The Metal Element (金)

In BaZi, Metal is not a substance but a phase of change. Its qualities — structure, cutting away, precision and principle — are used to describe how the stems and branches of that element behave and interact.

• Earth generates Metal (its resource).
• Metal generates Water (its output).
• Metal controls Wood (its wealth).
• Fire controls Metal (its officer).

Two further ideas appear in classical texts: an element can be "drained" by what it generates and "insulted" (反侮) by what it normally controls when that element is too strong. These describe imbalance rather than simple cycles.

The calculator counts Metal among the four visible stems and four branches, and lists hidden stems separately. Branches hiding Metal: 丑 Chou, 巳 Si, 申 Shen, 酉 You, 戌 Xu. A count is not a strength score — season and roots matter more than raw numbers.

Two Day Masters belong to Metal: 庚 Geng Yang Metal and 辛 Xin Yin Metal. For them, the other elements map to Ten God families like this:

• Woodwealth (财)
• Fireofficer (官杀)
• Earthresource (印)
• Metalcompanion (比劫)
• Wateroutput (食伤)

Whether Metal is "too much" or "too little" is covered in Metal strong and Metal weak.

• 子子 ZiResting (休)
• 丑丑 ChouStrengthening (相)
• 寅寅 YinConfined (囚)
• 卯卯 MaoConfined (囚)
• 辰辰 ChenStrengthening (相)
• 巳巳 SiDead (死)
• 午午 WuDead (死)
• 未未 WeiStrengthening (相)
• 申申 ShenProsperous (旺)
• 酉酉 YouProsperous (旺)
• 戌戌 XuStrengthening (相)
• 亥亥 HaiResting (休)

Metal is prosperous in autumn, strengthening when the season element generates it, resting when it generates the season element, confined when it controls the season element and weakest ("dead") when the season element controls it.

• Metal + Wood: Metal controls Wood
• Metal + Fire: Fire controls Metal
• Metal + Earth: Earth generates Metal
• Metal + Metal: the same element
• Metal + Water: Metal generates Water

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.

The same element plays a different Ten God role depending on whose chart it is in. When you see Metal in a chart, first identify the Day Master, then read Metal through this table.

• 甲甲 Jia Yang Woodofficer (官杀) · Seven Killings (七杀) · Direct Officer (正官)
• 乙乙 Yi Yin Woodofficer (官杀) · Direct Officer (正官) · Seven Killings (七杀)
• 丙丙 Bing Yang Firewealth (财) · Indirect Wealth (偏财) · Direct Wealth (正财)
• 丁丁 Ding Yin Firewealth (财) · Direct Wealth (正财) · Indirect Wealth (偏财)
• 戊戊 Wu Yang Earthoutput (食伤) · Eating God (食神) · Hurting Officer (伤官)
• 己己 Ji Yin Earthoutput (食伤) · Hurting Officer (伤官) · Eating God (食神)
• 庚庚 Geng Yang Metalcompanion (比劫) · Friend (比肩) · Rob Wealth (劫财)
• 辛辛 Xin Yin Metalcompanion (比劫) · Rob Wealth (劫财) · Friend (比肩)
• 壬壬 Ren Yang Waterresource (印) · Indirect Resource (偏印) · Direct Resource (正印)
• 癸癸 Gui Yin Waterresource (印) · Direct Resource (正印) · Indirect Resource (偏印)

Visible Metal stems act directly; Metal hidden in branches acts as roots and background. A Metal frame (three harmony 巳酉丑, directional 申酉戌) can make the element dominant even when few stems show it.

The fastest way to understand Metal element is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where Metal element 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 Metal element 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 Metal element 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.

• "I lack Metal, so I should wear white." Colour remedies are folk practice, not part of chart calculation, and a missing element is not automatically a problem.
• "More of an element means it is strong." Season and roots usually outweigh counts.
• "Metal is my element because of my birth year." BaZi reads the Day Master (day stem), not the year.

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.