Generate Your BaZi Chart
Enter your birthday, birth time, and location for a True Solar Time calculation. Birth time and location are optional but recommended for the most accurate Hour Pillar.
What Is BaZi?
BaZi (八字), literally "eight characters," is the classical Chinese system of destiny analysis. It maps the energetic configuration of the cosmos at the moment of birth using four pillars — Year, Month, Day, and Hour — each composed of a Heavenly Stem (天干) and an Earthly Branch (地支). Together, these eight characters form a blueprint that Chinese metaphysicians have used for over a thousand years to understand personality, predict life trends, and guide decision-making.
The system was developed during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE) by the scholar Li Xuzhong (李虛中), who used three pillars (Year, Month, Day). It was refined in the Song Dynasty by Xu Ziping (徐子平), who added the Hour Pillar and established the Day Master as the chart's focal point — the framework still used today. For a comprehensive introduction, see our BaZi encyclopaedia article.
The Four Pillars Explained
| Pillar | Chinese | Represents | Influences |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 年柱 | Ancestral energy, social context | Grandparents, early childhood, outer social image |
| Month | 月柱 | Parents, upbringing, career house | Parents, education, career path, ages ~17–32 |
| Day | 日柱 | Self and spouse | Core personality (Day Master), marriage, ages ~33–48 |
| Hour | 時柱 | Children, later life | Children, aspirations, legacy, ages ~49+ |
Each pillar's Heavenly Stem carries one of the five elements in either Yin or Yang polarity, while its Earthly Branch contains one to three "hidden stems" — additional elemental influences within the branch. A full BaZi analysis examines the interactions between all these elements: which support each other (generating cycle), which conflict (overcoming cycle), and how they combine or clash.
Why True Solar Time Matters
Modern clock time is a political convenience — time zones span vast geographic areas, and daylight saving time shifts the clock artificially. But BaZi's Hour Pillar is based on the sun's actual position relative to the birth location. Two people born at the same clock time in cities 1,500 km apart within the same time zone may have different Hour Pillars.
True Solar Time (真太陽時) corrects for the difference between clock time and the sun's actual transit. This calculation accounts for:
- Longitude offset — the difference between a location's longitude and its time zone's reference meridian
- Equation of Time — the natural variation in solar noon caused by Earth's elliptical orbit and axial tilt
- Daylight Saving Time — subtracting any artificial DST offset
Our calculator performs this correction automatically when you provide your birth city, using the city's geographic coordinates and time zone data.
Reading Your Chart
The most important element in your chart is the Day Master (日主) — the Heavenly Stem of your Day Pillar. It represents your core self and serves as the reference point for all other chart analysis. The ten possible Day Masters are:
- 甲 Jiǎ (Yang Wood) — tall tree: principled, competitive, straight-forward
- 乙 Yǐ (Yin Wood) — flower/vine: flexible, diplomatic, artistic
- 丙 Bǐng (Yang Fire) — sun: generous, warm, attention-seeking
- 丁 Dīng (Yin Fire) — candle: perceptive, passionate, fluctuating
- 戊 Wù (Yang Earth) — mountain: reliable, stubborn, protective
- 己 Jǐ (Yin Earth) — garden soil: nurturing, detail-oriented, worrying
- 庚 Gēng (Yang Metal) — sword/axe: decisive, righteous, confrontational
- 辛 Xīn (Yin Metal) — jewellery: refined, sensitive, precise
- 壬 Rén (Yang Water) — ocean: adventurous, restless, philosophical
- 癸 Guǐ (Yin Water) — dew/rain: intuitive, imaginative, quiet
The balance of elements supporting, controlling, and draining your Day Master determines whether you are considered "strong" or "weak" — which in turn determines which elements are favourable and unfavourable for you. This is the foundation of all BaZi life analysis.
Want an Expert to Analyse Your Chart?
Our calculator gives you the raw chart data. For a full professional interpretation with career, relationship, and life-path insights, consider a premium reading.
View Premium Readings →Frequently Asked Questions
BaZi (八字, 'eight characters') is the Chinese system of destiny analysis based on the year, month, day, and hour of birth. Each 'pillar' contains a Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, together forming eight characters that map a person's energetic blueprint.
Birth location is needed to calculate True Solar Time (真太阳时). Clock time zones are political constructs — a city on the western edge of a time zone experiences solar noon significantly later than one on the eastern edge. True Solar Time adjusts for this difference, which can change the Hour Pillar of your chart.
You can check the 'Unknown birth time' option to generate a three-pillar chart (Year, Month, Day). While the Hour Pillar adds significant detail, a three-pillar reading still provides valuable insight into your Day Master and elemental balance.
The Day Master (日主) is the Heavenly Stem of your Day Pillar — it represents your core self. There are ten possible Day Masters (five elements × yin/yang), and the relationships between your Day Master and all other elements in your chart determine your personality, strengths, and life trajectory.
The calculator uses True Solar Time correction and classical Chinese calendar conversion to determine your four pillars. The astronomical calculations are accurate for dates from 1900 to 2100. For professional-grade readings that include Ten Gods analysis and luck period calculations, consult a qualified BaZi practitioner from our directory.
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