In every BaZi chart, one character is you: the Day Master (日主), the Heavenly Stem of the day pillar. There are ten possible Day Masters - the ten Heavenly Stems - each an element with a yin or yang charge. Every other character in the chart is read as a relationship to this one.
Free one-page PDF. Day Master One-Page: All 10 Stems at a Glance — print it, keep it. No signup needed.
Download free PDFThe ten Day Masters
| Stem | Chinese | Element | Polarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia | 甲 | Wood | Yang |
| Yi | 乙 | Wood | Yin |
| Bing | 丙 | Fire | Yang |
| Ding | 丁 | Fire | Yin |
| Wu | 戊 | Earth | Yang |
| Ji | 己 | Earth | Yin |
| Geng | 庚 | Metal | Yang |
| Xin | 辛 | Metal | Yin |
| Ren | 壬 | Water | Yang |
| Gui | 癸 | Water | Yin |
Traditional imagery
Classical texts attach images to each stem: Jia wood is the great tree, Yi wood the creeping vine; Bing fire the sun, Ding fire the lamp; Wu earth the mountain, Ji earth the field; Geng metal the axe, Xin metal the jewel; Ren water the ocean, Gui water the rain. These are poetic shorthands from the tradition, not personality test results - useful for intuition, not for labeling people.
Strong or weak?
The first question every reading asks: is the Day Master strong or weak? A Bing fire Day Master born in summer, surrounded by wood, is strong; the same Bing born in winter, surrounded by water, is weak. Strength is not good or bad - it determines what the chart needs to balance, which is the job of the Useful God. Find yours with the chart tool, then read the Ten Gods to see how everything else relates to it.
Where this leads
The Day Master is the anchor; the Ten Gods name its relationships, the Useful God names what balances it, and the Luck Pillars move it through time. The glossary defines all ten stems in full.
For guidance and self-awareness purposes only. This lesson explains Chinese astrology as a cultural and philosophical framework - what it is, where it came from, and how its vocabulary works. It is not a prediction of your future, a medical or financial opinion, or a substitute for professional advice.