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Bazi foundations

Ten Heavenly Stems in Bazi

Use the complete ten-stem table to check Chinese character, pinyin, order, Five Phase, Yin-Yang polarity, Day Master role, roots, and reading limits.

Editorially reviewed: · Reviewed by OpenFate · Editorial Methodology

Overview

The Ten Heavenly Stems—Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui—are the ten visible-cycle symbols used above the Earthly Branches in a Bazi chart. They form five Yang-Yin phase pairs. The Day Stem is the Day Master; every other stem is interpreted relative to it, then checked against pillar position, Month Command, branch roots, combinations, control, and timing. A stem is not a fixed personality or fortune label.

At a glance

Canonical order
甲 Jia · 乙 Yi · 丙 Bing · 丁 Ding · 戊 Wu · 己 Ji · 庚 Geng · 辛 Xin · 壬 Ren · 癸 Gui
Structure
Five Phases × Yang and Yin
Chart position
One visible stem above each Year, Month, Day, and Hour Branch
Day Stem
The Day Stem is called the Day Master
Cycle relation
Ten stems pair with twelve branches to form the sixty Jiazi
Reading boundary
Presence, strength, and usefulness are three separate findings

Explore concepts

Complete Ten Heavenly Stems table

Use this fixed lookup before opening an individual stem page. The order repeats after Gui; polarity alternates Yang then Yin inside each Five-Phase pair.

  • 1 · 甲 Jia · Yang Wood
  • 2 · 乙 Yi · Yin Wood
  • 3 · 丙 Bing · Yang Fire
  • 4 · 丁 Ding · Yin Fire
  • 5 · 戊 Wu · Yang Earth
  • 6 · 己 Ji · Yin Earth
  • 7 · 庚 Geng · Yang Metal
  • 8 · 辛 Xin · Yin Metal
  • 9 · 壬 Ren · Yang Water
  • 10 · 癸 Gui · Yin Water

Order, phase, and polarity

The sequence runs Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, and Gui, then repeats. Every phase has a Yang stem followed by a Yin stem: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. The ten-stem sequence combines with the twelve-branch sequence only at matching parity, producing sixty valid stem-branch pairs rather than 120 interchangeable combinations.

  • Jia–Yi: Wood
  • Bing–Ding: Fire
  • Wu–Ji: Earth
  • Geng–Xin: Metal
  • Ren–Gui: Water

What stems do in a Bazi chart

Stems are the visible upper characters of the Four Pillars. The Day Stem identifies the Day Master; the other stems are read through their phase and Yin-Yang relationships to it.

For example, if the verified Day Pillar is Ding-You, Ding is the Day Master. A Jia visible in another pillar can generate Ding, but its actual support still depends on season, roots in the branches, distance, combinations, and control. The character relationship is a fact; the strength and life interpretation remain later steps.

  • Pillar position changes context.
  • Earthly Branch roots affect strength.
  • Month command, support, control, combinations, and timing affect function.

Traditional correspondences and combinations

Traditional texts connect stem pairs with directions and seasons, and also record five cross-pair stem combinations. These are parts of a classification system, not automatic predictions. A listed combination does not guarantee transformation.

  • Wood: east and spring
  • Fire: south and summer
  • Earth: center; late or long summer and seasonal transitions vary by tradition
  • Metal: west and autumn
  • Water: north and winter

The reliable reading boundary

A stem page defines one symbol. It cannot decide personality, career, relationships, health, or fortune without the complete chart and timing context.

  • Separate presence from strength.
  • Separate strength from usefulness.
  • Treat teaching imagery as metaphor when a later school uses it.

Sources and editorial basis

  1. Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
    An official modern reference for the canonical stem and branch orders, the sexagenary cycle, and calendrical use.
  2. Taiwan Ministry of Education Dictionary: 天干
    Taiwan’s official dictionary definition and canonical listing of the ten stems.
  3. 《御定星曆考原》卷一
    A historical source for stem and branch Yin-Yang, Five Phase, direction, seasonal, and calendrical correspondences.
  4. 《禮記・月令》
    An early classical source for the seasonal grouping of Jia-Yi, Bing-Ding, Wu-Ji, Geng-Xin, and Ren-Gui.
  5. 《圖書編》卷二十三
    A historical source listing the five stem pairings and their conventional transformation phases.
  6. 《子平真詮》 (True Explanations of Ziping)
    A major reference for month-command, structure, and contextual Bazi interpretation.
  7. OpenFate Editorial Methodology
    OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.

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