Strength and Weakness in Bazi (身強身弱)
Learn how month command, roots, support, drain, control, and transformations contribute to strength analysis—and why strong does not mean good.
Overview
Strength and weakness describe the effective force of the Day Master or another chart function under a stated method. Month command supplies primary seasonal evidence, while roots, Resources, Companions, Output, Wealth, Authority, combinations, and climate refine the conclusion. Strong and weak are not moral, medical, or fortune grades, and they do not determine usefulness by themselves.
At a glance
- Primary seasonal evidence
- Month command
- Ground evidence
- Roots in Earthly Branches
- Support
- Resources and Companions
- Drain and pressure
- Output, Wealth, and Authority
- Required modifiers
- Combinations, transformations, climate, and competing evidence
- Boundary
- Strength is not health, virtue, or life quality
Begin with season but do not end there
The Month Branch indicates the principal seasonal availability of phases at birth. It is usually the first major weight in a Ziping strength assessment.
Seasonal support can be reduced by lack of roots, heavy drain, control, or transformation; seasonal weakness can be offset by substantial rooted support.
- Resolve the solar-term month correctly.
- Record evidence that confirms and resists the seasonal signal.
Map roots, support, drain, and control once
A visible stem may root through matching hidden stems in one or more branches. Resources and Companions can support it, while Output, Wealth, and Authority can drain or pressure it.
Do not count the same hidden stem as several independent roots or assign fixed universal percentages without a documented model.
- Name every root and its branch.
- Prevent duplicate scoring.
Use graded conclusions with uncertainty
Balanced, moderately strong, moderately weak, extreme, and following candidates require thresholds and counterevidence.
Different schools may classify borderline charts differently. Preserve the underlying evidence so another method can reproduce or contest the result.
- Publish the assessment method.
- Keep borderline cases provisional.
Strong is not good and weak is not bad
Technical strength does not measure physical strength, health, confidence, morality, intelligence, or social value.
Usefulness depends on structure and the question being analyzed. Avoid turning the label into a deterministic favorable or unfavorable judgment.
- Do not rank people by chart strength.
- Do not infer health from technical force.
Sources and editorial basis
- 《滴天髓》 (Dripping Heavenly Marrow)《滴天髓》「旺衰」及五行篇：強弱取決於季節、根氣、生助、洩耗與制化A core later text on Bazi balance, seasonal strength, and relational reading.
- 《子平真詮》 (True Explanations of Ziping)《子平真詮》旺衰格局諸篇：月令重要但不可忽略通根與全局配置A major reference for month-command, structure, and contextual Bazi interpretation.
- OpenFate Editorial Methodology旺衰頁不以五行個數或一個百分比取代證據權重與不確定性OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.