How to Interpret Bazi Five Elements? What Do Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Represent?

How to Interpret Bazi Five Elements

Bazi, also known as Four Pillars of Destiny, is a traditional Chinese metaphysical study that deduces an individual's fate by analyzing the strength and interrelationships of the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) derived from four pairs of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches (eight characters) corresponding to a person's birth year, month, day, and hour. Interpreting Bazi Five Elements primarily involves the following steps:

1. Determine the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches for the Year Pillar, Month Pillar, Day Pillar, and Hour Pillar:

   • Consult a perpetual calendar based on the birth year to determine the year's Stem and Branch.
   • Determine the month's Stem and Branch (Month Order) based on the birth month and year's Stem and Branch.
   • Consult a perpetual calendar based on the birth date to determine the day's Stem and Branch.
   • Determine the hour's Stem and Branch based on the birth hour and day's Stem and Branch.

2. Determine the Five Element attributes of each Stem and Branch:

   • Heavenly Stems (Ten Heavenly Stems):
     • Jia (甲), Yi (乙) belong to Wood (Jia is Yang Wood, Yi is Yin Wood)
     • Bing (丙), Ding (丁) belong to Fire (Bing is Yang Fire, Ding is Yin Fire)
     • Wu (戊), Ji (己) belong to Earth (Wu is Yang Earth, Ji is Yin Earth)
     • Geng (庚), Xin (辛) belong to Metal (Geng is Yang Metal, Xin is Yin Metal)
     • Ren (壬), Gui (癸) belong to Water (Ren is Yang Water, Gui is Yin Water)
   • Earthly Branches (Twelve Earthly Branches):
     • Yin (寅), Mao (卯) belong to Wood (Yin is Yang Wood, Mao is Yin Wood)
     • Si (巳), Wu (午) belong to Fire (Si is Yin Fire, Wu is Yang Fire)
     • Chen (辰), Xu (戌), Chou (丑), Wei (未) belong to Earth (Chen, Xu are Yang Earth; Chou, Wei are Yin Earth)
     • Shen (申), You (酉) belong to Metal (Shen is Yang Metal, You is Yin Metal)
     • Zi (子), Hai (亥) belong to Water (Zi is Yang Water, Hai is Yin Water)

3. Analyze Hidden Stems within Earthly Branches: Each Earthly Branch usually contains more than one Heavenly Stem, known as Hidden Stems. These Hidden Stems also carry their respective Five Element attributes and significantly influence the overall Five Element strength of the Bazi. For example:

   • Yin (寅) contains Jia (Wood), Bing (Fire), Wu (Earth)
   • Shen (申) contains Geng (Metal), Ren (Water), Wu (Earth) The strength of these Hidden Stems varies depending on the Month Order (the season of birth).

4. Determine the Five Element of the Day Master (Day Yuan): The Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar in Bazi represents the individual's self, known as the "Day Master" or "Day Yuan." For example, if the Day Pillar is Jia Zi, the Day Master is Jia Wood. The relationship of all other seven characters with the Day Master forms the basis for determining the individual's Bazi chart and destiny.

5. Calculate the distribution of Five Element strengths in the Bazi: List all the Five Element attributes of the eight characters (from Year, Month, Day, Hour Pillars) and their Hidden Stems, then count and assess the strength of each Five Element. The judgment of strength requires considering the following factors:

   • Obtaining Season (De Ling): An element born in its prosperous season is strong. For example, Wood is strong in spring.
   • Obtaining Place (De Di): If the Earthly Branches contain elements that are the same as or generate the Heavenly Stems, the strength is enhanced.
   • Obtaining Momentum (De Shi): If other Stems and Branches have many identical or generating elements, forming a group advantage.
   • Generating, Controlling, Transforming, and Harmonizing (Sheng Ke Zhi Hua): Five Elements have relationships of generation, control, comparison, and exhaustion. These relationships dynamically affect the strength of each element.
     • Generation (Xiang Sheng): Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, Water generates Wood.
     • Control (Xiang Ke): Wood controls Earth, Earth controls Water, Water controls Fire, Fire controls Metal, Metal controls Wood.

6. Judge the balance of Bazi Five Elements and identify Favorable/Unfavorable Elements: Through the above analysis, one can determine which Five Elements are excessively strong, excessively weak, or missing in the Bazi. In destiny studies, a balanced and flowing Five Elements system is considered auspicious.

   • Favorable God (Xi Shen): Beneficial to the Day Master, balancing excessively strong or supplementing excessively weak Five Elements in the Bazi.
   • Useful God (Yong Shen): The Five Element that provides the greatest help to the Day Master, allowing the Bazi to achieve optimal balance.
   • Unfavorable God (Ji Shen): Harmful to the Day Master, causing imbalance in the Bazi.
   • Neutral God (Xian Shen): Five Element with no obvious benefits or harms to the Day Master.

By identifying Favorable, Useful, and Unfavorable Gods, individuals can be guided in various aspects of life, such as career, health, relationships, by choosing beneficial directions, colors, occupations, partners, etc.

What Do Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth Represent?

The Five Elements are the fundamental constituents of all things in the universe. They are interconnected and interact with each other, forming a dynamic equilibrium system. Each element represents specific properties, directions, seasons, colors, organs, emotions, personality traits, and more.

1. Wood

• Basic Characteristics: Growth, expansion, upward movement, benevolence, nurturing, bending, stretching.
• Symbolism: Trees, plants, growth, innovation, vitality.
• Direction: East
• Season: Spring
• Color: Green, light blue
• Organs: Liver, Gallbladder
• Emotion: Anger
• Taste: Sour
• Body Parts: Tendons, eyes, head
• Personality: Benevolent, kind, upright, progressive, compassionate, organized, unyielding, stubborn, prone to argument, empathetic, pioneering spirit.
• Implication: Represents vitality, vigorous development, planning, decision-making, ideals, and vision.

2. Fire

• Basic Characteristics: Upward burning, brightness, passion, courtesy, warmth, dispersion, explosiveness.
• Symbolism: Sun, flame, light, enthusiasm, civilization.
• Direction: South
• Season: Summer
• Color: Red, purple
• Organs: Heart, Small Intestine
• Emotion: Joy
• Taste: Bitter
• Body Parts: Blood, tongue, face
• Personality: Enthusiastic, outgoing, impatient, impulsive, polite, valuing relationships, positive, lacking patience, expressive, optimistic.
• Implication: Represents passion, vitality, wisdom, etiquette, communication, fame, and light.

3. Earth

• Basic Characteristics: Sowing and reaping, heaviness, bearing, neutrality, honesty, stability, inclusiveness.
• Symbolism: Earth, soil, stability, nurturing, embracing.
• Direction: Center
• Season: End of each season (Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei months, i.e., transitional periods of spring, summer, autumn, winter)
• Color: Yellow, brown
• Organs: Spleen, Stomach
• Emotion: Contemplation
• Taste: Sweet
• Body Parts: Muscles, skin, abdomen
• Personality: Loyal, trustworthy, gentle, stubborn, conservative, inflexible, tolerant, grounded, patient, stable, trusting.
• Implication: Represents stability, bearing, nourishment, integrity, practicality, inclusiveness, and human relationships.

4. Metal

• Basic Characteristics: Transformation, harvesting, hardness, purity, righteousness, convergence, reform.
• Symbolism: Metal, minerals, swords, rules, authority.
• Direction: West
• Season: Autumn
• Color: White, gold, silver
• Organs: Lungs, Large Intestine
• Emotion: Sadness, worry
• Taste: Pungent (Spicy)
• Body Parts: Bones, teeth, respiratory system, skin, hair
• Personality: Resolute, decisive, sense of justice, loyal, principled, aloof, stern, stubborn, sharp, organized, good at analysis.
• Implication: Represents authority, reform, decisiveness, justice, discipline, convergence, and wealth.

5. Water

• Basic Characteristics: Downward flowing, cold, wisdom, change, concealment, inclusiveness, softness.
• Symbolism: Flowing water, ocean, wisdom, adaptability, fluidity.
• Direction: North
• Season: Winter
• Color: Black, blue
• Organs: Kidneys, Bladder
• Emotion: Fear
• Taste: Salty
• Body Parts: Bone marrow, ears, urinary system, blood, bodily fluids
• Personality: Intelligent, flexible, changeable, profound, introverted, tender, volatile, lacking perseverance, wise, quick learner, strategic.
• Implication: Represents wisdom, adaptability, financial fortune, emotions, fluidity, potential, and thought.

In Bazi astrology, by comprehensively analyzing the strength and weakness, generating and controlling relationships of these Five Elements, and their relationship with the Day Master, one can delineate an individual's unique personality, health status, career path, marital situation, and many other aspects of their life trajectory.