BaZi · Glossary
Three Cycles & Nine Periods — the 180-Year System
Deep Oracle Editorial Team · 2026-07-27 · 2 min read
The Three Cycles Nine Periods (san yuan jiu yun) system is the traditional Chinese framework that divides time into a 180-year "great cycle": three 60-year cycles (Upper, Middle, Lower), each containing three 20-year periods — nine periods in all, mapped to the nine Luoshu stars and the trigrams. The current dates: 2024–2043 is Period 9, the Nine Purple Li Fire period.
Period table
| Period | Years | Star | Trigram | Element | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper 1 | 1864–1883 | 1 White (Tan Lang) | Kan ☵ | Water | North |
| Upper 2 | 1884–1903 | 2 Black (Ju Men) | Kun ☷ | Earth | Southwest |
| Upper 3 | 1904–1923 | 3 Jade (Lu Cun) | Zhen ☳ | Wood | East |
| Middle 4 | 1924–1943 | 4 Green (Wen Qu) | Xun ☴ | Wood | Southeast |
| Middle 5 | 1944–1963 | 5 Yellow (Lian Zhen) | — (center) | Earth | Center |
| Middle 6 | 1964–1983 | 6 White (Wu Qu) | Qian ☰ | Metal | Northwest |
| Lower 7 | 1984–2003 | 7 Red (Po Jun) | Dui ☱ | Metal | West |
| Lower 8 | 2004–2023 | 8 White (Zuo Fu) | Gen ☶ | Earth | Northeast |
| Lower 9 | 2024–2043 | 9 Purple (You Bi) | Li ☲ | Fire | South |
Note: after Period 9 ends in 2043, a new 180-year cycle opens with Period 1 (One White Kan Water, 2044–2063).
Relationship to BaZi
The Nine Periods system belongs to xuankong feng shui — a framework for reading the character of eras and environments. It is a different system from the BaZi luck pillars (dayun) and annual pillars (liunian), which are computed from an individual's birth time. This site's BaZi engine does not use the Nine Periods in chart computation; the two systems are presented separately on purpose.
Sources
The periodization was systematized in Qing-dynasty xuankong works, with Shen Zhureng's Shen Shi Xuan Kong Xue and Tan Yangwu's Xuan Kong Ben Yi as representative texts.
Related terms
Yuan Yun · Xuankong Flying Stars · Nine Palaces & Luoshu · Period 9 Li Fire
In the classical texts
Passages in the classical texts held on this site where the term occurs, transcribed from the named edition. The texts do not necessarily use the term the way it is used today.
始悟剩除消长法牢笼八字定平生果应五行前定诀理愚歌云寻取五行休旺位决然定数无猜疑唐沈芝云五行无冲多贵寿造微赋云五行知其消息三元定其富贵混元赋云五行有气而为贵格采真歌云阳一嘘兮万物生阴一吸兮万物死当时则贵后时贫人物荣悴皆由此烛神经云水者所以产万物火者成万物李虚中云包括三才指陈万物】其丽乎天地为星为辰【丽
元命胜负三元者干禄支命，纳音身各分衰旺之地。
或逢四煞五鬼六害七伤地网天罗三元九宫福臻成庆祸并危疑扶兮速速抑乃迟迟
每一宫有三元，有天元、人元、支元。
仿此灾福也天禄为福其类有三如甲禄在寅要本禄本命驿马二位上见甲是也仍以五子元遁到处详之五期者五鬼是也生死旺五鬼呼为五鬼经云三元逄五鬼阎罗三使追昙莹曰立年为尊其胎月日时资以次之大运为尊其太嵗小运资以次之若遇本命与大运徳合于建旺之乡其嵗运日时防而不能为咎大运与本命互战于死囚之地其嵗运日时吉而未之为救故曰尊
三元要成格局，四柱喜见财官。
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