Know your Ba Zi chart. Master your timing.
“Cut through fate.” — precision Ba Zi readings from Singapore.
Ba Zi (八字) maps the four pillars of your birth moment into a working chart of strengths, cycles and timing. We read it the way a master butcher works — following the natural grain, no guesswork, no theatrics.
Scroll to read a chart
One birth moment, four pillars, one working map
Your year, month, day and hour of birth each carry a heavenly stem and an earthly branch — eight characters in all. Read together, they describe how you are built and when to move.
- 年YearAncestry, first impressions, the world you entered
- 月MonthCareer climate, parents, your season of birth
- 日DayThe Day Master — you, and the marriage palace
- 時HourAmbition, children, the later chapters
Sample chart: a man born 12 March 1990, 8.30am, read right to left as on a traditional chart.
Eight characters, five elements
Each character belongs to one of the five elements. Count them and the chart shows where it runs strong and where it runs thin. That grain is what a reading follows.
- 木 Wood1
- 火 Fire2
- 土 Earth2
- 水 Water2
A simple count of the eight characters. A full reading also weighs hidden stems and the season of birth.
Ten-year luck pillars, one year at a time
Every ten years a new luck pillar takes over the climate of the chart. In the sample, 壬午 Ren Wu runs 2018 to 2027. Each year adds its own pillar on top: 2026 is 丙午, the Fire Horse.
- 庚辰1998
- 辛巳2008
- 壬午2018
Now - 癸未2028
- 甲申2038
- 乙酉2048
- 丙戌2058
- 丁亥2068
Your chart, read — free, in the app
The Butcher Boy app plots your four pillars to the exact solar-term minute, writes a five-part reading from your actual chart, and gives you an AI companion that answers from your computed pillars — never a guess. Five questions a day, free.
Open the app No sign-up to plot. Your birth details stay in your browser.
Latest from the study
Customs, symbols and the calendar behind them, explained plainly.
-
Bai Tai Sui (拜太岁): When and How to Pray to Tai Sui in 2027
Bai tai sui (拜太岁) explained: who prays to Tai Sui in 2027, when to go, the offerings and talisman, and the year-end…
-
Joss Paper: What It Is, When It Is Burned, and Etiquette
Joss paper explained: gold paper for deities and silver for ancestors, paper offerings, when it is burned in Singapore, and the etiquette…
-
Chinese Superstitions: Gifts, Numbers and New Year Taboos
Common Chinese superstitions explained: gifts to avoid, unlucky numbers, table manners, New Year taboos and the seventh month, with the wordplay behind…
-
Koi Fish Meaning in Chinese Culture (锦鲤) and Feng Shui
Koi fish meaning in Chinese culture: the carp that leaps the Dragon Gate, the profit and surplus puns, koi colours, and koi…
-
The Fu Character (福): Meaning and Why It Hangs Upside Down
The Chinese character fu (福) explained: what it means, the five blessings, why it hangs upside down at New Year, and where…
-
What to Wear for Chinese New Year: Colours and Customs
What to wear for Chinese New Year: why new clothes and red, colours to avoid, cheongsam and other outfits, and colours for…
A reading is a working session, not a performance.
One hour. Your chart on the table, your next twelve months mapped against it, and a written summary you keep.
“A good cook changes his chopper once a year — because he cuts. A poor cook changes it once a month — because he hacks.”
Browse the reference shelves
Tables, tools and charts you will come back to.
-
Zodiac
Zodiac Years Chart 1930–2035
-
Zodiac
The 12 Zodiac Animals
-
Tool
What Is My Zodiac? (Tool)
-
Table
Ten Gods Master Table
-
Table
Hidden Stems Chart
-
Table
Hour Stem Table (Five Rats)
-
Table
Month Stem Table (Five Tigers)
-
Tool
Compatibility Calculator
-
Study
Compatibility Guide
-
Study
Symbolic Stars (Shen Sha)
-
Table
Na Yin Table
-
Study
Glossary
-
Zodiac
2026 Chinese Zodiac
-
Table
2026 Monthly Pillars
-
Study
How to Read a Chart
-
Study
The Ten Day Masters
Beyond Ba Zi: the arts of Chinese metaphysics
Ba Zi is one art among several. Explore the wider field — the birth-chart arts, the divination boards, and the arts of form. Chinese Metaphysics: The Five Arts
Birth-chart arts
Divination boards
Arts of form
Ba Zi, plainly answered
What is a Ba Zi reading?
Ba Zi (八字, eight characters) turns the year, month, day and hour of your birth into four pillars of a heavenly stem and an earthly branch each. A reading interprets how those eight characters interact, and how ten-year and annual cycles move through them.
Do I need my exact birth time?
The hour sets your fourth pillar, so it helps. Without it you can still read three pillars, the Day Master and your luck cycles; the hour pillar is left open.
Why does the Ba Zi year start in February?
Ba Zi follows the solar terms, and the year turns at Li Chun (立春), around 4 February, not on 1 January or at Chinese New Year. If you were born before Li Chun, your year pillar belongs to the previous year.
What happens in a reading?
One hour. Your chart on the table, your next twelve months mapped against it, and a written summary you keep. What to expect in a reading
Is the Ba Zi calculator free?
Yes. The free calculator plots your four pillars, and the app adds a written reading and five free questions a day. No sign-up is needed to plot, and your birth details stay in your browser.
Monthly timing notes
One email a month: the coming month’s stems and branches, and what they favour. No noise.
Unsubscribe any time. We never share your address.