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Heavenly Stem · Wood

Yi Wood (乙) in Bazi

Yi Wood (乙) is stem 2 of ten, classified as Yin Wood. Learn its sequence, pair, chart role, traditional correspondences, and reading limits.

Chinese
乙
Pinyin
Yǐ
Also known as
Yi · Yin Wood

Editorially reviewed:

Overview

Yi Wood (乙) is the Yin member of the Wood stem pair. It is a chart symbol, not a fixed personality label, and must be read with season, roots, pillar position, relationships, and timing.

At a glance

Character and reading
乙 · Yǐ
Sequence position
2 of 10
Polarity
Yin
Five Phase
Wood
Same-phase pair
Jia Wood (甲)
Traditional correspondence
East · Spring
Stem combination
Geng Metal (庚) → Metal, only when transformation conditions are met

Definition and place in the cycle

Yi completes the Wood pair and is followed by Bing, which begins the Fire pair.

Yi Wood (乙) and Jia Wood (甲) share the Wood phase and differ by Yin-Yang polarity. That classification does not, by itself, establish temperament, strength, or outcome.

How it appears in a Four Pillars chart

A Four Pillars chart displays one Heavenly Stem above each Year, Month, Day, and Hour Branch. When 乙 occupies the Day Stem, it is the Day Master; in any other pillar, it is interpreted in relation to the Day Master.

Check the month-command season, roots in Earthly Branches, support and control, combinations, pillar position, and active timing before deciding how 乙 functions. Presence, strength, and usefulness are separate questions.

Traditional correspondences and stem combination

Traditional correspondence systems place the Wood pair with East and spring. These are inherited classification relationships, not physical properties or stand-alone predictions.

Yi Wood (乙) is traditionally paired with Geng Metal (庚), with Metal named as the conventional transformation result. In Bazi, seeing both stems is not proof of transformation; the complete chart must support it.

Common reading errors

Use Yi Wood (乙) as one piece of a relational chart, not as a shortcut for identity or fortune.

  • Do not turn 乙 into a fixed personality type.
  • Do not treat Yang and Yin as better and worse, or automatically stronger and weaker.
  • Do not assume that a visible combination has transformed or that one symbol decides the whole chart.

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. 《御定星曆考原》卷一
    A historical source for stem and branch Yin-Yang, Five Phase, direction, seasonal, and calendrical correspondences.
  3. 《圖書編》卷二十三
    A historical source listing the five stem pairings and their conventional transformation phases.
  4. 《子平真詮》 (True Explanations of Ziping)
    A major reference for month-command, structure, and contextual Bazi interpretation.
  5. OpenFate Editorial Methodology
    OpenFate separates deterministic chart calculation, traditional interpretation, and modern editorial explanation.
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