Read a checked, fictional example
The site's teaching example uses 18 April 2001 at 12:18 in Los Angeles. Its solar-time estimate is 11:25 under the disclosed method. The four pairs below match the current calculation engine; they are not a reading for a real person.
| Position | Pair | Stem | Branch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 辛巳 | 辛 | 巳 |
| Month | 壬辰 | 壬 | 辰 |
| Day | 辛亥 | 辛 | 亥 |
| Hour | 甲午 | 甲 | 午 |
The Day Pillar's first character is 辛, so the Day Master is Xin Metal. Birth time and calendar conventions matter near boundaries; accurate-looking characters do not remove uncertain inputs. See the complete verification record
The basic glossary
- Four Pillars
Four pairs of characters correspond to the birth year, month, day and hour under a stated calendar rule. Each pair has one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch.
Read the definition and reference- Heavenly Stems
The ten stems run from Jia (甲) to Gui (癸). Five traditional elements each appear in a yin and a yang form. Look up the character before attaching an interpretation.
Read the definition and reference- Earthly Branches
The twelve branches run from Zi (子) to Hai (亥). They label calendar cycles and traditional two-hour intervals. Animal names are a memory aid, not a complete chart.
Read the definition and reference- Day Master
The stem of the Day Pillar is the chart's relationship reference. In the example below, the day pair is Xin-Hai (辛亥), so its Day Master is Xin Metal (辛金).
Read the definition and reference- Five Elements
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water form the traditional production and control cycles. The site's element bars use fixed rule weights, not health measurements or percentages of fate.
Read the definition and reference- Ten Gods
Ten Gods compare another stem with the Day Master using element relationship and yin/yang polarity. The same stem can receive a different label when the reference changes.
Read the definition and reference- 60 Jiazi Cycle
Ten stems and twelve branches advance together and return to the same pair after sixty steps. Jia-Zi (甲子) begins the sequence; Gui-Hai (癸亥) completes it.
Read the definition and reference- Luck and Annual Pillars
The natal chart comes from the birth record. A Luck Pillar represents a convention-based longer period; an annual pillar labels a selected year. Different time layers should be read separately.
Read the definition and reference
Keep calculation and interpretation separate
Calendar labels can be checked against recorded inputs and an explicit method. A traditional interpretation is a different step and cannot replace evidence or qualified advice for important decisions.
Calculation method and limits · Sources · All reference pages