BaZi & TCM Glossary — Chinese, Pinyin, English

Exhaustive inventory of BaZi terminology and correspondences, organized by theme and structured for clinical practice.

In brief

BaZi is expressed entirely in classical Chinese. Mastering its terminology — Stems, Branches, relational Gods, Shen Sha — is essential for reading a chart and articulating its analysis to the patient's energetic terrain. This glossary transcribes these terms in pinyin (with tones) and English, grouping concepts by thematic family. Each term carries a brief indication of its role in BaZi and TCM.

I. The Ten Heavenly Stems (十天干 Shí Tiān Gān)

Heavenly Stems structure the pillar and embody an elemental energetic nature (Element + polarity).

Chinese	Pinyin	Polarity	Element	Archetype
甲	Jiǎ	Yang	Wood	Growth, initiative
乙	Yǐ	Yin	Wood	Flexibility, adaptation
丙	Bǐng	Yang	Fire	Radiation, clarity
丁	Dīng	Yin	Fire	Internal intensity
戊	Wù	Yang	Earth	Stability, construction
己	Jǐ	Yin	Earth	Transformation, nuance
庚	Gēng	Yang	Metal	Separation, delimitation
辛	Xīn	Yin	Metal	Refinement, precision
壬	Rén	Yang	Water	Fluid, infiltration
癸	Guǐ	Yin	Water	Interiority, absorption

II. The Twelve Earthly Branches (十二地支 Shí'èr Dì Zhī)

Earthly Branches embody seasonal cycles, hours, and months. Each Branch contains hidden Stems (藏干 Cáng Gān) that deepen energetic analysis.

Chinese	Pinyin	Animal	Element	Season	Hour	Solar Month
子	Zǐ	Rat	Water (Yang)	Winter	23h–01h	11
丑	Chǒu	Ox	Earth (Yin)	Winter/Spring	01h–03h	12
寅	Yín	Tiger	Wood (Yang)	Spring	03h–05h	1
卯	Mǎo	Rabbit	Wood (Yin)	Spring	05h–07h	2
辰	Chén	Dragon	Earth (Yang)	Spring/Summer	07h–09h	3
巳	Sì	Snake	Fire (Yin)	Summer	09h–11h	4
午	Wǔ	Horse	Fire (Yang)	Summer	11h–13h	5
未	Wèi	Goat	Earth (Yin)	Summer/Autumn	13h–15h	6
申	Shēn	Monkey	Metal (Yang)	Autumn	15h–17h	7
酉	Yǒu	Rooster	Metal (Yin)	Autumn	17h–19h	8
戌	Xū	Dog	Earth (Yang)	Autumn/Winter	19h–21h	9
亥	Hài	Pig	Water (Yin)	Winter	21h–23h	10

III. The Ten Gods (十神 Shí Shén) — Day Master Relational Energetics

The Ten Gods describe how any Stem present in the chart articulates energetically to the Day Master. Their identification depends on Element (生 shēng, 剋 kè) and polarity (同 tóng, 異 yì) relationships.

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English	Polarity	Clinical Sense
1	比肩	Bǐ Jiān	Friend	Same	Competition, independence, confrontation potential
2	劫財	Jiè Cái	Rival	Opposite	Loss, dissipation, self-sufficiency drive
3	食神	Shí Shén	Eating God	Same	Creativity, fertility, generosity
4	傷官	Shāng Guān	Hurting Officer	Opposite	Frustration, unexpressed talent, authority questioned
5	偏財	Piān Cái	Indirect Wealth	Same	Opportunistic gain, adventure, financial fluidity
6	正財	Zhèng Cái	Direct Wealth	Opposite	Material stability, economic responsibility
7	七殺	Qī Shā	Seventh Killer	Same	Power, authority, aggressive potential, internal conflict
8	正官	Zhèng Guān	Direct Officer	Opposite	Discipline, legitimacy, social framework
9	偏印	Piān Yìn	Indirect Resource	Same	Occult talents, intuition, relative isolation
10	正印	Zhèng Yìn	Direct Resource	Opposite	Support, protection, tradition, restraint

Polarity Legend: Same = same polarity as Day Master ; Opposite = opposite polarity.

IV. The Twelve Life Phases (十二長生 Shí'èr Chángshēng) — Qi Strength Cycle

The Longevity (長生 Chángshēng) cycle evaluates the relative energetic strength of a Stem in each Branch. It structures the analysis of resilience and vulnerability.

#	Chinese	Pinyin	English	Qi Strength	Life Stage
1	長生	Chángshēng	Growth	9	Birth, potential
2	沐浴	Mù Yù	Bath	7	Childhood, vulnerability
3	冠帶	Guān Dài	Formation	10	Adolescence, structuring
4	臨官	Lín Guān	Beginning	11	Young adult affirmation
5	帝旺	Dì Wàng	Prosperity	12	Maturity, maximum power
6	衰	Shuāi	Decline	5	Energetic aging
7	病	Bìng	Sickness	4	Weakening, dysfunction
8	死	Sǐ	Death	3	Energetic exhaustion
9	墓	Mù	Tomb	2	Contemplation, underground transition
10	絕	Jué	Disappearance	1	Complete rupture
11	胎	Tāi	Conception	6	Latent preparation
12	養	Yǎng	Nourishment	8	Nourishment, embryogenesis

V. Day Master & Pillars (日主 & 四柱)

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Role
日主	Rì Zhǔ	Day Master	The subject's energetic identity — the Stem of the day pillar
日元	Rì Yuán	Day Element	Synonym for 日主
年柱	Nián Zhù	Year Pillar	Ancestral field, collective karma
月柱	Yuè Zhù	Month Pillar	Season, surrounding energetic climate
日柱	Rì Zhù	Day Pillar	The Day Master and its immediate environment (day Branch)
時柱	Shí Zhù	Hour Pillar	Birth context, transverse influences
四柱	Sì Zhù	Four Pillars	The entire natal chart
八字	Bā Zì	Eight Characters	The complete BaZi chart (4 pillars × 2 characters)

VI. Five Element Correspondences (五行 Wǔ Xíng) in TCM

Element	Pinyin	Zang (Yin)	Fu (Yang)	Sense	Emotion
木	Mù	Wood	肝 Gān (Liver)	膽 Dǎn (Gallbladder)	Growth, flexibility
火	Huǒ	Fire	心 Xīn (Heart)	小腸 Xiǎo Cháng (Small Intestine)	Radiation, ascension
土	Tǔ	Earth	脾 Píy (Spleen)	胃 Wèi (Stomach)	Transformation, grounding
金	Jīn	Metal	肺 Fèi (Lung)	大腸 Dà Cháng (Large Intestine)	Separation, rarefaction
水	Shuǐ	Water	腎 Shèn (Kidney)	膀胱 Páng Guāng (Bladder)	Interiority, infiltration

VII. Major Shen Sha (神煞 Shén Shā) — Extra-Ordinary Stars

Shen Sha refine reading without replacing core analysis. They are identified by Gan Zhi structure and enrich energetic semiology.

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Type	Significance
天乙貴人	Tiān Yǐ Guì Rén	Celestial Noble	Beneficial	Protection, luck, patronage
桃花	Táo Huā	Peach Blossom	Neutral	Charisma, seduction, romantic dispersion
華蓋	Huá Gài	Artistic Canopy	Beneficial	Artistic gifts, spirituality, relative isolation
羊刃	Yáng Rèn	Goat Blade	Negative	Aggression, wounding, self-destructive potential
祿	Lù	Prosperity	Beneficial	Stability, assured income, dignity
天醫	Tiān Yī	Celestial Doctor	Beneficial	Healing, vitality, health resources
天德	Tiān Dé	Celestial Virtue	Beneficial	Heavenly protection, natural resilience
月德	Yuè Dé	Lunar Virtue	Beneficial	Calming, softness, internal harmony
文昌	Wén Chāng	Literary Star	Beneficial	Intellect, expression, teaching
文曲	Wén Qū	Literary Curve	Neutral	Cunning, artistry, mental seduction
紅鸞	Hóng Luán	Red Phoenix	Beneficial	Marriage, union, platonic love
天喜	Tiān Xǐ	Heavenly Joy	Beneficial	Happy event, celebration
孤辰	Gū Chén	Celestial Hermit	Negative	Isolation, relational solitude
寡宿	Guǎ Sù	Widowhood	Negative	Separation, affective loss
驛馬	Yì Mǎ	Travel Horse	Neutral	Mobility, change, displacement
三煞	Sān Shā	Three Killings	Negative	Triple dangers, accidents, chaos

VIII. Days & Hours — Calendrical Terminology

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Context
真太陽時	Zhēn Tài Yáng Shí	True Solar Time	Birth hour corrected (essential for the chart)
節氣	Jié Qì	Solar Breath	Key points in the solar calendar delimiting energetic months
六十甲子	Liù Shí Jiǎ Zǐ	Sexagenary Cycle	The 60 Gan-Zhi binomes structuring time
旬空	Xún Kōng	Decade Emptiness	Two Branches per decade lacking a Stem (temporal gaps)

IX. Branch Interactions (支合支衝) — Configurations

Chinese	Pinyin	English	Type	Energetic Effect
三合	Sān Hé	Triple Harmony	Conjunction	Element amplification, energetic fusion
六合	Liù Hé	Sixfold Harmony	Conjunction	Energetic smoothing through crossed pairs, new hue creation
六冲	Liù Chōng	Sixfold Clash	Conflict	Direct opposition, dynamic tension
六害	Liù Hài	Sixfold Harm	Conflict	Subtle domination, hidden mistrust
刑	Xíng	Punishment	Conflict	Restriction, blockage, coercive obligation

Reference Table: Quick Synthesis

Natural Cycles

Concept	Duration	Structure	Usage
Sexagenary (甲子)	60 years	10 Stems × 12 Branches	BaZi and chrono-acupuncture calendar
Seasonal Breath	24 days	Solar Jie Qi	Delimitation of energetic months
Horary Hour	2 hours	1 Branch = 2h	Hour pillar, chrono-acupuncture
Ten Years (大運)	10 years	1 Luck Pillar	Major life dynamics

Day Master Energetics

Factor	Criterion	Notation
Qi in Season	Season in harmony	Maximum strength
Qi in Place	Support in Branches	Reinforced strength
Qi in Momentum	Allies (Stems, Branches)	Modulated strength
Qi Lost to Season	Antagonistic season	Reduced strength
Qi Lost to Place	Absent rooting	Weakened strength
Qi Lost to Momentum	Energetic isolation	Minimal strength

In practice (TCM)

The BaZi glossary is first and foremost a tool for reading the patient's natal energetic configuration. Once familiar with Stems, Branches, Gods, and Shen Sha, the practitioner can:

Identify constitutional profile: What is the dominant Element of the Day Master? Which Elements are absent?
Detect chronic fragilities: A weakened, punished, or isolated Element in the chart may clarify a pathological tendency.
Contextualize cycles: Reading the Luck Pillars (大運) and the year (流年 liú nián) allows anticipation of vulnerability phases.
Personalize treatment: Tonify, drain, or harmonize a specific Element according to the constitutional energetics revealed by BaZi.

This glossary is not an act of diagnosis: it is an act of complementary energetic mapping, articulated to classical TCM semiology.

FAQ

Q: Why does BaZi comprise eight characters?

A: Four pillars (year, month, day, hour) × two characters per pillar (one Stem + one Branch) = eight characters. Hence the name 八字 (Bā Zì, literally 'Eight Characters').

Q: How do I distinguish between Stems and Branches?

A: Stems (天干 Tiān Gān) number ten, carry Yang/Yin polarity and an Element. Branches (地支 Dì Zhī) number twelve, integrate a zodiacal animal and contain hidden Stems (藏干 Cáng Gān). Both structure the sexagenary cycle (60 binomes).

Q: What is the purpose of the Ten Gods (十神)?

A: They describe the energetic relationship between the Day Master and any other Stem present in the chart. This relationship depends on Element and polarity, and guides the interpretation of energetic influences: competition, creativity, authority, wealth, etc.

Q: What are Shen Sha (神煞)?

A: These are points of energetic confluence or extra-ordinary astrological configurations, identifiable by Gan Zhi structure. They refine analysis without replacing it: e.g. Tian Yi (天乙貴人, Celestial Noble), Tao Hua (桃花, Peach Blossom). They enrich semiology but do not create autonomous diagnosis.

Q: Why is conversion to True Solar Time (真太陽時) critical?

A: The hour pillar structures many readings. A conversion ignoring actual longitude or administrative timezone can shift the hour pillar by one or more Branches, distorting the entire analysis.