What are the four pillars?
A BaZi chart has four pillars, read from the solar calendar:
- Year pillar. Traditionally linked to family and how the world first saw you. Its Earthly Branch is your Chinese zodiac animal.
- Month pillar. The season you were born in. Months begin at the solar terms, not on the 1st.
- Day pillar. You. Its Heavenly Stem is your Day Master, where most readings begin.
- Hour pillar. Traditionally linked to inner hopes and later life. It needs a birth time.
What is a Day Master?
Your Day Master is the Heavenly Stem of the day you were born. It describes the core of a BaZi chart, the way you meet the world. There are ten Day Masters: a yang and a yin form of each of the five elements. The stems run in a ten-day cycle, so people born on consecutive days have different Day Masters.
| Stem | Element | Karmori name | Traditional image |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 | Yang Wood | The Tree | An upright tree: direction, persistence and flexibility. |
| 乙 | Yin Wood | The Flower | Flowers and vines: adaptability, connection and gradual growth. |
| 丙 | Yang Fire | The Sun | Light that reaches widely: enthusiasm and making space for others. |
| 丁 | Yin Fire | The Flame | A candle flame: focused light and warmth, close conversations. |
| 戊 | Yang Earth | The Mountain | A mountain: steadiness, perspective and the ability to change. |
| 己 | Yin Earth | The Garden | Cultivated soil: care, patience and the conditions for growth. |
| 庚 | Yang Metal | The Blade | Forged iron: decisiveness, useful structure, knowing when to soften. |
| 辛 | Yin Metal | The Jewel | Precious metal: discernment and detail. |
| 壬 | Yang Water | The Ocean | Rivers and oceans: exploration, perspective, choosing a direction. |
| 癸 | Yin Water | The Dewdrop | Rain and dew: observation, gentle influence, turning thought into action. |
The five elements
BaZi describes everything through five elements (五行, wu xing): Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.
- Wood: growth and direction.
- Fire: warmth and expression.
- Earth: stability and care.
- Metal: clarity and refinement.
- Water: reflection and adaptability.
They support each other in a cycle: Wood feeds Fire, Fire creates Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water, and Water nourishes Wood.
And they keep each other in check: Wood parts Earth, Earth contains Water, Water puts out Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood. A BaZi reading looks at which elements a chart has in abundance and which it lacks.
BaZi and the Chinese zodiac
Your Chinese zodiac animal is the Earthly Branch of your year pillar, so it is one of the eight characters, not the whole chart. The BaZi year starts at Li Chun, around 4 February, not on 1 January or on Chinese New Year.
Your year element by the last digit of your birth year:
| Last digit | Year element |
|---|---|
| 0 or 1 | Metal |
| 2 or 3 | Water |
| 4 or 5 | Wood |
| 6 or 7 | Fire |
| 8 or 9 | Earth |
Born in January or early February? Use the year before.
The six clashing pairs. Opposite animals are said to clash, a sign of movement and change in that year: Rat and Horse, Ox and Goat, Tiger and Monkey, Rabbit and Rooster, Dragon and Dog, Snake and Pig.
Ten-year luck cycles
BaZi divides life into ten-year luck pillars (大运). They run forward or backward depending on the polarity of your birth year and, traditionally, whether you are male or female. Their starting age comes from the number of days between your birth and the next or previous solar term, in the direction the cycles run. In Karmori these appear on Life Path.
Do you need your birth time?
No. Your birth date alone gives six of the eight characters, including your Day Master. A birth time adds the hour pillar and can shift your luck-cycle dates. Karmori works without a birth time and shows the alternatives where the hour matters.
2027, the Fire Goat year
The Yin Fire Goat year (丁未) begins at Li Chun on 4 February 2027. The Goat, Ox, Rat and Dog meet Tai Sui that year. See what tradition advises for every sign.
How Karmori reads your chart
Karmori calculates your four pillars from your birth date, time and place, using the solar terms for months and Li Chun for the year. It names your Day Master, explains each part in everyday language, and gives daily readings for each area of life. You can compare charts with the people close to you and ask The Guardian, Karmori’s AI guide, about your own chart. Readings are for reflection, not predictions or professional advice.
Karmori is free to start, in English and 中文. Plus and Pro open further dates, Life Path and more Guardian answers.
Find your Day Master freeQuestions
- Is BaZi the same as the Chinese zodiac?
- No. Your zodiac animal comes from the year you were born, which is only one of the eight characters. BaZi also reads the month, day and hour, and treats the day as the person. Two people with the same animal can have very different charts.
- What is my Day Master?
- The Heavenly Stem of the day you were born: one of ten, from The Tree to The Dewdrop. Karmori finds yours free from your birth date.
- Do I need my exact birth time?
- No. Your birth date gives six of the eight characters, including your Day Master. Karmori shows the alternatives where the hour matters.
- When does the BaZi year start?
- At Li Chun, around 4 February. Anyone born in January or early February belongs to the previous BaZi year.
- Is Karmori free?
- Yes, to start: your chart, your Day Master, readings for today and the next two days, and 3 Guardian answers. Plus (US$19.99 a month) and Pro (US$39.99 a month) open more.
- Is BaZi fortune telling?
- BaZi has long been used for guidance about character and timing. Karmori presents it as a tool for reflection, explained in everyday language, not as a promise about what will happen.