BAZI KNOWLEDGE BASE
Why Do Yang Stems Move Forward and Yin Stems Reverse in the Life Stages?
Forward Yang and reverse Yin is a common Life-Stage table convention: 甲丙戊庚壬 advance through the ordinary branch order, while 乙丁己辛癸 reverse from their own Birth anchors. It is a rule choice, not a story that Yang people progress and Yin people regress.
Where does Birth begin for each stem?
Direction alone is insufficient; every stem needs its own Birth anchor. This release uses 甲亥, 乙午, 丙寅, 丁酉, 戊寅, 己酉, 庚巳, 辛子, 壬申 and 癸卯.
| Stem pair | Birth anchors | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| 甲乙 Wood | 甲亥 · 乙午 | Jia forward · Yi reverse |
| 丙丁 Fire | 丙寅 · 丁酉 | Bing forward · Ding reverse |
| 戊己 Earth | 戊寅 · 己酉 | Wu forward · Ji reverse |
| 庚辛 Metal | 庚巳 · 辛子 | Geng forward · Xin reverse |
| 壬癸 Water | 壬申 · 癸卯 | Ren forward · Gui reverse |
How do Jia and Yi produce opposite sequences?
After Birth at 亥, Jia moves forward to Bathing at 子, Crowning at 丑, Official at 寅 and Emperor at 卯. Yi begins at 午 and reverses to Bathing at 巳, Crowning at 辰, Official at 卯 and Emperor at 寅. Sharing Wood does not give the two stems one position table.
| Order | Jia forward | Yi reverse |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | 亥 | 午 |
| Bathing | 子 | 巳 |
| Crowning | 丑 | 辰 |
| Official | 寅 | 卯 |
| Emperor | 卯 | 寅 |
Why do some tools not reverse Yin stems?
Historical texts preserve a forward/reverse explanation in which Yang Birth corresponds with Yin Death, while other authors argue that a Five-Phase pair should share one Birth and Death cycle using four elemental anchors. These are different models and their rows cannot be selectively mixed.
A tool should disclose the table version and avoid silently recalculating old reports. When results differ, compare Yin-stem anchor and direction before asking which label sounds more favorable.
Do forward and reverse describe character, gender or life value?
No. Direction only determines which neighboring branch is counted next. It says nothing about gender expression, character, career trajectory, morality or speed of personal growth.
Continue reading
- Complete Life-Stage table
See all 120 results produced by the two directions.
- Two Four-Pillar matrices
Separate fixed Day Stem (the upper symbol in the birth-day column) and self-sitting.
- Life Stages versus strength
Keep the direction table out of strength scores.