Ba Zi Compatibility analyzes the compatibility of two horoscopes using the Four Pillars of Destiny system. For each person the Day Master is calculated — the Heavenly Stem of the day pillar representing the astrological essence of personality. The central compatibility signal is the possible Heavenly Stem Combination (天干合) — the strongest form of attraction in the Ba Zi system, where both Day Masters together form a fifth element. Additionally analyzed: the elemental relationship of the Day Masters (producing, controlling or same-element), complementarity of missing elements in both charts, clashes and harmonies of the day branch Earthly Branches. The result includes a compatibility score (1–5) and you immediately see all calculated values; the interpretation is delivered by email.
Where it comes from
Ba Zi — the eight characters, also called the Four Pillars of Destiny — is the main Chinese system of destiny analysis, built on the sexagenary cycle of ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches. Using it to compare two people is traditional practice: matchmaking by the eight characters was standard in Chinese families and the rules for it are set out in the classical manuals alongside the rules for reading a single chart.
How the method works
Each person's chart is four pillars — year, month, day and hour — each with a stem and a branch, eight characters in all. The day stem is the Day Master and stands for the person themselves, and comparison starts there. The strongest signal the system recognises is a heavenly stem combination between the two Day Masters: five such pairings exist, and each produces a fifth element together, which is read as the most direct form of attraction in Ba Zi. Short of that, the elemental relation between the two Day Masters is read — one producing the other, one controlling the other, or the two being the same element, each with a different character. Then the charts are compared for what each lacks: an element missing from one chart and abundant in the other is read as complement. Finally the day branches are checked for the six harmonies and the six clashes, which describe the daily working relation rather than the attraction.
What a reading covers
A reading gives both Day Masters with their elements, whether a stem combination is present, the elemental relation between the two charts, which elements each lacks and the other supplies, the harmonies or clashes between the day branches, and a compatibility score with a reading of what it rests on.
Common questions
- Do we both need birth times?
- The hour pillar needs it, but the Day Master comes from the date alone, and the comparison rests mainly on the day pillars. Without times the reading is narrower but still works.
- Does a clash mean the relationship fails?
- No. A clash between day branches is read as friction in daily life — different rhythms, recurring disagreement — and the tradition treats some clashes as productive. It is a description, not a verdict.
- How is this different from the Chinese zodiac animals?
- The animal signs are just the year branch, one of eight characters. Ba Zi reads all four pillars, and a comparison based on the year alone ignores seven eighths of the chart.