At Good Fengshui Consultancy Asia, we aim to lead fulfilling lives through Chinese metaphysics, adapting ancient wisdom for a modern age, and sharing knowledge with our community of clients and followers. The following article is a response to a reader who asked us to do a simple introduction to a Bazi Chart.
A bazi (八字）chart is derived from a person’s date of birth and the hour. There are altogether eight boxes which practitioners call palaces. The year pillar is also known as the zodiac pillar and each palace can represent a variety of life’s pursuits and relationships such as love, careers , parents etc. How the charts are derived also differs depending on whether one is male or female which also impact some of the representations of the palace.
Given the availability of many free and paid software in today’s markets, it is no longer necessary for practitioners and enthusiasts alike to learn how to plot the chart manually using the “Ten Thousand Year Calendar”. Modern Bazi has its roots during the Ming and Qing Dynasty where the Zi Ping method of using 10 Gods had a strong influence on the charts are read. Prior to this, ancient practitioners make use of auxiliary stars （神煞）which ascribes certain attributes depending on where they learn. The stars have fanciful names like Tai Yi Nobleman or Salty Pool etc. There were some lay methods such as 三世书. The general consensus amongst most modern day practitioners is that the accuracy is limited at best and these are used to supplement the Zi Ping method of analysis.
Do note that the 10 Gods can be known as the 10 Profiles and there are not exactly Gods and religious in nature. The word “God” is a literal translation of the word 神 which can also means spirit or energy. The ten Gods or 10 profiles represent 10 different kinds of energies that forms the character of a person.
Another point to note is the nature of hyperbolic language in ancient classical texts. As the texts were almost exclusively written by men in ancient China which is patriarchal, many of the references towards the opposite sex should not be taken literally. For instance, women who are extremely outspoken are perceived negatively and hence, you find phases like “伤官剋官，为祸百端”. It is important for modern-day practitioners to be aware of such cultural and societal basis and exercise some critical thinking. This is the same with the use of the word “God” that is generally prevalent in ancient Chinese text.
Please refer to the sample bazi chart in the second diagram appended. As indicated, the first row of the chart is known as the stems while the second row is known as the branches. There are a total of 10 stems (each divided into yin and yang) and 12 branches (again divided into yin and yang). The heavenly stems as it is known is what is considered visible and apparent while the earthly branches are generally considered to be more hidden from plain sight. Each of these pairing will result in a third row known as the hidden stems. The interaction of the different branches and stems will result in specific set combination and attributes which forms the basis of our analysis into one’s attributes, character and events forecast.
In our training, we have a special column known as the Jie Qi (节气). The entire bazi system is based on the study of the seasons and the sun’s position as well as the strength of the seasons in accordance to the 24 solar terms. (24 节气）Hence we prefer to use the solar time (太阳时) instead of the recorded birth time when deriving a bazi chart which is also known as the natal chart (what is given at birth). This eliminates issues with human manipulation of time (countries changing their time for political reasons), daylight saving, time zone etc, resulting in a standardised yardstick for analysis. We believe that using the recorded birth time can still result in a fairly accurate analysis sometimes, but the classical and traditional method is to use the solar time to derive the time.
The theory of Five Element qi dynamics and subdivisions originates from foundational concepts in ancient Chinese philosophy, medicine, and destiny studies (命理). At its heart lies the understanding of the flow, waxing and waning, and cyclical transformation of the Five Elements’ energies. These ideas are reflected to varying degrees across classical texts on Bazi (Eight Characters) destiny analysis. The concept of Jie Qi is known as 五行主气与分段 which is too complicated to discuss in an introductory essay.
As mentioned previously, each of the boxes/palaces of the natal chart have certain representations. For instance, the year represents young age, one grandparents and luck in general. Hence it is common for many Chinese to read up on their zodiac forecast every lunar New year as it has something to do with the general luck.
The Day (See diagram 1 below) is known as the Day Master and represents self. The Month stem is the most important aspect of the chart as it represents the season that the person is born in and the prevailing seasonal strength that is prevalent. Do note that the categories described are rather fluid and many practitioners often consider the pillar as a whole. The combination of the stems and branches along with their relationships and something known as the 10 Gods/10 Profiles will result in multiple combinations and character traits. This is what makes bazi interesting.
For career reading, practitioners differ in using which particular palace to consider. As the month represents one’s ambition, general wealth and external circumstances affecting wealth/ambitions, many practitioners tend to use the month’s pillar as a proxy for career analysis. It also represents the age where one is just starting to enter the workforce and the entire structure of the natal chart is based on the month branch. This structure is part of a set of formula that is used to derive the strength of the chart and the favourable and unfavourable elements accordingly. These elements are then used by practitioners to provide guidance on the type of industries for work matters. Many modern software also include an algorithm to ascribe a certain % of the ten Gods/profiles and then make recommendations on one’s career/talents accordingly. Hence for this group of practitioners, they feel that the month pillar should represent one’s career.
Yet another group of practitioners follow the more classical way that uses the hour pillar to represent one’s career with it having a more significant influence as it represents a later stage in one’s life as well as one’s subordinates and hired help. This is common especially for many Taiwanese masters. We are inclined to go with the latter where we feel that while both month and hour can represent career, the hour is more significant and aligned with the classics.
Do note that most software will generate charts that has the exact format as per the first picture below. However, we are aware that some China based software has its format the other way i.e. instead of the year being on the extreme right, it is on the extreme left instead. Please take note. Chinese Metasoft is a very useful software used by many practitioners and enthusiasts alike.
Natal chart analysis also involve the reading of structures which is taught by many Taiwanese masters. For instance, if certain of the 10 energies are revealed like Wealth, Officer and Resource, the natal chart is supposedly to be of higher quality. There are also a couple of fixed structures like 壬辰 which forms one of the 魁罡四座神. Such structures are often being described in hyperbolic language and many practitioners will find the actual results and impact, to be much watered down.
As this is an introductory essay, let’s us stop here with going into details. We hope that this is useful.
If you wish to have a second opinion or seek professional fengshui consultancy, do reach out to us @ hello@fsworks.asia. Do follow or like us on our social media channels for more updates and information.
“There are often interesting and recurring patterns in human lives. If only we know where and how to look.”
GOOD FENGSHUI CONSULTANCY ASIA
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