The foundational vocabulary of Chinese metaphysics

• The Five Elements

  5 entries →

  Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water — the generative and controlling cycles.

  木Wood→火Fire→土Earth→金Metal→水Water

• The Ten Day Masters

  10 entries →

  甲 through 癸 — the heavenly stem that defines your chart's operating system.

  甲乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸

• The Ten Gods

  10 entries →

  食伤 / 财官 / 印比 — the behavioural lens of Bazi.

  比肩劫财Same as me食神伤官I produce正财偏财I control正官七杀Controls me正印偏印Produces me

• The Fourteen Stars

  14 entries →

  The main 主星 of Zi Wei Dou Shu, from 紫微 to 破军.

  紫微天机太阳武曲天同廉贞天府太阴贪狼巨门天相天梁七杀破军

• The Twelve Palaces

  12 entries →

  命宫 through 父母宫 — the life domains Zi Wei Dou Shu reads against.

  LifeSiblingsSpouseChildrenWealthHealthTravelFriendsCareerPropertyMentalParentsLifeSiblingsSpouseChildrenWealthHealthTravelFriendsCareerPropertyMentalParents12 palaces

Looking for the longer argument?

The entries above define single concepts. The guides answer the questions people actually ask — what a day master is, how Bazi and Western astrology differ, how luck pillars work, and whether Bazi is accurate.

See your own chart's version first — then circle back to the entries.