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Four Pillars · Year column

Year Stem and Year Branch in Bazi (年干與年支)

Distinguish the visible Year Stem from the Year Branch, its hidden stems, zodiac label, roots, and whole-chart interactions.

Simplified Chinese
年干与年支
Traditional Chinese
年干與年支
Pinyin
Niángān yǔ Niánzhī
Also known as
Year Pillar stem and branch · year upper and lower characters

Editorially reviewed:

Overview

The Year Pillar is one valid sexagenary pair: a visible Year Stem above a Year Branch. The Stem has its own polarity, Five Phase, and Ten God relation to the Day Master; the Branch has a primary phase, hidden stems, roots, and branch interactions. The zodiac animal names only the Branch. Neither character, nor their same-pillar relation, can replace the remaining three pillars.

At a glance

Upper symbol
Year Stem
Lower symbol
Year Branch
Branch shorthand
Chinese zodiac animal
Internal layer
Hidden stems inside the Year Branch
Limit
One pair within a four-pillar chart
Calculation rule
Declare the year-boundary convention

Keep the sexagenary pair intact

Calculate the Year Pillar under the declared year-boundary convention and preserve both characters. A Branch animal without its Stem is only a partial label.

Record each character’s Five Phase and polarity, then calculate its visible or hidden Ten God relation to the Day Master.

  • Store the complete stem-branch pair.
  • Do not substitute the zodiac animal.

Inspect the relation within the Year Pillar

The Stem may be generated, controlled, drained, or supported by the Branch’s primary or hidden qi. Because one Branch can contain several stems, the internal relationship may be mixed.

A chronological pair is not automatically harmonious or harmful. Season, roots, and the rest of the chart determine practical weight.

  • Check every relevant hidden stem.
  • Do not assign good or bad from the pair alone.

Map connections to the other three pillars

The Year Stem can combine or interact with other stems while the Year Branch participates in branch configurations. These layers can coexist and must be evaluated separately.

Distance and palace context may affect emphasis, but do not erase a valid cross-chart relation or seasonal condition.

  • Separate stem and branch maps.
  • Retain competing relations.

Avoid ancestry and personality shortcuts

Neither the Year Stem nor the Year Branch proves ancestry, ethnicity, family wealth, childhood quality, or personality. These are cultural symbols within a larger interpretive system.

Use verified records for family history and consequential decisions. Keep Bazi statements conditional and privacy-aware.

  • No biography from one character.
  • Use real evidence for family claims.

Sources and editorial basis

  1. Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
    香港天文台列明天干地支成對組成六十干支，生肖只對應年支，不能代替包含年干的完整年柱An official modern reference for the canonical stem and branch orders, the sexagenary cycle, and calendrical use.
  2. 《三命通會》 (Sanming Tonghui)
    卷二分論年干透出、年支藏氣及其與其他三柱的生剋合沖，支持年干與年支分層判讀A historical compilation covering stems and branches, Ten Gods, Nayin, Shen Sha, and multiple classical pattern systems.
  3. OpenFate Editorial Methodology
    年干、年支、藏干、生肖與宮位語境分欄，不由其中一字推斷性格、族裔、家境或童年事實OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.
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