Inside the earthly branches · 藏干
The stems hidden inside every branch
A written Four Pillars chart shows four branches. Each branch opens into a fixed interior of one, two or three heavenly stems—28 placements across the complete twelve-branch cycle.
A branch, opened
Tiger carries all three hidden-stem roles
Its primary, middle and residual stems make the complete three-position pattern. The atlas below opens the same fixed interior for every branch.
Read inward
Primary, middle and residual describe position
These names give the fixed order inside a branch. They do not turn the stem list into three extra pillars, and this page does not assign percentage weights to the roles.
- 01本气
Primary
The branch's principal stem. Its phase matches the fixed phase assigned to that branch.
- 02中气
Middle
A second stem carried by some branches. It adds another phase and polarity to the branch.
- 03余气
Residual
A third stem carried by seven branches. It completes the branch's fixed internal sequence.
The complete fixed map
All twelve branches, opened
Branches are grouped by the number of stems they contain. Open the animal name for its hour, month and branch relations; open a phase name to follow that stem's element.
Single-stem branches
The primary stem is the whole hidden structure.
Two-stem branches
A primary stem is joined by a middle stem.
Three-stem branches
Primary, middle and residual roles are all present.
From map to reading
How hidden stems enter a chart
Begin with the four visible branch characters. Open each branch with the atlas above, then compare every revealed stem with the Day Master. The five-phase relationship and polarity together determine its Ten Gods name.
Hidden stems add internal structure to a branch; they do not replace its fixed animal, phase, hour or month position.
- 1Find a branchone of the four visible lower characters
- 2Open its stemsin primary, middle, residual order
- 3Compare to 日主phase relationship plus polarity
- 4Name the relationthe resulting Ten Gods category