BaZi · Glossary
Period 1 — One White Kan Water (1864–1883)
Deep Oracle Editorial Team · 2026-07-27 · 2 min read
Period 1, the One White Kan Water period, is the opening twenty-year period of the 180-year Three Cycles / Nine Periods system, running 1864–1883 in the current cycle (the next cycle's Period 1 begins in 2044). It corresponds to the Kan trigram, the Water element, the north, and the Tan Lang star. In traditional Xuankong reading, Kan stands for water, the middle son, flow, intelligence and concealment; the period is conventionally associated with shipping, waterways and movement. Readings of period character are retrospective tendency observations in the Xuankong tradition, not causal claims.
At a glance
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Years | 1864–1883 (20 years) |
| Cycle | Upper Cycle, period 1 of 3 (period 1 of 9) |
| Star | 1 White (Tan Lang) |
| Trigram | Kan ☵ |
| Element | Water |
| Direction | North |
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).
Related terms
Three Cycles Nine Periods · Yuan Yun · Xuankong Flying Stars · Period 9 Li Fire
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