The Day Master (日主) is the central reference point of all BaZi audits. Each stem has a preferred season, a strength signature, and a typical failure mode. These profiles summarize the operational logic used in Wuxing Pai and classical Zi Ping traditions.
Ten Day Master Profiles (十天干画像)
Seasonal Temperaments, Strength Signals, and Balancing Logic
Wood Stems (木)
Jia 甲 — Upright Wood
- Nature: upright growth, leadership, principles
- Seasonal need: spring warmth + deep roots
- Strong when: supported by water and sunlight
- Weak when: overcut by metal or scorched by harsh fire
Yi 乙 — Flexible Wood
- Nature: adaptation, refinement, diplomacy
- Seasonal need: gentle sunlight + protection from metal
- Strong when: balanced by water and structured earth
- Weak when: exposed to excessive metal pressure
Fire Stems (火)
Bing 丙 — Radiant Fire
- Nature: clarity, visibility, expansive leadership
- Seasonal need: spring-summer support, clear air
- Strong when: fueled by wood and stabilized by earth
- Weak when: drowned by water or smothered without fuel
Ding 丁 — Precision Fire
- Nature: fine detail, subtle insight, craftsmanship
- Seasonal need: steady fuel, protection from strong wind/water
- Strong when: supported by wood and structured by metal
- Weak when: scattered by strong water or ungrounded heat
Earth Stems (土)
Wu 戊 — Mountain Earth
- Nature: stability, responsibility, authority
- Seasonal need: water circulation to avoid stagnation
- Strong when: fire warms and metal structures the terrain
- Weak when: over-dried or eroded by excessive water
Ji 己 — Fertile Earth
- Nature: nourishment, flexibility, management
- Seasonal need: gentle fire + steady growth energy
- Strong when: wood growth is balanced and water is moderate
- Weak when: soaked or cut by excessive wood
Metal and Water Stems (金 / 水)
Geng 庚 — Raw Metal
- Nature: force, reform, directness
- Seasonal need: fire refinement, water cooling
- Strong when: tempered and given purpose
- Weak when: left raw or flooded without structure
Xin 辛 — Refined Metal
- Nature: elegance, precision, craftsmanship
- Seasonal need: gentle fire polish + stable earth
- Strong when: supported by water clarity and fire refinement
- Weak when: corroded by excessive water or smothered by earth
Ren 壬 — Ocean Water
- Nature: expansion, strategy, adaptability
- Seasonal need: containment and direction
- Strong when: guided by metal and stabilized by earth
- Weak when: unchecked flow or frozen stagnation
Gui 癸 — Mist Water
- Nature: subtlety, insight, depth
- Seasonal need: clarity + supportive structure
- Strong when: supported by metal and tempered by fire
- Weak when: overly dispersed or buried by heavy earth
Health and Organ Mapping (五行臟腑對應)
In Wuxingpai BaZi, the Five Elements map directly to physiological systems. A Day Master that is heavily burdened, clashed, or whose primary element is repeatedly attacked often manifests health vulnerabilities in the corresponding organ system. Diagnosis is not absolute — it identifies structural tendencies that luck pillar timing can activate.
| Element | Primary Organs | Common Pattern | DM Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood 木 | Liver · Gallbladder | Excessive Wood piercing Earth → chronic gastric issues (Spleen/Stomach stress) | Jia · Yi |
| Fire 火 | Heart · Small Intestine · Blood | Water extinguishing Fire (Ren-Zi clashing Bing-Wu) → cardiovascular or blood pressure issues | Bing · Ding |
| Earth 土 | Spleen · Stomach · Pancreas | Excessive Wood cutting Earth → digestive disorders; excessive Water drowning → metabolic imbalance | Wu · Ji |
| Metal 金 | Lungs · Large Intestine · Skin | Fire overcooking Metal → respiratory weakness; excessive Earth burying Metal → stagnation disorders | Geng · Xin |
| Water 水 | Kidneys · Bladder · Reproductive system | Excessive Earth damming Water → kidney stress; harsh Fire-Water clash → blood disorders | Ren · Gui |
Classic Health Pathology: Fire/Water Clash
Pattern: Ren Zi / Ren Zi / Bing Wu / Ren Chen
Water (Kidneys) extinguishing Fire (Heart). Subject prone to heart failure or blood pressure issues. The clash is not merely symbolic — in luck pillars that activate additional Water, these risks become acute. Fire luck pillars can temporarily relieve pressure but also create inflammatory conditions if overdone.
Special Patterns (特殊格局)
Certain charts follow a specific directional energy that supersedes normal balancing logic. In these charts, resistance is counter-productive — the key is to identify and flow with the dominant current.
Follow Structures (從格)
When a Day Master has no root and is completely surrounded by a dominant element, the correct reading is that the DM abandons its own nature and follows the dominant flow. Fighting against this flow brings disaster; reinforcing it brings success.
Follow Wealth (從財格)
Example: Jia Chen / Ren Shen / Wu Zi / Ren Zi (Deng Xiaoping's chart)
Wu Earth has no root and is surrounded by a complete Water (Shen-Zi-Chen) frame. The DM abandons itself to follow the dominant Water flow. Metal/Water luck in later years restored him to power after periods of exile.
Follow Metal (從格 — Cong Ge)
Example: All pillars Xin You .
Extreme wealth and military rank. The chart is pure Metal — there is no competing element to disturb the flow. Only luck pillars that introduce strong Fire (which attacks Metal) or strong Wood (Wealth, which Metal controls) bring significant change.
Follow Output (從兒格)
Talent flowing outward without obstruction. The DM generates Output (Eating God / Hurting Officer) freely and abundantly, leading to commercial success through skill and creative expression rather than authority structures.
Vibrant Fire (炎上格)
Example: Bing Yin / Geng Yin / Bing Yin / Geng Yin
High academic and official status. Fire and Wood combine in an upward flowing structure. When this is complete and undisturbed by Water, it produces individuals of intense brilliance and visibility.
Advanced Mangpai Patterns
Tomb and Vault Mechanics (庫)
Opening the "Officer Tomb" (官庫) or "Wealth Tomb" (財庫) is essential for high-level success. Opening occurs through Clash ( Chong ) or Punishment ( Xing ). A star sealed inside a tomb with no key remains locked potential — for example, an Officer in a closed tomb often indicates late or non-existent marriage.
Case: The Tofu Seller ( Yi Wei / Ji Mao / Ding Chou / Geng Xu ). His Fire Tomb (Xu) punished and opened the Wealth Tomb (Chou), allowing him to capture vast external Wood energy. He became a billionaire.
Yang Ren Jia Sha (陽刃駕殺)
"Blade Riding the Killer" — the signature of military, police, or legal authority. The extreme violence of the chart is channeled into enforcing order. Seven Killings matched with Yang Ren produces individuals of intense drive who either enforce systems or destroy them.
Case: The Police Chief ( Xin Si / Wu Zi / Ren Zi / Geng Zi ). The extreme Zi Water Blades are used to control the Wu Earth Killer.
Removing the Officer (去官)
While "Hurting Officer seeing Officer" is usually a disaster, it is auspicious if the Officer is completely removed — indicating the destruction of the old order to establish a new one. The chart of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang demonstrates this: massive Earth Output surrounded and destroyed the weak Ren Water Officer, clearing the way for absolute power.
Output as Wealth
In Mangpai, when the Wealth element is absent from the chart, Output (Eating God / Hurting Officer) can represent wealth directly. The individual earns through skills, intellect, or artistic expression rather than through conventional wealth structures. This is particularly common in charts of artists, writers, and skilled professionals.
Historical Case Studies (歷史案例)
The classical tradition validates analytical principles through historical charts. These cases, drawn from the Wuxingpai deep research tradition, illustrate how seasonal adjustment, special structures, and the Useful God concept operate in practice.
Empress Dowager Cixi — Royal Authority (Tiao Hou)
Pillars: Yi Wei / Ding Hai / Yi Chou / Bing Zi
Yi Wood born in late winter is cold and damp. Fire (Bing/Ding) is the absolute Useful God ( Yong Shen ) to warm the chart — this is called Tiao Hou (調候 — seasonal climate correction). Entering South (Fire) luck in middle age brought her to absolute power. Without the Fire correction, the chart's Wood resource would remain frozen and unexpressed.
Principle demonstrated: Seasonal climate correction (Tiao Hou) takes priority over elemental balance when the chart's Qi is too cold or too hot to function.
Sun Yat-sen — Guan Yin Xiang Sheng (官印相生)
Pillars: Bing Yin / Ji Hai / Ding You / Ren Yin
Ding Fire is weak in winter. The Hai-Yin combination transforms Water into Wood (Resource). This is a "Guan Yin Xiang Sheng" structure — authority transformed by ideas into power. Officer energy feeds the Seal, Seal feeds the Day Master: the chain of mutual generation produces a person of immense cultivated authority.
Principle demonstrated: When Officer and Seal are mutually generating (Officer → Seal → DM), the individual gains recognition through intellectual and cultural achievement, not raw power.
Li Ka-shing — Breaking the Seal (破印)
Pillars: Wu Chen / Ji Wei / Geng Wu / Ding Hai
Geng Metal is buried by excessive Earth (Wu, Chen, Ji, Wei). Success depended on "Breaking the Seal" ( Po Yin ) — using Wood (Wealth element for a Metal DM) to cut through the smothering Earth and liberate the Metal. His extraordinary business drive came from the constant need to overcome the structural suppression of his core nature.
Principle demonstrated: A buried Day Master can still achieve greatly — the struggle itself becomes the engine of motivation. Luck pillars that introduce Wood (the Useful God) mark his breakthrough periods.
Classic Wealth Pattern — Eating God Generating Wealth (食神生財)
Example chart: Jia Yin / Bing Yin / Jia Wu / Ji Si
The flow runs: Self (Jia Wood) → Output (Bing Fire, Eating God) → Wealth (Ji Earth). This is the classic entrepreneur structure: the DM expresses itself creatively (Output), and that creative expression generates material prosperity (Wealth). The chain must be unbroken — any element that attacks the Output pillar can disrupt the entire wealth mechanism.
Principle demonstrated: Wealth derived through Output is more stable than Wealth seized directly, because it is based on genuine skill and production rather than positional capture.
Classical Sources & Further Reading
- Di Tian Sui (滴天髓) — classical text on Day Master strength assessment and the logic of following structures; the primary reference for structural archetypes.
- Zi Ping Zhen Quan (子平真詮) — Shen Xiaozhan's systematic treatment of the Eight Common Structures; foundational for Month Decree analysis.
- Yuan Hai Zi Ping (淵海子平) — Song dynasty bridge text covering Ten Gods personalities, pillar-by-pillar interpretations, and the Useful God framework.
- Books: [META] Five Elements Bazi Analysis — WuxingpaiMethodology.tex (health organ mapping, special patterns, Chiang Kai-shek case), WuxingpaiDeepResearch.tex (historical figure analysis: Cixi, Sun Yat-sen, Deng Xiaoping, Li Ka-shing; structural patterns), MangpaiAdvancedMethodology.tex (Tomb mechanics, Yang Ren Jia Sha, Removing the Officer, Output as Wealth). [META] Four Pillars of Destiny — TenGods.tex (Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Officer, Resource deity profiles with classical Chinese and English commentary).