What is a Four-Pillar chart?

A Four-Pillar chart—commonly called the BaZi or 'Eight Characters'—is a system that converts a person’s birth time (year, month, day, hour) into four pairs of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. Those eight characters form a preliminary 'equation' of one’s life and carry the energetic pattern of that individual.

Structure and deeper meaning:
• Year Pillar: Determined by the birth year’s stem-branch pair. It represents ancestors, family background, national or societal environment, and early childhood (roughly ages 1–16). It’s the root of the chart.
• Month Pillar: Determined by the month’s stem-branch (the seasonal 'commanding' element). It’s crucial—representing parents, siblings, adolescent years (about 17–32), and accounting for around half of the day-master’s strength. The month pillar often dictates the chart’s tone and is primary for identifying the useful element.
• Day Pillar: Determined by the day’s stem-branch. The Day Stem (day-master) represents the person; the Day Branch is the spouse or marriage palace. The day pillar governs mid-life (roughly 33–48) and is central to self and intimate relationships.
• Hour Pillar: Determined by the birth hour’s stem-branch. It represents children, late life (about 49+), career culmination and life’s final achievements. It is often considered the 'result' palace.

Combined view: The four pillars and their interactions—when read with the Ten-Gods, configurations and the influence of major luck cycles (Da Yun) and annual years—form the basis for in-depth interpretation.