BaZi Guide

BaZi — called Saju in Korea — writes the year, month, day and hour of birth as four pillars, each made of one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch: eight characters in all. The stem of the day pillar is the Day Master. A reading starts by setting that one character as "you" and asking how the other seven relate to it.

There are ten Heavenly Stems: the five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — each in a yang and a yin form. Two stems of the same element can feel very different. Jia (甲) Wood is a tall tree growing straight up; Yi (乙) Wood is a vine that climbs over rock.

The Day Pillar is the stem and branch of your birth day read together. Sixty of them cycle from Jia Zi (甲子) to Gui Hai (癸亥). The same Day Master sits differently on each branch, and that changes both temperament and the spouse palace. Find your stem and your pillar below.