建禄格

How do the Day Master and month branch define Jian Lu Ge?

The Day Master is the Heavenly Stem of the day pillar. A pillar pairs an upper Heavenly Stem with a lower Earthly Branch, and each branch contains hidden stems. These levels have different jobs: the Day Master supplies the reference point for the Ten Gods, while the month branch supplies the seasonal setting used to identify Jian Lu Ge. The four pillars provide the basic layout.

In the example below, the month pillar is 戊寅. Wu (戊) is the visible month stem; Yin (寅) is the month branch. Yin contains 甲、丙、戊. Relative to the Jia Day Master, these are 比肩, Companion; 食神, Eating God; and 偏财, Indirect Wealth. The visible Wu is also Indirect Wealth. Jian Lu Ge therefore describes the relationship between Jia and Yin, even though a different stem stands above Yin.

Does Jian Lu Ge make every officer star favorable?

A common misconception is that Jian Lu Ge automatically makes every officer star favorable. The pattern identifies a particular source of support for the Day Master; judging an officer relationship also involves its identity, position and surrounding stems and branches. The distinction between Day Master strength and weakness concerns the broader balance of support and expenditure.

The officer-related stems in this chart require precise names. Geng (庚), the year stem, is Seven Killings (七杀) relative to Jia. Xin (辛), hidden in both the day branch Xu (戌) and hour branch Chou (丑), is Direct Officer (正官). Both belong to the element that controls the Day Master, but their yin–yang relationships distinguish them. Calling every metal stem “the officer” would blur that useful distinction. The Ten Gods glossary explains these relational names.

Location adds another layer. The year pillar 庚申 contains visible Geng, and Shen (申) also contains Geng, alongside Ren (壬) and Wu. The day branch Xu contains 戊、辛、丁, while the hour branch Chou contains 己、癸、辛. Thus Seven Killings appears visibly in the year stem and within its branch; Direct Officer appears among the hidden stems of two other branches. The month branch itself contains Companion, Eating God and Indirect Wealth.

How do branch clashes differ from stem relationships?

Branch relationships describe the lower characters. Yin in the month and Shen in the year form 寅申冲, a clash. That relationship involves the branches supporting those pillars. It differs from identifying Geng as Seven Killings, which compares a stem with the Day Master. A clash between branches and a Ten God assignment answer different parts of chart reading, even when both involve the same pillar.

The visible stems also contain a Yi–Geng combination pairing: Yi (乙) stands in the hour pillar and Geng in the year pillar. Yi is Rob Wealth (劫财) relative to Jia, while Geng is Seven Killings. Their combination relationship belongs to the Heavenly Stems; the Yin–Shen clash belongs to the Earthly Branches. Keeping the two levels distinct preserves the chart’s actual structure. See how to read a BaZi chart for their place in a full reading.

How does Jian Lu Ge fit into the whole chart?

Traditional interpretation brings these relationships together: seasonal support from Yin, the visible wealth stem Wu, the hidden Eating God Bing, and the metal stems controlling Jia. Jian Lu Ge supplies the month-pattern name; the remaining positions supply its particular configuration. BaZi basics covers this vocabulary, while luck pillars introduce the additional time layer used in traditional readings.

Worked example

Worked example (solar 1980-03-02 1:00, female):

This chart's pattern is 建禄格; the day master is 偏旺.

For 1980-03-02 at 01:00, female, the four pillars are 庚申 · 戊寅 · 甲戌 · 乙丑. Jia is the Day Master, and Yin is its Lu position in the month branch: the defining relationship for Jian Lu Ge. The BaZi chart calculator accepts a birth date and time to display four pillars, per-pillar Ten Gods, hidden stems, NaYin and void branches.