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. Modern corporations often make use of profiling tools like Big 5, Myers Briggs etc as a screening tool for compatibility by human resource department. However, do you know that the Chinese’s bazi (Eight Characters) system has been used for similar attempts to tell character and to test for compatibility for the last few hundred years? Here at Classical fengshui consultancy, we like to call it Chinese profiling.
Living in southeast Asia, many marrying couples will be familiar with the practice of checking for compatibility and selecting an auspicious wedding date. While the techniques for assessment may differ, the ultimate purpose was to promote harmonious living and a successful life.
The study or Bazi (known interchangeably as Four Pillars of Destiny and Ziping Eight Characters) is a complex art form that has evolved over several hundred years. From its earlier iterations of using auxiliary stars (神煞） as a tool for foretelling the future, the post Ming Dynasty of interpretation can be attributed to a method known as Zi Ping Eight Characters. （子平八字） While it is sometimes being attributed to an actual person living sometime during the Ming Dynasty, we are more inclined that it is actually a collective form of wisdom that perhaps came from a region/village known as Zi Ping. That said, the historical roots are not that important.
A key characteristic of Zi Ping Method is the use of 10 Gods which itself is divided into two different polarities (yin-yang) which give rise to 20 profiles. Combined with the 10 Day Master (which simply ascribes dominant elemental traits for different people), multiple different profiles are generated for character reading and profiling. And nope, we are not done yet. Within each profile, it can be divided into sub-structures and intensity (strength) which give rise to specific rules and methods for character reading and of course more profile types. If the number of profiles can offer a clue into the complex nature of our personality, surely the more the merrier?
What about the Four Pillars of Destiny （四柱八字)? While used interchangeably and most practitioners don’t differentiate between the two, it is different for us. Four pillars of destiny refer to the Eight boxes (palaces) of a profiling (bazi) chart which is read vertically between the top and bottom. This is the early heaven aspect and is derived from birth. It forms something that is known as the natal chart.
Compared to the Eight Characters which is interpreted from a horizontal perspective, it can be used for foretelling why events happen especially when they interact with the year, month, day and even hour. Within these set of eight characters, there are also specific rules/combinations like clashes, harm, combinations etc. This is akin to basic chemistry where the interaction between specific elements of the Periodic Table will result in specific combinations. For instance, H (hydrogen) + O (Oxygen) will result in something else and like chemistry, there are varying strengths.
Each of the boxes also present different aspects of our lives and for some practitioners, they can represent different age groups.
Complicated? That is why many practitioners like us who have studied the art for several years are still discovering new things and constantly learning. There are also cultural dimensions of the art. As most of the classics were written at a specific time and age, not everything is applicable in the modern world. Hence, it is a mental fallacy to be able to be a practitioner by just reading from old and outdated textbooks instead of studying with one (more often its more than one), reputable teacher. Many younger practitioners these days have hardly read a single Chinese classical text. Likewise, the same goes for practitioners in many non-Chinese speaking countries and even if one does speak the language, classical Chinese classics are often written in an archaic poetic manner with different grammatical rules and syntax from modern-day Chinese.
There are also some unresolved issues in the art such as the issue of time. Do we use solar time? What about changing of the chart? Technically, a new day in ancient China starts from 2300hrs which is the Zi hour. The concept of a new day at midnight has never been a Chinese concept and comes from the Gregorian calendar. Hence, at which point do we consider it to be a new day. With the explosion of information these days, clients could be comparing at the charts and information that you presented and wonder why it may be different from any practitioner with different methods of assessment and calculation.
Bazi is a study based on the sun which has a direct influence on seasons. Modern time zone differs from region to region complicated by man-made rules such as daylight saving etc. The solar time based on the locations and its relation to the sun is a better yardstick and more independent way of calculating the birth hour as far as traditional bazi is concerned. That has been our approach but we as practitioners have been trained by teachers in both traditions, each with varying degrees of accuracy.
There are more like what is the role of the environment and later heaven efforts like education? Surely at any given time, thousands of people are born in the world. Surely, not everyone is the same. But that’s the story for another day. At the end of the day, we are less concerned with the legitimacy of the methods than how helpful and accurate are our readings and interpretations. Sometimes, there is no harm in providing a little encouragement and sunshine.
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.
“Do you know that the Chinese’s bazi (Eight Characters) system has been used for similar attempts to tell character and to test for compatibility for the last few hundred years?.”
GOOD FENGSHUI CONSULTANCY ASIA
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