The Wood Element (木)

In BaZi, Wood is not a substance but a phase of change. Its qualities — growth, expansion, planning and flexibility — are used to describe how the stems and branches of that element behave and interact.

• Water generates Wood (its resource).
• Wood generates Fire (its output).
• Wood controls Earth (its wealth).
• Metal controls Wood (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 Wood among the four visible stems and four branches, and lists hidden stems separately. Branches hiding Wood: 寅 Yin, 卯 Mao, 辰 Chen, 未 Wei, 亥 Hai. A count is not a strength score — season and roots matter more than raw numbers.

Two Day Masters belong to Wood: 甲 Jia Yang Wood and 乙 Yi Yin Wood. For them, the other elements map to Ten God families like this:

• Woodcompanion (比劫)
• Fireoutput (食伤)
• Earthwealth (财)
• Metalofficer (官杀)
• Waterresource (印)

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

• 子子 ZiStrengthening (相)
• 丑丑 ChouConfined (囚)
• 寅寅 YinProsperous (旺)
• 卯卯 MaoProsperous (旺)
• 辰辰 ChenConfined (囚)
• 巳巳 SiResting (休)
• 午午 WuResting (休)
• 未未 WeiConfined (囚)
• 申申 ShenDead (死)
• 酉酉 YouDead (死)
• 戌戌 XuConfined (囚)
• 亥亥 HaiStrengthening (相)

Wood is prosperous in spring, 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.

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

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 Wood in a chart, first identify the Day Master, then read Wood through this table.

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

Visible Wood stems act directly; Wood hidden in branches acts as roots and background. A Wood frame (three harmony 亥卯未, directional 寅卯辰) can make the element dominant even when few stems show it.

The fastest way to understand Wood 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 Wood 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 Wood 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 Wood 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 Wood, so I should wear green." 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.
• "Wood 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.