Metaphysics Glossary
Chinese Metaphysics, in Plain English
BaZi, the Five Elements and the ideas behind our custom bracelets — 16 terms, clearly explained.
BaZi
Annual Pillar / Fleeting Year (Liu Nian)
In BaZi, the Annual Pillar (Liu Nian) refers to the Stem-and-Branch fortune of "each year," representing the energetic theme and rhythm that year brings — a guide for planning ahead rather than a fixed fate.
BaZi (Four Pillars of Destiny)
BaZi is a traditional Chinese method that converts a person's birth year, month, day, and hour into four pairs of stem-and-branch characters (the Four Pillars) — eight characters in total — used to explore personality and life patterns.
Day Master (Ri Gan)
The Day Master is the Heavenly Stem of the day you were born. In BaZi it represents you, the chart's owner, and serves as the central reference point for analyzing elemental strength and the Ten Gods.
Heavenly Stems & Earthly Branches (Tian Gan Di Zhi)
The Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches are the timekeeping symbols of the Chinese calendar — ten stems and twelve branches that pair up into a sixty-unit cycle, and also the basic elements of the BaZi Four Pillars.
Korean Four Pillars (Saju)
Korean Four Pillars (Saju) is the Korean version of BaZi. It uses the same birth year, month, day and hour to set up the Four Pillars, but its reading style is more modern, with greater emphasis on Five-Element balance and the character of the Day Master.
Major Luck Cycles (Da Yun)
In BaZi, the Major Luck Cycles (Da Yun) are ten-year stages of fortune derived from your birth Month Pillar, representing the energetic themes and overall atmosphere you meet at different phases of life.
Nobleman Star (Tianyi Guiren)
The Nobleman Star (Tianyi Guiren) is the most highly regarded auspicious element in BaZi, said to represent timely help and the ability to turn misfortune into fortune at critical moments. People with this star in their chart are often thought to attract willing helpers and to find room to manoeuvre when facing difficulty.
Ten Gods (Shi Shen)
In BaZi, the Ten Gods (Shi Shen) are the names given to ten different generating and controlling relationships between your Day Master (which represents you) and the other Stems and Branches in the chart, used to read wealth, career, mentors, talent and relationships.
The Four Pillars (Si Zhu)
The Four Pillars (Si Zhu) are the year, month, day and hour pillars of a BaZi chart; each pillar pairs one Heavenly Stem with one Earthly Branch, giving eight characters in total, which is why the system is also called BaZi (the Eight Characters).
Travelling Horse (Yi Ma)
In BaZi, Yi Ma (the Travelling Horse) is the symbolic star of movement and change, sitting in the four earthly branches Yin, Shen, Si and Hai. When it appears in a chart or is triggered by the Luck Pillars or an annual cycle, changes such as travel, moving house, going abroad or changing jobs often follow. The Travelling Horse is not inherently good or bad; whether it helps depends on whether it serves as the chart's Useful God.
Useful God (Yong Shen)
In BaZi, the Useful God (Yong Shen) is the Five-Element energy that best helps you reach balance and is most worth strengthening; the elements favourable to you are called Favourable Gods, and the unfavourable ones are called Unfavourable Gods.
Void / Emptiness (Kong Wang)
Kong Wang (the Void, also called Xunkong) is a symbolic element in BaZi. It arises because, in the sexagenary cycle, each ten-day period leaves two earthly branches with no heavenly stem to pair with, so they fall "empty." It signals that the power of a particular pillar is weakened and harder to draw on. It is a neutral concept rather than an absolute ill omen, and its effect can be adjusted through effort and change.
Chinese Metaphysics
Hong Luan and Tian Xi (Romance and Joy Stars)
Hong Luan and Tian Xi are two auspicious stars in Chinese astrology said to govern marriage, celebration and romance. When an annual chart meets them, popularly called "Hong Luan stirring," it is traditionally viewed as a favorable time for romance to deepen, for meeting someone, or for happy events such as marriage or a new arrival in the family.
Peach Blossom Star (Tao Hua)
The Peach Blossom Star (Tao Hua) is a symbolic star in BaZi astrology, also known as Xian Chi, said to represent a person's romantic appeal, popularity and personal charm. It is traditionally divided into "good peach blossom" and "troublesome peach blossom," and is seen as neither purely good nor bad, depending instead on the overall chart and how the person handles it.
Wen Chang (Scholar Star)
Wen Chang (the Scholar Star) is an auspicious star in Chinese astrology said to symbolize study, exams, literary talent and intelligence. People whose BaZi carries Wen Chang are traditionally seen as quick learners with fluent expression, and the "Wen Chang position" in a home or study is often arranged to help improve focus and exam luck.
Five Elements
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