What is the "Yong Shen" in Bazi? How to Identify Your Own Yong Shen?

In Bazi numerology, "Yong Shen" is the core and key of the entire astrological chart analysis. Its position is of utmost importance, and it is hailed as the "eyes" of Bazi.

What is the "Yong Shen" in Bazi?

"Yong Shen" refers to the Five Elements in a Bazi chart that play the most crucial role in supporting or suppressing, harmonizing, or resolving conflicts for the Day Master (which represents the native's self, or the Day Stem). It does not refer to a specific Heavenly Stem or Earthly Branch, but rather to an attribute of the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth).

Core Definition and Importance:

1. Key to Balance: The core of Bazi numerology lies in pursuing the harmonious flow and balance of the Five Elements. A person's Bazi often exhibits an imbalance of the Five Elements, such as an element being excessively strong or weak, or an imbalance of coldness, warmth, dryness, or dampness. "Yong Shen" is the Five Elements used to adjust this imbalance, bringing the entire chart to a state of relative harmony and flow. It is like the "medicinal guide" in Traditional Chinese Medicine prescriptions, aimed at treating the symptoms, strengthening the body's vital energy, and eliminating pathogens.
2. Core of the Chart: Yong Shen is the fundamental basis for judging a person's fortune and misfortune, career and wealth, health and relationships, and the quality of their flowing Luck Pillars and annual cycles. When the Luck Pillars and annual cycles enter the elemental influence represented by the Yong Shen, the native often experiences smoothness and satisfaction, with an improvement in luck; conversely, if the Luck Pillars and annual cycles encounter an unfavorable element (Ji Shen, an element detrimental to the Yong Shen), they may encounter setbacks or difficulties.
3. Guidance Direction: Once the Yong Shen is determined, it can guide the native to make choices more beneficial to themselves in daily life, such as selecting favorable industries, professions, residences, colors, business partners, and even clothing styles.

Purpose and Function:

• Support/Suppress Imbalance: When the Day Master is excessively strong, the Yong Shen will be the Five Elements that restrain, drain, or consume the Day Master; when the Day Master is excessively weak, the Yong Shen will be the Five Elements that support and strengthen the Day Master.
• Harmonize Climate: When the Bazi is excessively cold or dry, the Yong Shen will be the Five Elements that regulate the climate (e.g., if born in winter with strong Water, use Fire to warm the chart; if born in summer with strong Fire, use Metal and Water to cool it down).
• Resolve Conflicts: When there are two Five Elements in the chart with comparable strength that clash with each other, the Yong Shen will be the Five Elements that mediate and harmonize them, turning "enemies into friends."
• Cure the "Disease" with Medicine: When one or more Five Elements in the chart are excessively strong, forming a "disease," the Yong Shen is the "medicine" that can control or resolve this "ailment."
• Special Patterns: In some special patterns (such as Follower Patterns or Transformation Patterns), the method of identifying the Yong Shen will be more flexible, and may even be completely different from the general principles of support and suppression.

Basic Principles and Relationship with Day Master: The selection of Yong Shen always revolves around the strength and weakness of the "Day Master" and the overall balance of the chart. The Day Master is the core of the chart, while the Yong Shen serves the Day Master, enabling it to reach the most comfortable and favorable state in the comparison of Five Element strengths.

How to Identify Your Own Yong Shen?

Identifying the Yong Shen is the most challenging and crucial step in Bazi numerology. It is not a simple formula application but requires a deep understanding and comprehensive judgment of the entire Bazi chart. It usually involves the following core steps and principles:

Basic Prerequisites:

1. Accurate Bazi Charting: Ensure the accuracy of the birth year, month, day, and hour. This is the foundation for charting.
2. Understanding the Five Element Interactions: Master the generating, controlling, and comparative relationships between Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth, as well as complex interactions like combining, clashing, punishing, and harming.
3. Familiarity with Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches: Understand the Five Elements, Yin-Yang attributes, and hidden stems represented by each Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch.

Core Steps:

1. Analyze Day Master's Strength and Weakness: This is the primary and most critical step in determining the Yong Shen.

   • Gaining the Season: Is the Day Master born in a favorable season? (e.g., a Wood Day Master born in spring, or a Fire Day Master born in summer, is considered to "gain the season" and is strong). This is the most crucial factor in judging strength and weakness.
   • Gaining Location: Does the Day Master have roots in the Earthly Branches? (e.g., a Jia Wood Day Master seeing Yin, Mao, Chen, Hai, etc., in the Earthly Branches, which contain hidden Jia Wood or Yi Wood, indicates roots). The more roots, the stronger.
   • Gaining Support/Momentum: Besides the month branch and hidden stems in the Earthly Branches, are there Five Elements in the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches that generate or support the Day Master? (e.g., for a Jia Wood Day Master, if there are Ren or Gui Water in the Heavenly Stems to generate it, or Jia or Yi Wood to assist it).
   • Comprehensive Judgment: Combine the three aspects of "gaining the season," "gaining location," and "gaining support" to comprehensively assess whether the Day Master is slightly strong, extremely strong, slightly weak, extremely weak, or neutral.
     • Strong Day Master: If the Day Master is strong, the Yong Shen should be the Five Elements that restrain, drain, or consume the Day Master (Officer/Seven Killings, Eating God/Hurting Officer, Wealth Star).
     • Weak Day Master: If the Day Master is weak, the Yong Shen should be the Five Elements that generate or support the Day Master (Resource Star, Companion Star).
     • Follower Patterns: If the Day Master is extremely weak with no roots, it has no choice but to "follow" the strongest Five Elements in the chart; in this case, the strongest Five Elements become the Yong Shen.
     • Transformation Patterns: If the Day Master combines with other Heavenly Stems to transform into another Five Elements, the Yong Shen should be derived from the transformed element.

2. Identify the "Disease" in the Chart: After determining the strength and weakness of the Day Master, it is necessary to observe whether there are obvious biases or contradictions in the entire Bazi chart. These "diseases" often provide important clues for selecting the Yong Shen.

   • Five Element Imbalance: One Five Element is excessively strong or weak, leading to an imbalance in other Five Elements.
   • Imbalance of Coldness, Warmth, Dryness, Dampness: The chart is excessively cold (too much Water, born in winter) or excessively dry (too much Fire, born in summer), requiring harmonization.
   • Strong Clashes and Controls: There are Five Elements in the chart that clash and control each other with comparable strength, requiring resolution.
   • Blocked Flow: The generative and controlling cycle of the Five Elements is interrupted, and the energy flow is not smooth.

3. Determine Type and Priority of Yong Shen: Based on the strength and weakness of the Day Master and the "disease" in the chart, the type of Yong Shen required can be broadly determined.

   • Support/Suppress Yong Shen: This is the most common method of identifying Yong Shen, primarily aimed at supporting or suppressing the Day Master based on its strength and weakness.
     • Strong Day Master: The Yong Shen will be the Five Elements that control, drain, or consume the Day Master (Officer/Seven Killings, Eating God/Hurting Officer, Wealth Star).
     • Weak Day Master: The Yong Shen will be the Five Elements that generate or support the Day Master (Resource Star, Companion Star).
   • Climatic Adjustment Yong Shen: When the chart's climate is excessively cold or dry, the Climatic Adjustment Yong Shen has the highest priority.
     • For example, if born in winter with strong Water leading to extreme cold, Fire is needed to warm the chart; if born in summer with strong Fire leading to extreme heat, Water is needed for adjustment.
   • Conflict Resolution Yong Shen: When two Five Elements of comparable strength clash, the Yong Shen is the element that mediates between them, allowing for continuous generation.
     • For example, if Wood clashes with Earth, and both are strong, Water can be used for resolution (Water generates Wood, Wood controls Earth, transforming into Water generating Wood, Wood generating Earth), or Fire can be used for resolution (Fire drains Wood, Fire generates Earth).
   • Disease-Curing Yong Shen: When the chart has a clear "disease," the Five Elements that can control or resolve this "disease" are used as the Yong Shen. This may overlap with support/suppress, climatic adjustment, or conflict resolution methods.
   • Follower Pattern Yong Shen: If the Day Master is extremely weak and unable to resist, it must submit to the strongest Five Elements in the chart. In this case, the strongest Five Elements become the Yong Shen.

4. Select the Most Favorable Element: After clarifying the type of Yong Shen, it is necessary to carefully discern which Five Elements in the chart are most suitable to serve as the Yong Shen and will not be destroyed by other Stems and Branches in the natal chart.

   • Consideration of the Month Branch: The Month Branch has the greatest influence on the Five Elements. The chosen Yong Shen should be supported by the Month Branch or not be severely controlled by it.
   • Natal Chart Structure: Is the selected Yong Shen severely controlled in the natal chart, is it combined and transformed, and does it have available strength? For example, if Fire is the Yong Shen, but Water is strong in the natal chart, the strength of Fire will be impaired.
   • Balancing Point: The finally selected Yong Shen must be the Five Elements that can maximally improve the chart's balance, allow the flow of Five Element energy, and enable the Day Master to reach its optimal state.
   • Concept of Xi Shen/Favorable God: Closely related to Yong Shen is "Xi Shen" (Favorable God). Xi Shen is the Five Elements that generate or protect the Yong Shen. If the Yong Shen itself is weak in the chart, Xi Shen becomes particularly important, as it can strengthen the power of the Yong Shen.

Complexity and Precautions: Identifying Yong Shen is not an easy task; it requires Bazi masters to possess profound theoretical knowledge, rich practical experience, and keen insight.

• Non-Formulaic: In many cases, the selection of Yong Shen is not a simple addition and subtraction, but a comprehensive weighing of multiple interacting factors.
• Special Circumstances: Some Bazi charts may have multiple contradictions or special patterns, requiring flexible and adaptable methods for identifying Yong Shen, and there may even be debates about "true and false Yong Shen."
• Levels of Difference: Even experienced Bazi masters may have subtle differences in their understanding of Yong Shen for the same Bazi chart, but the core approach is usually consistent.
• Practical Verification: Whether the Yong Shen is accurately identified ultimately needs to be verified through the manifestations in the Luck Pillars and annual cycles.

In summary, Yong Shen is the soul of Bazi numerology and the compass for analyzing a person's destiny. Its identification process is complex and subtle, reflecting the ancient Chinese philosophical wisdom of pursuing moderation, balance, and harmony.