Pillars and Positions柱と配置

The stem-branch of the year of birth. The pillar indicating ancestry, society, and the starting point.

The Year Pillar is composed of the stem-branch (Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch) of the year of birth. It occupies the outermost position among the four pillars, and indicates one's relationship with society and the era, lineage and ancestry, and the environment that served as the starting point. The Ten Gods of the Year Pillar are consulted when reading a person's relationship with society and public life. The Earthly Branch of the Year Pillar also reflects the temperament of the era in which one was born. In reading the chart, the Year Pillar is the pillar of "where one comes from."

The stem-branch of the month of birth. The basis for the Month Authority and Structural Pattern judgment. The core of the chart.

The Month Pillar is composed of the stem-branch of the month of birth (determined by the solar term entry dates). It is the most important of the four pillars. The Earthly Branch of the Month Pillar is called the Month Authority (月令), and it becomes the most important criterion for the judgment of the Structural Pattern (格局) and the selection of the Favorable Element (用神). The Ten Gods of the Month Pillar are said to indicate profession, vocation, and social role. The Month Pillar is the "core" of the chart and the pillar that most decisively determines the direction of the chart.

The stem-branch of the day of birth. The Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar (the Day Master) indicates the person themselves.

The Day Pillar is composed of the stem-branch of the day of birth. The Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar is the Day Master (日干), and in the Zi Ping method, it is the reference point for chart reading. The Day Master is the Stem that indicates "you yourself." All other Heavenly Stems and Hidden Stems are classified into the Ten Gods in relation to the Day Master. The Hidden Stems within the Earthly Branch of the Day Pillar are also read as Ten Gods in relation to the Day Master. The Day Pillar is the pillar of the chart's "self." The Earthly Branch of the Day Pillar is also sometimes said to indicate one's partner and close relationships.

The stem-branch of the hour of birth. The pillar indicating children, later life, and the inner world.

The Hour Pillar is composed of the stem-branch of the time of birth (the twelve two-hour periods). It occupies the innermost position among the four pillars. The Hour Pillar is said to indicate children, later life, inner motivations, and hidden talents. It is also related to descendants and the way of living in the latter half of life. The Ten Gods of the Hour Pillar indicate tendencies within one's inner depths that tend to surface in the second half of life. Even when the Hour Pillar is unknown (birth time uncertain), the skeletal structure of the chart can be read fully from the three pillars of Year, Month, and Day. This is one reason why Bazen Sanmei emphasizes a reading that takes the three pillars as its core.

The Heavenly Stems hidden within the Earthly Branches. The structure of qi concealed inside the Earthly Branches.

Within each Earthly Branch, one to three Heavenly Stems are hidden. These are called Hidden Stems. For example, the Hidden Stems of 寅 (Yang Wood) are three: 甲 (Yang Wood), 丙 (Yang Fire), and 戊 (Yang Earth). The Hidden Stems of 子 (Yang Water) are two: 壬 (Yang Water) and 癸 (Yin Water). The Hidden Stems reveal a more complex structure of qi than can be read from the surface qualities of the Earthly Branch alone. When judging the Ten Gods of a chart, the Hidden Stems as well as the Heavenly Stems are consulted. By reading the Hidden Stems, the obverse and reverse of the chart become visible. The movement of qi lurking within — not visible in the surface stem-branches — becomes clear.