Inputs
The birth date is required. Birth time and place are optional. Clarify records which details were available so the report can state its own precision.
Methodology
How Clarify builds a reading.
Calculation and interpretation are separate steps. A deterministic engine establishes the chart facts; a writing layer turns those facts into plain language; automated checks look for structural and consistency problems before delivery.
Chart calculation
The calculation engine resolves the Four Pillars, Day Master, element relationships, seasonal context, and other structured chart facts.
Written interpretation
The structured facts become a Reading and Life Book written in plain English. The writing step is expected to follow the chart rather than recalculate it.
Quality checks
Automated QA checks required sections, internal consistency, wording boundaries, and report format. A failed Life Book draft is retried once before a delayed state is shown.
Calendar rules
The current calculation conventions are explicit.
Year and month boundaries use solar-term calculations rather than a simple January or calendar-month cutoff. When birth time and place are supplied, Clarify uses the local time zone and longitude to calibrate the Hour Pillar with a true-solar-time adjustment.
The Day Master remains tied to the civil birth date entered in the product. This keeps the identity used in the free Reading consistent with the Day Pillar used in deeper reports. Births near a boundary can carry precision flags for the report workflow.
Missing birth time
Unknown stays unknown.
If no birth time is provided, Clarify does not create an Hour Pillar. It marks the time as unavailable and limits claims that would depend on that pillar. The date still supports the Day Pillar and Day Master used for the core Reading.
Place is used only alongside a birth time. When those optional details are absent, the product shows a reduced precision label instead of presenting a guessed time as fact.
Interpretive limits
A traditional framework is not a scientific test.
BaZi provides a historical symbolic system for organizing an interpretation. Clarify uses it to create prompts for reflection and planning. It does not diagnose a person, prove a personality trait, predict a guaranteed event, or authorize a decision.
Reports should be considered alongside lived experience and relevant professional advice. Medical, legal, financial, and mental-health decisions require qualified human professionals, not a chart.
Reference points