How to read the four pillars

What a chart actually describes

Bazi writes your birth year, month, day, and hour as two characters each, eight in all. The top row holds the stems, and the bottom row holds the branches.

The eight characters themselves aren't good or bad. Together they describe where you naturally put your energy, what tends to trip you up, and what recharges you.

So reading a chart isn't about what will happen to you. It's about how you tend to respond. Keep that in mind and the rest of the course stays on track.

Start with just one spot

The four pillars run left to right: year, month, day, hour. The top character of the Day Pillar is your Day Master. That's you.

The other seven characters only make sense in relation to it. Pick the wrong Day Master and the whole reading goes off course.

You don't need to memorize what each pillar stands for yet. If you can point to your Day Master, you're halfway through this course.

Try it with your own chart

Open the Chart tab and find your Day Pillar. Its top character is your Day Master. For example, if your Day Pillar is Xin Mao, your Day Master is Xin Metal.

Then do just one thing: count how many of the other seven share its phase. A lot of them means that energy runs strong. It often shows up as strong opinions and head-on clashes.

That's enough for now. Sorting those seven in more detail is what the Ten Gods lessons are for.

Don't chase precision yet

Many people get stuck because they don't know their exact birth time. That's okay. Without the Hour Pillar, the other three pillars still hold, and you can still find your Day Master.

This course is about reading a chart, not calculating one. The app does the math. Your job is to put what it shows into plain words.