Earthly Branches and Directions (地支與方位)
Understand the twelve branch directions, cardinal anchors, intermediate sectors, and why symbolic directional correspondences are not navigation or Feng Shui proof.
Overview
Zi anchors north, Mao east, Wu south, and You west, with the remaining branches occupying intermediate sectors around the twelve-part compass. Direction is a fixed correspondence used in calendrical and traditional spatial models, but a Bazi chart alone does not identify a safe route, favorable building, or guaranteed relocation outcome.
At a glance
- North anchor
- Zi
- East anchor
- Mao
- South anchor
- Wu
- West anchor
- You
- Intermediate sectors
- Eight remaining branches fill the diagonal intervals
- Boundary
- Symbolic direction is not a navigation or property guarantee
Place the four cardinal anchors first
Zi, Mao, Wu, and You divide the traditional wheel into north, east, south, and west.
The other branches fill the clockwise intervals in canonical order, producing twelve named sectors rather than four isolated labels.
- Keep orientation and order explicit.
- Do not swap compass and branch sequence.
Direction is one correspondence among several
A branch also carries month, season, polarity, primary phase, and hidden-stem data, and these fields should remain independently addressable.
A directional label does not override a branch’s actual pillar, seasonal condition, or relation network in a Bazi reading.
- Preserve each correspondence as a field.
- Read chart position before spatial metaphor.
Use spatial correspondences only with an explicit method
If a product combines Bazi with Feng Shui or date selection, it should identify the second system, its inputs, and the rule that connects the two.
Compass bearing, building facing, local geography, and safety conditions cannot be derived from birth data alone.
- Name the applied spatial system.
- Request real location and orientation data.
A branch cannot choose a safe or profitable direction
The mapping does not guarantee travel safety, property appreciation, health, immigration success, or business performance.
Use maps, engineering, legal checks, financial analysis, and local professionals for decisions with real consequences.
- No directional promise from a birth chart.
- Do not substitute symbolism for due diligence.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《御定星曆考原》卷一《星曆考原》十二支方位：子北、卯東、午南、酉西與其餘八方固定配置A historical source for stem and branch Yin-Yang, Five Phase, direction, seasonal, and calendrical correspondences.
- 《三命通會》 (Sanming Tonghui)《三命通會》支神方位與四時諸論：方位為多重地支屬性之一，須回到柱位與月令A historical compilation covering stems and branches, Ten Gods, Nayin, Shen Sha, and multiple classical pattern systems.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology地支方位頁把傳統象徵與導航、風水實測、工程安全及不動產結果明確隔離OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.