General Knowledge Practical Bazi knowledge, judgment rules, and everyday application tips. Hai Water: The Heavenly River Where Wood Is Born — Jia's Long Birth in the Pig Month Hai Water is the twelfth earthly branch — a yang water that hides 壬甲, making it the 甲木长生 (Jia Wood's long birth) and the final branch of the cycle. This guide covers Hai's identity as the water that incubates wood, its 'heavenly river' nature, the 寅亥合木 combination, the 巳亥冲 clash between thought and reality, and the 亥卯未三合木 bureau. Hai is the lucky one — the water that does not drown what it carries. Ji Earth: The Fertile Field That Grows Everything Ji Earth is the yin earth — the garden soil, the field, the cloud. Unlike Wu Earth (the mountain), Ji's value is generative: it grows crops, absorbs water, nurtures roots. This guide explains Ji's need for丙fire to warm its dampness and癸water to stay moist, plus the full seasonal adjustment map and how Ji people thrive as the zodiac's ultimate supporters. Jia Wood: The Towering Tree at Heaven's Head Jia Wood represents the giant tree, the beam, the leader. This guide covers Jia's yin-yang nature, the critical distinction between living and dead wood, monthly seasonal adjustments, and how Jia Wood shapes personality, career, and destiny in Bazi. Shen Metal: The Forge Where Rivers Begin — Water's Long Birth in the Monkey Month Shen Metal is the ninth earthly branch — a yang metal that hides 庚壬戊, making it the birthplace of water (水之长生). This guide covers Shen's role as the forge that melts metal into rivers, its paradox of hard metal birthing soft water, the complex 巳申合, the violent 寅申冲, and the 申子辰三合水 alliance. Shen is not just metal. It is the pump that primes the water cycle. The Five Stem Combinations: From Jia-Ji to Wu-Gui The Five Stem Combinations (天干五合) are the merging rules of the Ten Heavenly Stems: Jia-Ji into Earth, Yi-Geng into Metal, Bing-Xin into Water, Ding-Ren into Wood, Wu-Gui into Fire. This guide traces their origin in the River Chart (河图), explains the four conditions for successful transformation, and covers stem-self combinations (干支自合) as practical extensions. Wei Earth: The Wood Storage Vault — Hottest Earth of the Twelve Branches Wei Earth is the eighth earthly branch — a yin earth that hides 己丁乙, making it the 木库 (wood storage) and also the hottest earth of midsummer. This guide covers Wei's role as the garden that nurtures trees, its desperate thirst for water, the 午未合 that feeds fire, the explosive 丑未冲, and the 亥卯未三合木 wood alliance. Wei is dry earth with internal fire — the Goat that burns from within. Wu Earth: The Mountain That Holds the Flood Wu Earth is the yang earth — the mountain, the city wall, the dam. Unlike Ji Earth (the field), Wu Earth's value is structural: it carries weight and blocks water. This guide explains Wu's need for Jia Wood to break its crust and壬water to justify its existence, plus the full seasonal adjustment map. Xin Metal: The Jewelry That Demands Precision Xin Metal is the yin metal — jewelry, surgical knife, refined silver. Unlike Geng's roughness, Xin is about precision and beauty. This guide explains Xin's love for壬water (金水相涵, metal and water reflecting each other) and丙fire (寒金向阳, cold metal facing the sun), its fear of too much earth (土重金埋, earth burying metal), and how Xin people thrive through refinement rather than force. Xu Earth: The Fire Storage Vault — Scrap Metal, Ashes, and the Guardian at the Gate Xu Earth is the eleventh earthly branch — a yang earth that hides 戊辛丁, making it the 火库 (fire storage) and the scrap-metal earth of late autumn. This guide covers Xu's role as the loyal guardian, its 卯戌合 fire transformation, the explosive 辰戌冲, the 寅午戌三合火 bureau, and the 丑戌未 punishment (三刑). Xu is dry dust with buried fire — the Dog that guards what the fire left behind. Yi Wood: The Vine That Outlasts the Storm Yi Wood is the flexible yin counterpart to Jia — the vine, the grass, the crop. This guide explains Yi's essential nature, its symbiotic relationship with Jia, the living-dead distinction for Yi, and how Yi people navigate career, relationships, and challenges through flexibility rather than force. You Metal: The Perfect Blade — Pure Yin Metal at the Four-Cardinal Peak You Metal is the tenth earthly branch — a yin metal branch hiding only 辛, making it one of the four cardinal pure branches (四正). This guide covers You's identity as finished metal at peak refinement — the jewelry, not the ore — its perfectionism, the 辰酉合金 union, the violent 卯酉冲 (marriage crisis clash), and the 巳酉丑三合金 bureau. You is the Rooster: proud, precise, and incapable of being anything less than finished.