Basics · what a branch contains
A branch is not one character, it is a container. Inside each of the twelve branches sit one to three stems, ranked main, middle and residual. When a stem shows on top of a pillar it is read directly; when nothing shows, the hidden stems inside the branches are what actually carries the relation.
The output lists the hidden stems branch by branch and gives the ten god each one reads as against your day master.
The main, middle and residual ranking is the tradition's; it is reproduced here and cross-checked against the rules below.
| Branch | Main qi | Middle qi | Residual qi | Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 子 Zi Rat | 癸 Gui Water | — | — | 1 |
| 丑 Chou Ox | 己 Ji Earth | 癸 Gui Water | 辛 Xin Metal | 3 |
| 寅 Yin Tiger | 甲 Jia Wood | 丙 Bing Fire | 戊 Wu Earth | 3 |
| 卯 Mao Rabbit | 乙 Yi Wood | — | — | 1 |
| 辰 Chen Dragon | 戊 Wu Earth | 乙 Yi Wood | 癸 Gui Water | 3 |
| 巳 Si Snake | 丙 Bing Fire | 庚 Geng Metal | 戊 Wu Earth | 3 |
| 午 Wu Horse | 丁 Ding Fire | 己 Ji Earth | — | 2 |
| 未 Wei Goat | 己 Ji Earth | 丁 Ding Fire | 乙 Yi Wood | 3 |
| 申 Shen Monkey | 庚 Geng Metal | 壬 Ren Water | 戊 Wu Earth | 3 |
| 酉 You Rooster | 辛 Xin Metal | — | — | 1 |
| 戌 Xu Dog | 戊 Wu Earth | 辛 Xin Metal | 丁 Ding Fire | 3 |
| 亥 Hai Pig | 壬 Ren Water | 甲 Jia Wood | — | 2 |
These counts are not estimates; they are the table above, counted.
| Element | Hidden stems |
|---|---|
| Wood | 5 |
| Fire | 5 |
| Earth | 8 |
| Metal | 5 |
| Water | 5 |
| Hidden stems in total | 28 |
|---|---|
| Fewest / most in one branch | 1 / 3 |
| Branches with exactly one | 子、卯、酉 |
| Branches with three | 丑、寅、辰、巳、未、申、戌 |
The hidden-stem table is usually taught as a list to memorise. It is the product of two rules.
Rule one: the main hidden stem of a branch always carries the same element as that branch. Chou holds Ji (earth) as its main qi, Chen holds Wu (earth), Yin holds Jia (wood), and all twelve hold to it. On this site it is a build-time assertion: if it ever fails, the generator refuses to write the pages.
Rule two: no branch holds more than three hidden stems, and only Zi, Mao and You hold a single one. The four earth branches Chou, Chen, Wei and Xu each hold three, which is why earth is the most frequent element once hidden stems are counted.
The residual stem usually comes from the trine the branch belongs to, which is why a branch so often hides one of its trine partners. The trines have their own family, and the stage landings have theirs.
These are the questions specific to this page; broader conventions live on the methodology page.
Every enumerable component of ba zi has its own page here. Each page is computed by the same engine and can be checked item by item — none of it is a personality table.