What is Bát Tự?
BaZi (also called Four Pillars) is a traditional destiny analysis system based on the four pillars of birth year, month, day, and hour, each consisting of one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch, totaling eight characters, used to analyze the Five Elements and one's fate.
Also called: Tứ Trụ (Four Pillars) · Tứ Trụ Bát Tự (Four Pillars of Destiny) · Bát Tự (Eight Characters)
What is Bát Tự?
Where does Bát Tự come from?
Bát Tự (BaZi, the Four Pillars) is tied to the Can Chi system (Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) of Eastern culture, which was used from very early times to record years, months, days and hours. Over many centuries, people of earlier eras combined Can Chi with the theories of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang to form a method of reading destiny through four pillars. Articles on the site such as "Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì? Cách xem vận mệnh qua 8 chữ Can Chi" and "Bát tự (Tứ trụ): Xem vận mệnh qua giờ ngày tháng năm sinh" present Bát Tự as a system of analysis based on the hour, day, month and year of birth converted into Can Chi.
How is Bát Tự structured?
The four pillars are Year, Month, Day and Hour. Each pillar consists of one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch, giving eight characters, which is why it is called Bát Tự (eight characters). Within these, the Stem of the day of birth is called the Nhật chủ (or Nhật can), representing the person whose destiny is being read. The remaining pillars correspond to ancestors, parents, siblings, children and the stages of a life. The articles "Trụ Năm trong Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì?" and "Trụ Tháng trong Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì?" explain the role of each pillar.
What do people use Bát Tự for?
From the eight Can Chi characters, the reader analyses the strength and weakness of the Five Elements (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) and the relationships of generation and control, clash and combination between the pillars, and from there infers character, tendencies in fortune and the relationships in a life. Concepts such as the Ten Gods (Chính Ấn, Thiên Ấn, Thực Thần, Thiên Tài, Thất Sát, Kiếp Tài and so on) and the Dụng Thần (useful god) are the tools of interpretation. The articles on the site about Thiên Ấn, Chính Ấn, Thiên Tài, Thực Thần, Thất Sát, Kiếp Tài and Dụng Thần all belong to this system.
How does Bát Tự differ from Tử Vi?
Both are traditional methods of reading destiny, but they use different data and different ways of drawing up the chart. Bát Tự relies on the eight Can Chi characters of the year, month, day and hour of birth, analysing the Five Elements and their relationships of generation and control directly. Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology) builds a chart with palaces and stars based on the hour, day, month and year of birth. The article "Tử vi là gì? Tổng quan cách xem và các khái niệm nền tảng" introduces the Tử Vi system, helping to distinguish it from Bát Tự.
What should be kept in mind when learning about Bát Tự?
Bát Tự is traditional knowledge of a reference nature, not verified by science. Interpretation depends heavily on the experience and viewpoint of the reader, and should not be treated as a certain conclusion about the future or about character. Those who study it should keep an objective spirit, avoiding superstition or using Bát Tự to decide important matters in life.
How do the different schools understand Bát Tự?
- The Tử Bình approach: Emphasises the role of the Nhật chủ and the Dụng Thần, analysing the strength and weakness of the Five Elements to find the balancing element, and from there reading destiny. The articles on Dụng Thần and the Ten Gods on the site reflect this direction.
- The traditional Four Pillars approach: Focuses on the meaning of each pillar (Year, Month, Day, Hour) as corresponding to a stage of life and to family relationships, with less depth on the Ten Gods. The articles on the Year Pillar and the Month Pillar show this approach.
- The approach combined with Tử Vi: Some people treat Bát Tự and Tử Vi as two complementary systems, cross-referencing them to increase confidence. The introduction to Tử Vi on the site shows that this combined direction exists.
Related articles
- Thiên Ấn (Kiêu Thần) trong Thập Thần của Bát Tự - ý nghĩa và ứng dụng luận mệnh
- Tử vi là gì? Tổng quan cách xem và các khái niệm nền tảng
- Thiên Tài trong Thập Thần của Bát Tự - ý nghĩa và ứng dụng luận mệnh
- Chính Ấn trong Thập Thần của Bát Tự: Ý nghĩa và ứng dụng luận mệnh
- Trụ Năm trong Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì?
- Thực Thần trong Thập Thần của Bát Tự: Ý nghĩa và ứng dụng luận mệnh
- Trụ Tháng trong Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì?
- Thất Sát trong Thập Thần của Bát Tự - ý nghĩa và ứng dụng luận mệnh
- Kiếp Tài trong Thập Thần của Bát Tự - ý nghĩa và ứng dụng luận mệnh
- Dụng Thần trong Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì?
- Bát Tự (Tứ Trụ) là gì? Cách xem vận mệnh qua 8 chữ Can Chi
What are the four pillars of a Bát Tự chart?
| Pillar | Derived from | Said to speak about |
|---|---|---|
| Year Pillar | Lunar year of birth | Origins, ancestors, early childhood |
| Month Pillar | Month of birth, divided by SOLAR TERMS rather than by the first day of the month | Parents, siblings, the environment one grew up in |
| Day Pillar | Day of birth; the Stem of this pillar is the Nhật Chủ | The person concerned and their spouse |
| Hour Pillar | Hour of birth according to the 12 Earthly Branch time frames | Children and later life |
Each pillar is a pair of Can Chi, and four pillars make eight characters, which is the meaning of the name Bát Tự. The Month Pillar shifts according to solar terms, so a person born at the start of a lunar month may still belong to the previous month pillar; this is the most common place where mistakes are made when drawing up a chart by hand.
The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.
