六十甲子 · The cycle of sixty

What these words mean

• Pillar: a pair of symbols: a stem written on top and a branch below it. Your year pillar is the pair for your year of birth, and your day pillar the pair for your day of birth. Four pillars make eight symbols, which is what BaZi means: "eight characters".
• Stem (天干, Heavenly Stem): the top symbol of a pillar. There are ten. Each is one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) in its yang or its yin form.
• Branch (地支, Earthly Branch): the bottom symbol of a pillar. There are twelve, each with an animal sign. The branch of your year pillar is your zodiac animal.