BaZi Talk™: Difference Between the Year Animal Sign and Heavenly Stem of Day

If you have ever had your BaZi chart professionally read before, you’ll know that the destiny reading, analyzing, and life-cycle forecasting is based on the Heavenly Stem 天干 of the Day that you were born (e.g., Yang Earth 戊, Yin Metal 辛, Yang Wood 甲, etc.), and has very little to do with the Animal Sign of the Year that you were born (e.g., Monkey 申, Rooster 酉, Dog 戌, etc.).

While the Heavenly Stem of the Day that you were born is a little more complicated to retrieve (because you need to know how to use the Chinese Hsia Calendar), many folks still enjoy reading their “horoscopes” online, which is often based on the Birth Year.

Most articles and videos on the web are forecasts generally based on the person’s Birth Year. In other words, it is very generic. For instance, this coming 2018 is the Year of the Dog 戌, many fortune-tellers will focus on discussing the fortune of people who were born in the Year of the Dog 戌 (2006, 1994, 1982, 1970, 1958, 1946, 1934, 1922, 1910, etc.). That’s why it is harder to find accurate BaZi forecasts online because the composite of the BaZi chart is a lot more complicated and very specific (based on the person’s birth Year, Month, Day, and gender).

Think for example in Western Astrology, your zodiac sign is based on the Month that you were born regardless of the Year and gender. This is how people come to know their birth sign as Libra, Capricorn, or Sagittarius. That means if two people were born on the same day but in two different years, their zodiac sign is the same. For example, May 16^th belongs to the Taurus sign despite one being born in 1968 or 1994.

However, in Chinese BaZi, the zodiac sign is based on the Day that you were born but also highly dependent on the Year and Month that you were born, and your personal fortune or life cycle depends on your gender (hence, twins can be born on the same exact moment but if one is a boy and the other is a girl, then they will have two different destinies).

You can read this article to learn more => BaZi Talk™: Same Birthdays – Part 1.

That’s why in BaZi, if you were to get the Year or Month wrong, then the whole birth chart is totally wrong. So, let’s say we use the same example above. The BaZi zodiac sign, or self-element, for the person born on 16 May, 1968 is Yang Fire 丙 (like the sun), while the self-element for the person born on 16 May, 1994 is Yang Water 壬 (like an ocean), two totally different composites, two totally kinds of people.

May 16, 1968 birth chart is Yang Fire Day Master or Self Element. Western Zodiac: Taurus.

May 16, 1994 birth chart is Yang Water Day Master or Self Element. Western Zodiac: Taurus.

Which is why when someone tells me, “Jen, I’m a Monkey,” or “I’m a Rabbit,” it doesn’t give me very much information about the holistic composite—and quality—of a person’s character, much less about his or her life destiny.  Simply iterating your animal birth year sign is too superficial, especially from a BaZi destiny reading perspective. The only thing you will get by saying this is reading a very generic statement about your character and prospect, like picking up the newspaper and reading the monthly horoscope. It applies to A LOT of people.

However, if you were to say to me, “Jen, I am a strong Yang Earth person,” or “I am a weak Yin Wood person,” then there is more substance to this statement.

Don’t get me wrong. The Animal Sign has an important role when it comes to understanding the whole picture of a person’s destiny (e.g., clash, penalty, combine). But if we were just talking about identifying each other like we do by our names, in BaZi, the correct way is to refer to yourself by the Heavenly Stem 天干 of your birth Day.

Hi, my name is Samantha and I am a Yin Earth person. Just like that!

Here are the 10 Heavenly Stems 天干:

Yang Fire 丙, Yin Fire 丁, Yang Earth 戊, Yin Earth 己, Yang Metal 庚, Yin Metal 辛, Yang Water 壬, Yin Water 癸, Yang Wood 甲, Yin Wood 乙.

Famous People Examples:

Albert Einstein – Yang Fire 丙

David Bowie – Yin Fire 丁

Hilary Clinton – Yang Earth 戊

Donald Trump – Yin Earth 己

Queen Elizabeth – Yang Metal 庚

Marily Monroe – Yin Metal 辛

Kate Middleton – Yang Water 壬

Mother Theresa – Yin Water 癸

Whitney Houston – Yang Wood 甲

Madonna – Yin Wood 乙

Happy learning!

If you’re interested in getting your personal BaZi chart done, fill in the information below.