Ten signs · five phase pairs · 天干
The ten Heavenly Stems
A Heavenly Stem is the part of a year or chart pillar that supplies its phase and polarity. The ten stems run in a fixed order: a yang stem, then a yin stem, for each of the five phases.
- 01甲JiaYang Wood
- 02乙YiYin Wood
- 03丙BingYang Fire
- 04丁DingYin Fire
- 05戊WuYang Earth
- 06己JiYin Earth
- 07庚GengYang Metal
- 08辛XinYin Metal
- 09壬RenYang Water
- 10癸GuiYin Water
One pillar, two coordinates
What the stem contributes
A stem does not name an animal. It names one phase in either its yang or yin form. The Earthly Branch beside it supplies the animal and its fixed position among the twelve branches.
- Heavenly Stem
- 10 positionsphase + polarity
- Earthly Branch
- 12 positionsanimal + time coordinate
- Stem–branch cycle
- 60 pairingsboth sequences advance together
The complete reference
Five phases, each in two polarities
Each row keeps the yang and yin forms together. The combination and clash fields are fixed stem-to-stem relations; a full chart reading still depends on where the stems appear.
Five fixed partners · 五合
The five stem combinations
Each stem pairs with the stem five places away. The relation is reciprocal, so the five pairs below cover all ten stems once.
Four visible positions
Where stems sit in a chart
A Four Pillars chart has a stem at the top of its year, month, day and hour pillars. The day stem is the Day Master: the reference point used to name the other visible stems through the Ten Gods system.