BAZI KNOWLEDGE BASE
How to Calculate the Twelve Life Stages and Void: Separate the Two Inputs
The Twelve Life Stages (a symbolic cycle describing an element through twelve positions, not a person’s age) and Void often appear together in chart reports, but they are not one algorithm. Life Stages ask which phase a stem reaches at a branch. Void asks which ten-pair xun contains a complete Jiazi and which two branches that xun omits. Choose the question before the input.
Let the question choose the table
Birth, Emperor, Tomb or Extinction requires a reference stem and target branch. Xun Void requires a complete Jiazi from a declared Day, Year or other reference pillar. Both results retain chart position and natal or timing layer.
| Question | Minimum input | Deterministic output | Not automatic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Twelve Life Stage | Reference stem + target branch + direction convention | One of twelve stages | Whole-chart strength, fortune or event |
| Six-xun Void | Complete Jiazi + reference pillar | Its xun + two omitted branches | Deletion of a branch, person or matter |
| Filling / clash / combination | Baseline Void + actual relation + time layer | A condition in a named method | Universal release or promised outcome |
Two minimal examples show why inputs cannot be swapped
A 甲 Day Stem (the upper symbol in the birth-day column) at branch 午 returns the Life Stage Death under the declared table; that is not a Void calculation. Day Pillar (the two-symbol column for the birth day) 甲子 belongs to the Jia-Zi xun, whose ten pairs end at 癸酉 and omit 戌 and 亥; that step does not count twelve stages from 甲.
One character can enter separate rules. 戌 may be a Life-Stage target for one stem and also one of the Jia-Zi xun's omitted branches. Record each reference before asking whether both pieces of evidence matter.
| Input | Rule | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 甲 Day Stem → 午 branch | Twelve Life Stages | Death, stage eight |
| Day Pillar 甲子 | Six-xun Void | Jia-Zi xun; 戌 and 亥 omitted |
Which direct evidence remains after lookup?
A branch keeps its ordinary phase, hidden stems, Month-Command role, roots, Ten Gods, combinations, clashes, punishments, harms, breaks and position. Life Stages and Void may qualify a named tradition; they do not blank the chart or replace strength and structure.
Read input and convention, deterministic lookup, direct chart relations, named school conditions, counterevidence and the real question in that order. A label followed by a good/bad verdict is not reproducible.
Which words are easiest to literalize?
Illness, Death, Tomb, Extinction and Embryo are stage terms, not diagnoses, lifespan, burial, severance or pregnancy results. Void means two branches are not paired within one xun; it does not make a parent, partner, job, asset or opportunity disappear.
Medical, safety, relationship, legal and financial questions require facts and appropriate professional input. Traditional labels can explain a text without replacing real judgment.
Continue reading
- Complete Twelve Life Stage table
Verify every ten-stem position.
- Complete six-xun Void table
Look up both omitted branches from a complete Jiazi.
- Common Void errors
Debug a Jia-Zi xun example.
All topics in this category
- Why Do Yang Stems Move Forward and Yin Stems Reverse in the Life Stages?
- How to Read the Twelve Life Stages across Four Pillars: Two Separate Matrices
- Are the Twelve Life Stages the Same as Strong or Weak? Different Evidence Units
- How to Read the Twelve Life Stages in Luck and Annual Timing
- What Does Filling a Void Mean? A Jia-Zi Xun Example
- How Is a Void Clashed? Establish Void, Then Verify One of Six Clashes
- How Does a Combination Contact Void? Check Liuhe, Sanhe and Sanhui Separately
- How to Avoid Void Calculation Errors: Six Checks with a Jia-Zi Xun