FAQ
Mei Hua Yi Shu FAQ
Mei Hua Yi Shu (Plum Blossom Numerology) builds a hexagram from numbers or time and reads the relation between two trigrams. These answers cover the method on this site.
Open the tool in another tab to follow along.
01
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| How does time casting work? | Year branch number + lunar month + lunar day gives the upper trigram; adding the hour number gives the lower; the total modulo six gives the moving line. |
| Can I use my own numbers? | Yes. |
| What are body and use? | The trigram without the moving line is the body (the asker); the one with it is the use (the matter). |
| How do I read body and use? | Use generating body is favourable; body controlling use is manageable; use controlling body is unfavourable; same element is supportive. |
| What is the mutual hexagram? | Lines 2–4 and 3–5 form a hidden middle hexagram, read as the process or middle stage. |
| What is the changed hexagram? | The hexagram after the moving line flips, read as the outcome. |
| Do trigram seasons matter? | Yes. |
| How is Mei Hua different from Liu Yao? | Mei Hua reads trigram relations; Liu Yao reads individual lines with Na Jia. |
02
Key terms
- TrigramThe eight trigrams — 乾兑离震巽坎艮坤 — are three-line figures associated with heaven, lake, fire, thunder, wind, water, mountain and earth, and with five-element attributes.
- Body and UseIn Mei Hua Yi Shu the trigram without the moving line is the body (体, the asker) and the trigram with it is the use (用, the matter).
- HexagramA hexagram is a figure of six lines, each solid (yang) or broken (yin), built from two trigrams.
03
Practising with Mei Hua Yi Shu
The fastest way to understand Mei Hua Yi Shu is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where Mei Hua Yi Shu appears: in a visible stem, hidden inside a branch, in the current luck pillar or in this year's annual pillar. Note the position, because the year pillar is usually read as background and early life, the month pillar as environment and career setting, the day pillar as the self and close partner, and the hour pillar as later life and output.
- Compare two or three charts where Mei Hua Yi Shu is prominent and two where it is absent; write down what differs in the overall balance.
- Check the month branch first: seasonal strength changes how much any factor matters.
- Use the hidden-stems and Ten Gods tables in the calculator output instead of guessing.
- Treat single factors as clues, never as verdicts; classical texts always weigh the whole chart.
Different schools describe Mei Hua Yi Shu with slightly different emphasis. This site follows widely used conventions (solar-term months, true solar time optional, Zi hour setting configurable) and states them openly so you can compare results with a book or another calculator.
04
A suggested study path
Mei Hua Yi Shu is one piece of a larger system. If you are learning BaZi from scratch, the order below builds each idea on the previous one, and every step links to free reference pages on this site.
- Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
- Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
- Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
- Read the Ten Gods in context.
- Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
- Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.
05
Scope
Charts on this site use the published rule set: true solar time by default, the year changes at 立春 (Start of Spring), months change at the 12 节 solar terms and the day changes at 23:00. Example charts below are computed live by the same engine.
BaZi is a traditional cultural system. This page explains how the symbols are defined and read; it does not make scientific claims or predictions about your health, money or relationships.
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