What do I need for a BaZi chart?

Your Gregorian birth date, local birth time, birthplace, and sex as used by the traditional cycle rules. Select a city to confirm the time zone and longitude. Historical daylight saving and solar-time adjustments are handled by the calculator. Unknown times can use three pillars; Zi Wei needs a birth time.

Why can the hour or day pillar differ from another calculator?

Two common reasons are solar-time correction and births after 23:00. This calculator adjusts for longitude and the equation of time. It also uses the late-Zi convention: 23:00–23:59 starts the Zi hour but keeps the current day pillar. A calculator that changes the day at 23:00 can give a different result.

Why is the cycle start age one year different from a traditional chart?

Traditional charts may show nominal age, while this calculator uses completed years since birth. Nominal age is commonly one higher; this often describes the same starting point using a different age convention.

What does the result include?

The Four Pillars and hidden stems, Ten Gods, weighted Five Elements, Day Master strength with its calculation details and limitations, ten-year cycles, and a Zi Wei chart with major stars and Four Transformations when a birth time is known.

Is calculation free? Are my birth details saved?

Chart calculation is free and requires no account. When signed out, unsubmitted drafts remain temporarily in this browser for up to 24 hours and can be cleared. After signing in, you can save charts and readings to your account.

Your BaZi chart

Enter your Gregorian birth date, time, and birthplace to calculate the Four Pillars, hidden stems, weighted Five Elements, Day Master strength, and ten-year cycles. A Zi Wei chart is included when the time is known. Calculation uses solar terms and apparent solar time. No registration required.

Have a specific decision or timing question? Explore it with a Liu Yao reading. Cast a Liu Yao hexagram

Drafts and continuity

Temporary drafts last up to 24 hours. You can clear them at any time.

Enter your birth details

Need help?

Birth details are used to calculate your chart. Unsubmitted details are kept temporarily in this browser.

Family name

Given name (optional)

Chinese name analysis applies only to complete Chinese-character names. Other names can still be used for your birth chart.

Sex used for chart rules

Birth date (Gregorian calendar)

Birth time

I only know the traditional two-hour period

Choose a traditional two-hour period to fill its midpoint time

I do not know my birth time (use three pillars and note the limits in the reading)

Birthplace

Search first, then select a city. Press the Down arrow in the search box to move to the city list.

Enter the local clock time recorded at birth. The calculation uses historical time zone and daylight saving records.

Your question (optional)

Your reading will include a section addressing this question.0 / 500

Remember these birth details on this deviceSaved only in this browser for future visits. You can clear them at any time.

Chart calculation is always free. Preview the Four Pillars and, when a birth time is available, the twelve Zi Wei palaces.

What a BaZi calculator does

BaZi, or Four Pillars, expresses the birth year, month, day, and hour as four stem–branch pairs: eight Chinese characters. The day stem is the Day Master, the chart's reference point. The relationships among the remaining characters form the framework used to explore the Five Elements, strength, and supportive tendencies.

Learn how the ten stems and twelve branches form the sixty-pair cycle, and how each relates to the Five Elements: Heavenly Stems and Earthly BranchesRead how the Five Elements support and restrain one another, and why all eight characters and hidden stems matter: The Five Elements。For today's year, month, and day pillars, see Today's stem–branch calendar, updated daily. For a lunar birthday, use the Chinese calendar converter to find the Gregorian date.

The same birth details also calculate the twelve Zi Wei palaces, major stars, and Four Transformations. Both systems offer different ways to explore the same birth record.

How to begin reading your chart

Each pillar has a heavenly stem above and an earthly branch below. Branches contain one to three hidden stems. Start with the day stem, or Day Master, which represents the person in the chart. Next, look at the month branch: the birth season is a major factor in strength analysis.

The Ten Gods name relationships to the Day Master, such as Direct Officer, Seven Killings, Direct Wealth, and Direct Resource. The same stem can have a different relationship for a different Day Master. See The Ten Gods explained for the rules. Strength is a reference used in supportive-element analysis; reversing that judgment changes the interpretation. Read the calculation and its limits in Day Master strength。

. Ten-year cycles extend the chart into a timeline from the month pillar. The result marks the current cycle. Read how cycle direction and starting age are calculated in Ten-year cycles。

Why apparent solar time matters

Civil clock time uses a legal time zone; apparent solar time follows the Sun at the birthplace. Longitude and the equation of time produce a difference. Taipei's longitude, for example, contributes about six minutes relative to the UTC+08 reference meridian. The equation of time varies through the year.

Together, these adjustments can exceed twenty minutes and may change an hour pillar near a boundary. The calculator applies the adjustment automatically and shows the difference in the result.

For examples and the yearly variation, see Apparent solar time.

Births after 23:00: which day pillar applies?

Traditions differ on whether the day changes at 23:00 or midnight. This calculator uses late-Zi: 23:00–23:59 keeps the current day pillar while starting the Zi hour. If solar-time correction crosses midnight, the date changes accordingly. See The Zi hour and the day boundary。

What if I do not know my birth time?

Select “I do not know my birth time” to use the year, month, and day pillars. Important themes remain visible, but the missing hour affects strength and supportive-element analysis. This calculator's three-pillar strength score tends to run lower because it omits an hour that can only add support. Read those conclusions cautiously.

For what three pillars can and cannot show, see BaZi without a birth time。

What can I do after calculating?

Review the Four Pillars, hidden stems, Five Elements, strength calculation, and Zi Wei palaces. You can then request an automated reading with a specific question. For a preview of the style and scope, read the Sample reading. The chart is a reference for reflection; your choices remain your own.

To understand how the chart is calculated, browse Learn BaZi. Our checks, results, and known limitations are described in Methods and accuracy, including critical discussion of this calculator.

Readings support reflection and are not medical, legal, or financial advice. When strength, timing, or the method is uncertain, the reading should state the limitation instead of presenting a definite conclusion.

Frequently asked questions

What do I need for a BaZi chart?: Your Gregorian birth date, local birth time, birthplace, and sex as used by the traditional cycle rules. Select a city to confirm the time zone and longitude. Historical daylight saving and solar-time adjustments are handled by the calculator. Unknown times can use three pillars; Zi Wei needs a birth time.
Why can the hour or day pillar differ from another calculator?: Two common reasons are solar-time correction and births after 23:00. This calculator adjusts for longitude and the equation of time. It also uses the late-Zi convention: 23:00–23:59 starts the Zi hour but keeps the current day pillar. A calculator that changes the day at 23:00 can give a different result.
Why is the cycle start age one year different from a traditional chart?: Traditional charts may show nominal age, while this calculator uses completed years since birth. Nominal age is commonly one higher; this often describes the same starting point using a different age convention.
What does the result include?: The Four Pillars and hidden stems, Ten Gods, weighted Five Elements, Day Master strength with its calculation details and limitations, ten-year cycles, and a Zi Wei chart with major stars and Four Transformations when a birth time is known.
Is calculation free? Are my birth details saved?: Chart calculation is free and requires no account. When signed out, unsubmitted drafts remain temporarily in this browser for up to 24 hours and can be cleared. After signing in, you can save charts and readings to your account.