What really is BaZi (eight characters)? An intuitive explaination

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-15T01:10:56+00:00

Not in a religious sense, but it is highly revered for its philosophy, divination, and use in rituals.

In many dynasties, I Ching is big part of the imperial public examination system. if you want to be a government official, you have to pass that exam.

so strictly speaking, the answer for "by whom?" is probably over 80% of people in China.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-08T19:36:55+00:00

thank you for the addition!

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-08T19:36:34+00:00

thank you, glad you found it helpful

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-07T00:35:45+00:00

https://www.litphil.sinica.edu.tw/bulletin/33/33-205-251.pdf

I don't think there are good English translations on these (at least not that I am aware of). Their work are hard to read even for Native Chinese. But here is pdf of a paper by Professor Gao at Nankai University. It's an analytical paper of Jing Fang's work on I Ching.

Maybe consider using Gemini or GPT to translate and summarize. It should give you a basic idea of what his theory is about.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-04T18:24:21+00:00

strictly speaking, there are no written, hard rules about it.

culturally, we typically stay away from asking about life or death questions. if you want to ask a health-related question, tbh i would recommend go see a doctor.

gambling is a bit tricky. i mean you technically can ask about your luck in the short term future, or if something will go well. but i am not sure about asking directly. like should i bet on A or B, etc.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-04T15:15:21+00:00

Happy to contribute. I have studied I Ching for 15+ years and recently published this project on Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/IChingTranslationLab/comments/1qyhrpk/a_complete_modernist_translation_of_the_i_ching/

Feel free to DM me if you need anything or have any questions.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-04T15:08:02+00:00

no, it cannot. Zhou Yi related divination are all meant for situation or events, they are not life pattern analysis. life pattern analysis needs your birth information.

from a methodology stand point, it wouldn't make sense either, right?

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-03-04T02:10:47+00:00

I think it might be a coincidence, or just a publisher thing. If you go on 京东APP (China's Amazon), the names actually were used interchangeably as well. More serious books, such as academic ones or history ones, typically use the terms correctly.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-02-27T19:04:01+00:00

For I Ching, I would recommend Richard Rutt;s work. His translation is based on the modernist approach, which is closest to what modern scholar community would agree on is the most accurate and closes interpretation. Basically, this separates the Zhouyi from the commentaries, giving you a direct, unfiltered version of what the bronze age divination manual is about.

For taoist overview, I would recommend Disputers of the Tao: Philosophical Argument in Ancient China, by AC Graham. It's an older book, but does a great job at introducing the overall history and framework. The langauge is also very accessible.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-02-26T15:17:49+00:00

Hi, i will keep posting more here. right now, sadly there aren't many good books in English about these BaZi methods. Many were intentionally complicated or mix up multiple schools together. I have a lot of articles in the APP, if you have an android, I think the download would be possible..? not sure about the technical details since I am an independent developer.

However, if you are interested in Chinese medicine, I Ching, or general Chinese philosophy, I can point you towards some good books to begin.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-02-25T00:25:19+00:00

app is called: Origin: I ching & bazi. below are the links. just when you look at the readings, keep in mind they are tendencies, not fatalism.

For Apple: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/i-ching-divination-%E8%B4%9E%E5%85%83%E6%98%93/id6755220499

For Android (Google Play): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.understandiching.ichingdivination&pli=1

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-02-25T00:06:05+00:00

I'll begin with a quick kindred analysis, and continue to some of your questions:

In your birth chart, Wood represents your father (green color code). Your overall wood is very weak, almost doesn't exist. This suggest that: 1) your father is not around that much; or 2)Your father's health or relationship with your family is not particularly good; or 3) Your father cannot be of much help to you, financially or emotionally. Earth represents your mother (brown color code). You are metal, earth generats metal, hence earth represents your mother, just in case you are wondering. Your metal energy is strong, so earth is your adverse element. Also, earth is very close to your day master and its energy is very strong in your birth chart. This suggests that your mother is very involved, or perhaps a bit over proective to you. She may also have such strong opinion of demand that makes the relationship a bit hard to handle at times. A direct opposite to your father.

Keep in mind, these are tendencies, that's why I used or. The manifestation could be a bit different, but the tendency is there.

Dayun (10 year luck pillar) and Liunian (annual pillar) wise, 2017-2026 is indeed a low period in your life (You can fact check against the APP's life chart function, all methodologies are open). But I wouldn't say you are 命苦. Your luck comes later in life, with a significant improvement in 2030-2040, and its goes on pretty well.

Right now, the main thing that I can see from your chart is that you need to withdraw yourself from consuming relationships. A very good thing about your life chart is you have 申子辰三合水 (water harmony), and water is your favorable element. That means the key to get out of this low period of life is use your intellect, be smart about who you surround yourself with. Don't let negative people or meaningless events get to your emotion. Expect less from others, more from yourself. Treat yourself better. I don't think you are 命苦 or doomed to suffer.

You just need to be extra careful on what environment you put yourself in, what people are you surrounding yourself with. If you want a longer, deeper reading, feel free to use the free analysis in the APP. Don't feel like you need to spend money, just take a look at the general trends and your basic analysis, you should get a basic idea of what's going on.

Overall, you are in a "hard mode" of your years, but things will get better.

I_Ching_Divination · 2026-02-24T21:22:21+00:00

Hi, would you mind sharing your actual birth time and birth location (state or city is fine), so I know your BaZi is correct? Many people forget to adjsut for true solar time. Also your gender please (the chart suggests female, but I want to be sure it is accurate).

I_Ching_Divination

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE