BaZi Chart Construction (八字排盤) - The Four Pillars

The Science of the Four Pillars

Constructing a BaZi chart involves translating a Gregorian birth date into four pairs of **Heavenly Stems** and **Earthly Branches**. These eight characters (Ba Zi) represent the Year, Month, Day, and Hour of birth. Each pillar acts as a coordinate in the cosmic flow of the Five Elements.

Understanding manual construction is vital for identifying the **Month Command**, calculating the **Luck Pillars**, and grasping the transition between solar terms—details often obscured by automated software.

八字排盤涉及將公曆出生日期轉換為四組 天干地支 。這八個字代表出生的年、月、日、時。每一柱都是五行宇宙流動中的一個坐標。

理解手工排盤對於識別月令、計算大運以及掌握節氣之間的轉換至關重要——這些細節往往被自動化軟件所掩蓋。

1. The Components of Time (時間的構成)

Before construction, one must master the 22 fundamental characters of the Chinese Sexagenary cycle.

The 10 Heavenly Stems (十天干)

甲 Jia (Yang Wood)	乙 Yi (Yin Wood)
丙 Bing (Yang Fire)	丁 Ding (Yin Fire)
戊 Wu (Yang Earth)	己 Ji (Yin Earth)
庚 Geng (Yang Metal)	辛 Xin (Yin Metal)
壬 Ren (Yang Water)	癸 Gui (Yin Water)

The 12 Earthly Branches (十二地支)

子 Zi (Rat)	丑 Chou (Ox)	寅 Yin (Tiger)
卯 Mao (Rabbit)	辰 Chen (Dragon)	巳 Si (Snake)
午 Wu (Horse)	未 Wei (Goat)	申 Shen (Monkey)
酉 You (Rooster)	戌 Xu (Dog)	亥 Hai (Pig)

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2. Five-Step Construction Process (五步排盤法)

Step 1: The Year Pillar (年柱)

The Year Pillar is based on the Solar Year , which begins on the **Lichun (立春 - Start of Spring)**, usually February 4th or 5th. It is NOT based on the Lunar New Year (Spring Festival).

Rule: If a person is born on Feb 3rd, they belong to the previous year's zodiac, even if the Lunar New Year has already passed.

Step 2: The Month Pillar (月柱)

The Month Pillar is determined by the **24 Solar Terms**. Each month begins when the sun reaches a specific longitude.

Month (Branch)	Solar Term Start	Approx. Date
寅 Yin	立春 (Lichun)	Feb 4
卯 Mao	驚蟄 (Jingzhe)	Mar 5
辰 Chen	清明 (Qingming)	Apr 5
...	...	...

The Month Stem is derived from the Year Stem using the Five Tiger Escape (五虎遁) formula.

Step 3: The Day Pillar (日柱)

The Day Pillar represents the **Day Master (日主)**, the "Self." Because the cycle of 60 days has run continuously for thousands of years, this requires a Perpetual Calendar (萬年曆) to determine.

Crucial: The day begins at Zi Hour (子時 - 11 PM) , not midnight. Anyone born between 11 PM and midnight belongs to the next day's pillar.

Step 4: The Hour Pillar (時柱)

The 24-hour day is divided into 12 double-hours (Zi, Chou, Yin...). The Hour Stem is derived from the Day Stem using the Five Rat Escape (五鼠遁) formula.

Step 5: Hidden Stems (支藏干)

Each Earthly Branch "hides" 1-3 Heavenly Stems. This represents the internal complexity of a person's character and hidden potentials.

Example: 寅 (Yin/Tiger) hides 甲 (Jia Wood - 70%), 丙 (Bing Fire - 20%), and 戊 (Wu Earth - 10%).

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3. The Luck Pillars (大運 - Da Yun)

The Luck Pillars represent the "Path" or the environment the person travels through in 10-year cycles. The direction of the cycle (Forward or Reverse) depends on the **Gender** and the **Year Stem Polarity**.

Gender	Year Stem	Luck Direction
Male	Yang (甲丙戊庚壬)	Forward (順)
Male	Yin (乙丁己辛癸)	Reverse (逆)
Female	Yang (甲丙戊庚壬)	Reverse (逆)
Female	Yin (乙丁己辛癸)	Forward (順)

How to calculate the Start Age:

Count the days from birth to the next/previous Solar Term boundary. Every 3 days equals 1 year of life. The remainder determines the months.

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4. The Na Yin Five Elements (纳音五行 — Nà Yīn Wǔ Xíng)

Beyond the standard Five Element analysis derived from the Heavenly Stems alone, traditional Chinese metaphysics employs a secondary system called Na Yin (纳音 — "Harmonized Sound") . Na Yin assigns a qualitative Five Element label to each of the 60 Jia Zi pillars based on the combined resonance of the Stem and Branch together — producing 30 unique designations, each described by a vivid poetic image.

The system is attributed to 鬼谷子 (Guǐ Gǔ Zǐ / Master of Ghost Valley) but was systematized during the Tang Dynasty by 李虚中 (Lǐ Xū Zhōng), the father of BaZi analysis. Li Xuzhong used Na Yin as the primary interpretive tool — placing the Year Pillar Na Yin as the person's "life element" (本命纳音). The Song Dynasty master 徐子平 (Xú Zǐ Píng) later shifted focus to the Day Master, and Na Yin became a supplementary layer — though it remained central in Mangpai (盲派 / Blindman School) practice.

在僅以天干推算五行的標準方法之外，中國傳統術數還運用一套稱為 「纳音」 的第二層系統。纳音依據天干與地支的 共鳴組合 ，為六十甲子中的每個柱子賦予一個定性五行標籤——形成30個各以生動詩意意象描述的獨特名稱。

此系統相傳源自 鬼谷子 ，唐代 李虚中 （八字分析之父）將其系統化。李虚中以纳音為主要解讀工具，以年柱纳音作為人的「本命」（本命纳音）。宋代術數家 徐子平 後來將重心轉移至日主，纳音逐漸成為輔助層次，但在盲派中仍居核心地位。

Na Yin vs. Standard Stem Element (纳音與正五行之比較)

Aspect	Standard Stem Element (正五行)	Na Yin Element (纳音五行)
Derived from	Heavenly Stem alone	Stem + Branch combined resonance
Number of types	10 (5 elements × Yin/Yang)	30 unique poetic designations
Information provided	Element + polarity	Element + quality + magnitude + context
Peak usage era	Song Dynasty onward	Tang Dynasty origin; preserved in Mangpai
Analytical layer	Structural / dynamic	Qualitative / environmental / acoustic
Typical application	Day Master strength, Ten Gods	Year Pillar life element, inter-pillar quality matching

The 30 Na Yin Designations (三十纳音總表)

Each Na Yin designation belongs to a pair of consecutive Jia Zi pillars. Five elements × six types = 30 total:

金 (Jīn / Metal) — 6 Types

Jia Zi Pair	Name	English
甲子 / 乙丑	海中金	Gold in the Sea
壬申 / 癸酉	剑锋金	Sword-Edge Gold
庚辰 / 辛巳	白蜡金	White Wax Gold
甲午 / 乙未	沙中金	Gold in the Sand
壬寅 / 癸卯	金箔金	Gold Leaf Gold
庚戌 / 辛亥	钗钏金	Hairpin Gold

木 (Mù / Wood) — 6 Types

Jia Zi Pair	Name	English
戊辰 / 己巳	大林木	Great Forest Wood
壬午 / 癸未	杨柳木	Willow Wood
庚寅 / 辛卯	松柏木	Pine & Cypress Wood
戊戌 / 己亥	平地木	Wood of the Plains
壬子 / 癸丑	桑柘木	Mulberry Wood
庚申 / 辛酉	石榴木	Pomegranate Wood

水 (Shuǐ / Water) — 6 Types

Jia Zi Pair	Name	English
丙子 / 丁丑	涧下水	Water Under the Stream
甲申 / 乙酉	泉中水	Water in the Spring
壬辰 / 癸巳	长流水	Long-Flowing Water
丙午 / 丁未	天河水	Heavenly River Water
甲寅 / 乙卯	大溪水	Great Stream Water
壬戌 / 癸亥	大海水	Water of the Great Sea

火 (Huǒ / Fire) — 6 Types

Jia Zi Pair	Name	English
丙寅 / 丁卯	炉中火	Fire in the Furnace
甲戌 / 乙亥	山头火	Mountain Top Fire
戊子 / 己丑	霹雳火	Thunderbolt Fire
丙申 / 丁酉	山下火	Fire at Mountain's Foot
甲辰 / 乙巳	覆灯火	Covered Lantern Fire
戊午 / 己未	天上火	Fire in the Sky

土 (Tǔ / Earth) — 6 Types

Jia Zi Pair	Name	English
庚午 / 辛未	路旁土	Earth by the Roadside
戊寅 / 己卯	城头土	Earth on the City Wall
丙戌 / 丁亥	屋上土	Earth on the Roof
庚子 / 辛丑	壁上土	Earth on the Wall
戊申 / 己酉	大驿土	Earth of the Post Road
丙辰 / 丁巳	沙中土	Earth in the Sand

Classical Mnemonic Verse (口訣)

Blindman School oral tradition — memorize all 30 Na Yin instantly:

甲子乙丑 海中金 ，丙寅丁卯 炉中火 。
戊辰己巳 大林木 ，庚午辛未 路旁土 。
壬申癸酉 剑锋金 ，甲戌乙亥 山头火 。
丙子丁丑 涧下水 ，戊寅己卯 城头土 。
庚辰辛巳 白蜡金 ，壬午癸未 杨柳木 。
甲申乙酉 泉中水 ，丙戌丁亥 屋上土 。
戊子己丑 霹雳火 ，庚寅辛卯 松柏木 。
壬辰癸巳 长流水 ，甲午乙未 沙中金 。
丙申丁酉 山下火 ，戊戌己亥 平地木 。
庚子辛丑 壁上土 ，壬寅癸卯 金箔金 。
甲辰乙巳 覆灯火 ，丙午丁未 天河水 。
戊申己酉 大驿土 ，庚戌辛亥 钗钏金 。
壬子癸丑 桑柘木 ，甲寅乙卯 大溪水 。
丙辰丁巳 沙中土 ，戊午己未 天上火 。
庚申辛酉 石榴木 ，壬戌癸亥 大海水 。

Applying Na Yin in BaZi Reading (纳音在八字中的應用)

🌟 Year Pillar Na Yin — The Life Element (本命纳音)

In traditional folk practice and Mangpai methodology, a person's Year Pillar Na Yin is their "life element" or "fate sound" (本命纳音 Běn Mìng Nà Yīn).

Born 1984 (甲子): 海中金命 — "Gold in the Sea destiny"
Born 1990 (庚午): 路旁土命 — "Roadside Earth destiny"
Born 1986 (丙寅): 炉中火命 — "Furnace Fire destiny"

This designation is used for: couple compatibility checks, auspicious direction/color selection, folk temple consultations, and naming children.

⚡ Inter-Pillar Na Yin Interactions (柱間纳音關係)

Skilled practitioners examine Na Yin relationships across all four pillars:

生 (Generating): Year = 大林木 → Month = 炉中火 — family background supports career
克 (Controlling): Year = 剑锋金 → Day = 杨柳木 — family puts pressure on self; harsh upbringing
同 (Same Element): Resonance and reinforcement; watch for overabundance

The Qualitative Advantage of Na Yin (纳音的定性優勢)

Na Yin's power lies in quality analysis that standard stem elements cannot provide:

Na Yin Water Type	vs. Na Yin Fire Type	Practical Outcome
大海水 (Great Sea)	覆灯火 (Lantern)	Ocean extinguishes candle — devastating control
大海水 (Great Sea)	天上火 (Sky Fire)	Sun shines over the ocean — mutual respect, neither overwhelms
涧下水 (Stream)	天上火 (Sky Fire)	Stream cannot reach the sky — control exists in theory, ineffective in practice
大溪水 (Torrent)	炉中火 (Furnace)	Torrent drowns forge fire — strong control, career disrupted by environment

Classical Principle: "The same element controls, but the scale of the controller versus the controlled determines whether the control is decisive, balanced, or ineffective."

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5. Na Yin Mathematical Derivation (纳音数理推算)

Na Yin is not arbitrary — it follows a precise formula rooted in Pre-Heaven Trigram numerology (先天八卦) and the Luo Shu Magic Square (洛书). The derivation uses the Generation-Completion Numbers (生成数 Shēng Chéng Shù) as its foundation.

纳音並非隨意而定，而是依循一套以先天八卦數理與洛書為基礎的精確方程式。其推算採用 生成數 為基礎。

Stem & Branch Numerical Values

Heavenly Stem	Value
甲 Jia	1
乙 Yi	2
丙 Bing	3
丁 Ding	4
戊 Wu	5
己 Ji	6
庚 Geng	7
辛 Xin	8
壬 Ren	9
癸 Gui	10 → 0

Luo Shu Generation-Completion Numbers

The foundational constants of Na Yin derivation:

Pairing	Element Produced	Direction
1 & 6	水 Water	North
2 & 7	火 Fire	South
3 & 8	木 Wood	East
4 & 9	金 Metal	West
5 & 10	土 Earth	Center

Classical verse: 天一生水地六成之，地二生火天七成之，天三生木地八成之，地四生金天九成之，天五生土地十成之。

📐 The Five Musical Notes Connection (五音与纳音)

The 音 (yīn / sound) character in 纳音 directly connects this system to ancient Chinese music theory. The five pentatonic notes map to the Five Elements — and when the 10 Stems (representing five notes in Yang/Yin pairs) interact with the 12 Branches (representing 12 pitch pipes / 律吕), the 60 combinations produce 30 unique "harmonic" outcomes: the 30 Na Yin elements.

Note (音)	Chinese	Element	Organ	Direction
宫 Gōng	宫	土 Earth	Spleen	Center
商 Shāng	商	金 Metal	Lungs	West
角 Jué	角	木 Wood	Liver	East
徵 Zhǐ	徵	火 Fire	Heart	South
羽 Yǔ	羽	水 Water	Kidneys	North

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6. Historical Foundations — San Ming to Zi Ping (三命到子平的演變)

Modern BaZi as we practice it did not spring fully formed into existence. It evolved over two millennia through four distinct stages, each adding a new layer of analytical depth. Understanding this lineage answers the question practitioners inevitably ask: Why do we use the Day Master as the self, rather than the Year Pillar?

現代八字命理並非一蹴而就，而是歷經兩千餘年、四個不同階段的演變。理解這條傳承脈絡，有助於回答術者必然會問的問題： 為何以日主為「我」，而非以年柱？

The Four Evolutionary Stages (四個演變階段)

Era	Method	Primary Focus	Element System	Limitation
Han–Tang (~200 BCE–700 CE)	禄命法 Lù Mìng Fǎ	Year Pillar only	Na Yin (纳音)	Same year = same reading
Tang Dynasty (~761–813 CE)	李虚中 Li Xuzhong	Year + Month + Day	Na Yin (primary)	No Hour Pillar yet
Song Dynasty (~10th century)	徐子平 Xu Ziping	Day Master (日主)	Heavenly Stem	Na Yin demoted
Ming Dynasty (1578 CE)	万民英 Wan Minying	All approaches synthesized	Both Na Yin + Stem	Complex, encyclopedic

San Ming (三命) — The "Three Fates" System

The pre-Zi Ping tradition identified three distinct layers of destiny:

禄命 Lù Mìng — Salary/Material Fate: career rank, worldly prosperity, derived primarily from the Year Pillar and Shen Sha nobility stars
身命 Shēn Mìng — Body/Physical Fate: constitution, health, longevity, drawn from the 12 Life Stages (十二長生) and Na Yin element
命 Mìng — Core Destiny: total life trajectory, fundamental character, integrative synthesis of all elements

"三命者，禄命、身命、命也。三者合參，方得其全。"
"The Three Fates are Salary, Body, and Destiny. Only by examining all three can one arrive at the complete picture."

The Paradigm Shift: Li Xuzhong → Xu Ziping

李虚中 (Li Xuzhong, ~761–813 CE) — Tang Dynasty official; famous literary giant Han Yu wrote his epitaph, praising his astonishing predictive accuracy using "year, month, and day" three pillars. Still used Na Yin as primary element system; Year Pillar still most important.

徐子平 (Xu Ziping, ~10th century CE) — Northern Song recluse who made two revolutionary innovations:

Added the Hour Pillar — completing the Four Pillars
Shifted the analytical center to the Day Master (日主) — making every other element a relational "Ten God" to the Day Stem

This single shift created the modern Ten Gods (十神) relational system and transformed BaZi from a lookup table into a dynamic relational analysis.

San Ming Tong Hui (三命通会) — The Grand Synthesis (1578 CE)

万民英 Wan Minying (a Ming Dynasty county magistrate) spent decades compiling the most comprehensive fate-calculation text in Chinese history. His San Ming Tong Hui (Compendium of Three Fates) spans twelve volumes and deliberately preserves BOTH the ancient San Ming/Lu Ming methods AND the newer Zi Ping system — arguing that all approaches contain valid insights.

Volume (卷)	Content
卷一–二	Comprehensive Heavenly Stems (干) and Earthly Branches (支) theory
卷三	Na Yin (纳音) system — all 30 designations, images, and applications
卷四	Shen Sha (神煞) — comprehensive catalogue of hundreds of symbolic stars
卷五–九	Ge Ju (格局) formations — Regular, Special, and Miscellaneous
卷十	Da Yun (大運) and Liu Nian (流年) timing methods
卷十一–十二	Female (女命) and Children's (小兒命) destiny analysis

The San Ming Tong Hui was included in the imperial Siku Quanshu (四庫全書) library — the highest scholarly endorsement in Chinese civilization.

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🎯 Next Steps

Once you have constructed the chart, you must analyze the relationships between the elements. Proceed to the Ten Gods Deep Dive to understand how these elements interact as archetypes.

Next: Ten Gods Deep Dive →

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