of your day is your Day Master.

The Twelve Earthly Branches (地支)

Each branch carries a zodiac animal and an element. The animal of your birth year is your traditional Chinese zodiac sign.

The sixty-year cycle

Pair the ten stems with the twelve branches and they cycle together through sixty unique combinations (六十甲子) before repeating — the rhythm that names every year, month, day and hour in the Chinese calendar, and the raw material of your chart.

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