What Are the Hidden Stems in an Earthly Branch?
Hidden stems (Cang Gan) are the Heavenly Stems tucked inside each Earthly Branch (Di Zhi). For example, the branch Yin holds three stems, while Zi holds only one.
A BaZi chart has four pillars: year, month, day and hour. Each pillar has a Heavenly Stem on top and an Earthly Branch below. The top stems are written right in the chart, but the hidden ones have to be read out of the branch.
Enter your birth date and time in the free BaZi calculator to get your four pillars. Under each branch, the small characters labelled Hidden Stems are the stems it holds, shown in Chinese. The first one is called the main qi, and it is the strongest.
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Enter your birth details to discover your Day Master, elemental balance, and how these concepts apply to your Four Pillars.
Hidden Stems Chart: All Twelve Branches at a Glance
The twelve branches run from Zi to Hai, and each one always holds the same hidden stems. Each also has its own animal, element, month and two-hour slot of the day.
| Branch | Element | Month (approx.) | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zi (Rat) | Water | Dec | 11pm–1am |
| Chou (Ox) | Earth | Jan | 1am–3am |
| Yin (Tiger) | Wood | Feb | 3am–5am |
| Mao (Rabbit) | Wood | Mar | 5am–7am |
| Chen (Dragon) | Earth | Apr | 7am–9am |
| Si (Snake) | Fire | May | 9am–11am |
| Wu (Horse) | Fire | Jun | 11am–1pm |
| Wei (Goat) | Earth | Jul | 1pm–3pm |
| Shen (Monkey) | Metal | Aug | 3pm–5pm |
| Yǒu (Rooster) | Metal | Sep | 5pm–7pm |
| Xu (Dog) | Earth | Oct | 7pm–9pm |
| Hai (Pig) | Water | Nov | 9pm–11pm |
| Branch | Main qi | Middle qi | Residual qi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zi | Gui Water | — | — |
| Chou | Ji Earth | Gui Water | Xin Metal |
| Yin | Jia Wood | Bing Fire | Wu Earth |
| Mao | Yi Wood | — | — |
| Chen | Wu Earth | Yi Wood | Gui Water |
| Si | Bing Fire | Geng Metal | Wu Earth |
| Wu | Ding Fire | Ji Earth | — |
| Wei | Ji Earth | Ding Fire | Yi Wood |
| Shen | Geng Metal | Ren Water | Wu Earth |
| Yǒu | Xin Metal | — | — |
| Xu | Wu Earth | Xin Metal | Ding Fire |
| Hai | Ren Water | Jia Wood | — |
BaZi months change on solar terms, not on the first day of a lunar month. The Yin month, for example, begins at the Start of Spring (Lichun), around February 4.
Main, Middle and Residual Qi: Which Matters Most?
The main qi matters most, because it decides which element the branch belongs to. Yin's main qi is Jia Wood, so Yin counts as a Wood branch.
The middle and residual qi are weaker. They do two jobs.
- Give stems a rootA stem on top is rooted when a branch below hides a stem of the same element. A rooted stem holds its strength better.
- Add Ten GodsHidden stems also map to the Ten Gods. They can show traits that no visible stem carries.
Many books give every hidden stem a score and add the scores up. Fortune Cloud judges Day Master strength from the main qi of the four branches only.
Six Harmony, Three Harmony and Seasonal Combination: How Many Branches Count?
A six harmony (Liu He) needs two branches, while a three harmony (San He) or seasonal combination (San Hui) needs all three. Branches relate to each other in seven common ways: these three, plus clash, punishment, harm and break.
| Relation | Branches | Needs |
|---|---|---|
| Six harmony | Zi–Chou, Yin–Hai, Mao–Xu, Chen–Yǒu, Si–Shen, Wu–Wei | Two |
| Three harmony | Shen–Zi–Chen (Water), Si–Yǒu–Chou (Metal), Yin–Wu–Xu (Fire), Hai–Mao–Wei (Wood) | All three |
| Seasonal combination | Hai–Zi–Chou (Water), Yin–Mao–Chen (Wood), Si–Wu–Wei (Fire), Shen–Yǒu–Xu (Metal) | All three |
Say your chart has both Zi and Chou. The two hold on to each other, and that is a six harmony. It is only a bond, so neither branch turns into another element.
A three harmony is three branches spaced four apart, such as Shen, Zi and Chen. A seasonal combination is the three months of one season, such as Yin, Mao and Chen in spring. Once all three are in the chart, the combination holds even if one of them is clashed.
Two out of three is a half combination. It must include Zi, Wu, Mao or Yǒu, and the two must sit in neighboring pillars. So Shen and Zi next to each other count, but Shen and Chen do not, because the Zi in the middle is missing.
Once a combination forms, all three branches count as its element. With Shen, Zi and Chen together, Shen counts as Water too. The Geng Metal hidden in Shen then no longer gives any stem a root.
Clash, Punishment, Harm and Break: Which Weigh More?
A clash (Chong) weighs more, while punishment (Xing), harm (Hai) and break (Po) weigh less. A clash is two branches directly opposite each other on the circle of twelve, such as Zi and Wu.
| Relation | Branches | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Clash | Zi–Wu, Chou–Wei, Yin–Shen, Mao–Yǒu, Chen–Xu, Si–Hai | Heavier |
| Punishment | Zi–Mao, Yin–Si–Shen, Chou–Wei–Xu; self-punishment: Chen, Wu, Yǒu, Hai | Lighter |
| Harm | Zi–Wei, Chou–Wu, Yin–Si, Mao–Chen, Shen–Hai, Yǒu–Xu | Lighter |
| Break | Zi–Yǒu, Chou–Chen, Mao–Wu, Wei–Xu | Lighter |
Within either three-branch punishment group, any two that meet form a punishment. The four self-punishing branches count only when the same one appears twice in a chart.
Only four pairs count as a break. Some books add Yin with Hai and Si with Shen, but Sanming Tonghui leaves those two out.
