BaZi basics
The five elements, explained
The five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water) are the old Chinese way of describing how things grow, peak, turn, gather and rest. In BaZi, every birth chart is a mix of the five, and a reading is mostly about how they balance.
The five, and what they stand for
| Element | Season, direction and color | Keeps going | Keeps in check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | Spring, the east and the color green | Fire | Earth |
| Fire | Summer, the south and the color red | Earth | Metal |
| Earth | Late summer and the turn between seasons, the center and the color yellow | Metal | Water |
| Metal | Autumn, the west and the color white | Water | Wood |
| Water | Winter, the north and the deep color the old books call black | Wood | Fire |
Chinese tradition describes all five as forms of qi, a word often translated as energy. A simpler way to hold them in your head: the five elements are five stages of a year. Wood is growth, Fire is the peak, Earth is the turn between seasons, Metal is harvest and cutting back, and Water is winter storage.
Two cycles
The generating cycle. Wood keeps Fire going, Fire leaves Earth behind it, Earth carries Metal, Metal gathers Water, and Water keeps Wood growing.
The controlling cycle. Wood breaks up Earth, Earth dams Water, Water puts out Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood.
BaZi reads a chart as needing some of each: an element with nothing to feed it runs low, and one with nothing to check it takes over.
The five elements in a birth chart
A BaZi chart has eight characters, two for each of your birth year, month, day and hour. Each character belongs to one of the five elements, so every chart has its own mix: plenty of one, little or none of another.
The character of your birth day, your day master, stands for you. A reader then asks which elements in the rest of the chart support it, which wear it down, and which are missing.
Each element has a Yang and a Yin form
The five elements split into ten heavenly stems, and those ten are the ten day masters.
See your own five elements
Your free reading works out your day master and shaping force from your birthday and shows the five elements in your chart. It takes about two minutes.
Start my free readingQuestions people ask
What are the five elements in Chinese astrology?
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each one is linked to a season and a direction, and they relate to each other through two cycles: one where each element keeps the next going, and one where each keeps another in check.
Which of the five elements am I?
Most charts hold several of the five. The one that stands for you in BaZi is your day master, the element of the day you were born.
What does it mean if I am missing an element?
It means the element does not appear anywhere in your chart, either in the eight characters or in the elements tucked inside them. BaZi treats that as a gap worth knowing about, and how much it matters depends on the rest of the chart.