BAZI KNOWLEDGE BASE
Four Waste Days: seasonal table, meaning and worked examples
Four Waste Days (Si Fei Ri, 四废日) links four seasons with eight stem-branch days: Metal days in spring, Water in summer, Wood in autumn and Fire in winter. Waste refers to an older explanation of seasonal elemental condition, not a person’s ability or worth. The same Geng-Shen day gives different table results in spring and autumn.
All eight seasonal pairs in the volume 5 source
The Four Waste entry in volume 5 of Xie Ji Bian Fang Shu supplies this table. It is a seasonal day rule from date-selection literature. Applying it to a birth day in later BaZi material still requires both the season and complete Day Pillar (the two-symbol column for the birth day).
The second winter day here is Ding-Si, as given in this source. A transcription or compilation with Ding-Wei represents a version difference, not another spelling of the same day.
| Season | Two day pairs | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Geng-Shen 庚申; Xin-You 辛酉 | Metal |
| Summer | Ren-Zi 壬子; Gui-Hai 癸亥 | Water |
| Autumn | Jia-Yin 甲寅; Yi-Mao 乙卯 | Wood |
| Winter | Bing-Wu 丙午; Ding-Si 丁巳 | Fire |
How do spring Geng-Shen, autumn Geng-Shen and winter Ding-Wei compare?
Spring Geng-Shen satisfies both the season and the full day pair. Autumn Geng-Shen does not: the autumn row contains Jia-Yin and Yi-Mao. A pair appearing elsewhere in the table does not remove the seasonal condition.
Winter Ding-Wei does not qualify under this volume 5 table; Ding-Si does. Sharing Ding while changing the branch gives a different day. A matching combination appearing only in the Month Pillar (the two-symbol column for the birth month) does not substitute for the birth-day condition.
Why does being out of season not establish that a person is weak?
Traditional seasonal theory gives command to Wood in spring, Fire in summer, Metal in autumn and Water in winter, then describes other phases relative to it. The Four Waste table selects a small group of dates; it does not account for the whole chart’s roots, exposed stems, support and constraints.
Spring Geng-Shen is listed, yet Shen still hides Geng: the seated root has not disappeared. Overall chart strength requires the actual month and other pillars. Four Waste alone cannot establish a weak Day Master (the birth-day element used as the chart’s reference), much less weak will or poor work ability.
What next if the date is near a season boundary or a report says Four Waste?
Check whether the reading uses solar terms (seasonal markers based on 24 divisions of the Sun’s yearly path), lunar months or another seasonal convention. A solar-term approach needs the time and time zone near the four season-start terms; unresolved inputs may require two seasonal scenarios. January through March is not automatically the relevant spring.
Clarify does not currently calculate Four Waste. The practical use of learning the term is to verify the season and complete day stated by a report. It does not evaluate laziness, intelligence, disability, employability or success, or decide practical arrangements.