Ba Zi Four Pillars Chart
Ba Zi — the Four Pillars of Destiny (八字) — maps your birth year, month, day, and hour into four stem-and-branch pairs. Together they form a classical Chinese natal sketch distinct from the twelve-year Sheng Xiao animal alone.
Enter your birth date, exact local time, and birth city so the hour pillar and solar-term month boundaries land correctly. Optional gender unlocks the traditional Da Yun luck-pillar counting direction. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
What the four pillars represent
Each pillar combines a Heavenly Stem (十干) and Earthly Branch (十二支). The year pillar reflects generational tone; the month pillar seasonal climate; the day pillar your Day Master (日主); the hour pillar inner timing and later-life emphasis.
- Year pillar — ancestry and outer-world backdrop
- Month pillar — career climate and growing environment
- Day pillar — core self (Day Master stem)
- Hour pillar — private self, children, legacy tone
What you need for a useful chart
Ba Zi is time-sensitive. The hour pillar shifts every two hours (时辰). Month pillars follow solar terms (节), not the Gregorian calendar alone. A birth city supplies the correct time zone for local clock time.
- Birth date — required
- Birth time — required (hh:mm AM/PM)
- Birth city — required for time zone
- Gender — optional (Da Yun direction only)
How this differs from our Chinese zodiac tools
Our Chinese Sign Calculator uses the twelve-year Sheng Xiao animal with a lunar-new-year cutoff. This page is a separate Four Pillars engine with stems, branches, Day Master, and a simplified five-element count — closer to classical Ba Zi, still an approximation.
Frequently asked questions
Is this Ba Zi chart free?
Yes. The chart generates instantly in your browser with no account. Your birth details stay on this device only.
Why do I need birth time and city?
The hour pillar depends on local birth time. City picks the correct time zone so 2:22 AM where you were born is not mistaken for another zone.
Is Ba Zi the same as Chinese zodiac?
Related but not identical. Chinese zodiac usually means the year animal. Ba Zi uses four pillar pairs (year, month, day, hour) built from the ten stems and twelve branches.
How accurate is this calculator?
It uses approximate solar-term dates and client-side math — fine for exploration, not identical to a professional calendar server or master practitioner. Entertainment only.
Disclaimer
Entertainment only — not spiritual, medical, financial, professional, career, relationship, or marital advice.