Understanding each pillar - quick overview

(An example of Four Pillars from Joey Yap's Ba Zi Ming Pan calculator)

Your Four pillars (Bazi) are usually laid out as above.

Starting from rightmost column, it is actually the pillar that represents the year that you are born in. In this example, this person is born in the year of "戊寅" or literally yang earthTiger.

The second pillar from the right represents that month of your birth.

The third pillar with the Chinese character "元日" represents the day of your birth. Note that the right reading of the Chinese character should be "日元" meaning day element. The heavenly stem of this day pillar represents your self-element. Remember your self-element and the cycle of birth and destruction. The self-element represents you. All the other 7 Chinese Characters are related and used to decipher their relations with your self-element. In this example, it is "乙" or yin wood under the day heavenly stem (日元).

The last pillar on the left represents your time of birth.

Henceforth, the Four Pillars are also known as Year Pillar, Month Pillar, Day Pillar and Time (or Hour) Pillar.

If you have consulted a Bazi Master or fortune teller before, you are probably given the Eight Chinese Characters in a row, like 卯寅 乙丑 乙丑 壬午. You can now confidently lay them out as above and at least understand your self-element.

remember these Chinese characters or my meanings

After getting your Four Pillars of Destiny, it should look something like 2 rows x 4 columns of Chinese Characters (Eight main ones).


(An example of Four Pillars from Joey Yap's Ba Zi Ming Pan calculator)

The top row is known as Heavenly Stems (HS), it will be one of these 10 characters, namely:
甲 = jia = first
乙 = yi = second
丙 = bing = third
丁 = ding = fourth
戊 = wu = fifth
己 = ji = sixth
庚 = geng = seventh
辛 = xin = eighth
壬 = ren = ninth
癸 = gui = tenth

The bottom row of four characters are known as Earthly Branches (EB), represented by either:
子 = zi = rat
丑 = chou = ox
寅 = yin = tiger
卯 = mao = rabbit
辰 = chen = dragon
巳 = si = snake
午 = wu = horse
未 = wei = goat
申= shen = monkey
酉 = you = rooster
戌 = xu = dog
亥 = hai = pig
EB is sometimes known as Chinese Horoscope / Zodiac represented by the twelve animals. That's where the similarity ends. You can know your Chinese Horoscope from Four Pillars (look at the right most column of EB. In this example, this person is born on the year of Tiger.

Just remember these 22 characters, their Hanyu Pinyin or literal meaning, they will be of importance use in this blog or any Four Pillars of Destiny. Ignore the small chinese characters under the EB for a start.

'Read' your own destiny

How can we 'read' our own destiny? Is it that easy?

Ancient Chinese explained the art of deciphering our own destiny as Ba Zi (八字命理). Westerners called it "Four Pillars of Destiny". Some can it "Eight Characters". Whichever way you like it.

It is the "decoding of Eight Chinese Characters derived from your birth time and date relevant to Solar (H'sia) Calendar". The Solar Calendar is not to be confused with our Chinese Lunar Calendar. Solar calendars are usually term as Tong Shu (通书), you use this book to select auspicious dates for wedding, renovation, making important decisions, etc.

You can get your Eight Chinese Characters from any websites (just get ready your birth date and time - in Western Calendar).
Or try this www.joeyyap.com, look under the tab "Tools", click on "BaZi Ming Pan Calculator". You need to register though.

With this BaZi, you are ON... the first step to discovering your own destiny as it unfolds.

Ps: If you decided to pay for your fortune told, pay me... hahaha. I may not be the expert but I am no conman.