Overview of the Twelve Earthly Branches (十二地支)
Learn the fixed branch order, month and hour roles, hidden stems, seasonal phases, and interaction rules used to read Earthly Branches in Bazi.
Overview
The Twelve Earthly Branches are Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, and Hai. Each branch keeps a fixed polarity, primary Five-Element phase, calendrical position, and hidden-stem structure. A Bazi reading must then add month command, pillar position, roots, combinations, clashes, punishments, timing, and counterevidence instead of treating a branch or zodiac animal as a complete verdict.
At a glance
- Sequence
- Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai
- Chart layer
- One branch sits below each of the four stems
- Calendrical roles
- Months, double hours, directions, and seasons
- Internal layer
- One to three hidden stems per branch
- Network layer
- Combinations, clashes, punishments, harms, and breaks
- Boundary
- A branch is not a fixed personality or event
Begin with the fixed twelve-branch coordinates
The canonical sequence and each branch’s yin-yang polarity, primary phase, direction, and month position remain stable across charts.
A Four-Pillars chart places one branch beneath each visible stem, so the original branch and pillar location must remain available after interpretation.
- Preserve the canonical order and pillar.
- Keep calculation data separate from narrative.
Open the branch before assigning meaning
A branch is a container with a primary phase and one or more hidden stems; it cannot be reduced to its zodiac animal or surface element.
Month command, hidden-stem roots, neighboring branches, and the stem seated above it determine which functions are structurally available.
- Inspect hidden stems branch by branch.
- Distinguish primary phase from every stored phase.
Read baseline, relation network, then timing
First resolve the natal branch positions and seasonal environment, then identify candidate combinations, clashes, punishments, harms, and breaks.
Luck pillars and annual branches form a later overlay. They can repeat or activate a relation but do not replace the natal branch map.
- Evaluate natal evidence before timing.
- Name every participant in a claimed relation.
Twelve symbols do not define twelve kinds of people
A year animal cannot establish temperament, compatibility, health, wealth, profession, morality, or a future event.
Use the system as an interpretive cultural framework and rely on direct evidence and qualified professionals for medical, legal, financial, or safety decisions.
- Reject zodiac-only determinism.
- Do not convert symbolism into high-stakes advice.
Sources and editorial basis
- Taiwan Ministry of Education Dictionary: 地支教育部《重編國語辭典修訂本》「十二地支」：子丑寅卯辰巳午未申酉戌亥的標準次序與紀時用途Taiwan’s official dictionary definition and canonical listing of the twelve Earthly Branches and their calendrical use.
- Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches香港天文台「天干地支」：十二地支配月份與十二時辰的曆法用途An official modern reference for the canonical stem and branch orders, the sexagenary cycle, and calendrical use.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology十二地支總覽依固定座標、藏干、關係網、歲運與反證分層，禁止生肖單符號決定論OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.