A Living Glossary, Expanded

Learn the Five Elements with both relationship cycles, an eight-symbol Bazi counting example, and why a missing phase does not identify what you need.

Bazi means eight characters: year, month, day and hour each receive a Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch.

Learn what Zi Wei Dou Shu is, how the twelve palaces and star patterns work, how it differs from Bazi, and how to generate a FateFolio Zi Wei chart.

Understand what Yin and Yang really means—its classical roots, how it shapes Chinese metaphysics, and how it appears in Bazi, Feng Shui, and divination.

Learn what hexagrams are in I Ching divination—how they are formed, how to read them, and what the 64 hexagrams represent.

Learn what Feng Shui really means—its classical origins, core principles of Qi flow, and how to apply it thoughtfully to your living and working spaces.

Face reading, Mian Xiang, is a tradition of assigning symbolic meanings to facial regions and features.

Learn to photograph and trace palm lines, compare hands and record uncertain creases. Includes a labelled example and historical versus anatomical sources.

Learn what date selection is in Chinese tradition—how auspicious dates are determined, what factors are considered, and how to apply this thoughtfully.

Learn the Ten Gods (十神): how each role is calculated from the Day Master and how to read support, output, wealth, power and companion stars.

The Day Master is the Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar in Bazi.

Learn Luck Pillars (大运): how ten-year cycles are derived from the Month Pillar and how they interact with Day Master, Ten Gods and annual timing.

Learn what the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) are—the three-line symbols that form the foundation of I Ching hexagrams and appear throughout Chinese metaphysics.

Learn Plum Blossom casting with the eight trigram numbers, zero remainders, a complete 3/5 example, inner hexagrams and body–use interpretation.

Learn what Qi (Chi) is in Feng Shui—the vital life force that flows through all spaces, and how to optimize its flow for wellbeing and prosperity.

Learn what the Wealth Position (Cai Wei) is in Feng Shui—how to locate it in your space and what to do (and avoid) to activate prosperity energy.

Learn what the Life Line means in palmistry: vitality, constitution, length, depth, and shape.

Learn what the Chinese Almanac (Huang Li) is—the traditional calendar that records daily do's and don'ts, auspicious activities, and fortune indicators.

Learn about the Four Pillars in Chinese astrology — year, month, day, and hour pillars that form the foundation of Bazi chart reading.

Learn about the Ten Heavenly Stems in Chinese astrology — from Jia Wood to Gui Water, their elements, polarities, and meanings.

Learn about the Twelve Earthly Branches in Chinese astrology — from Zi to Hai, their elements, hidden stems, and the Chinese zodiac connection.

Learn about Qian Chart in Chinese astrology — the male Bazi chart pattern and how Luck Pillars progress.

Learn about Kun Chart in Chinese astrology — the female Bazi chart pattern and how Luck Pillars progress.

Learn about Element Balance in Chinese astrology — how the distribution of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water affects your Bazi chart.

Useful God, Yong Shen, has more than one meaning in Bazi literature.

Learn about Favorable Elements in Chinese astrology — the secondary beneficial elements that support the Useful God.

Learn about Unfavorable Elements in Chinese astrology — elements that disrupt balance and oppose the Useful God.

Learn about Annual Cycle in Chinese astrology — how each year brings different elemental influences that interact with your natal chart.

Learn about Start of Luck in Chinese astrology — how to calculate when your Luck Pillar cycles begin based on birth timing.

Learn about Clash in Chinese astrology — when Earthly Branches oppose each other, creating tension, movement, and potential change.

Combination, He, names specified pairings or groups among Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches in Bazi.

Learn about Harm in Chinese astrology — the six pairs of branches that create hidden friction, backstabbing, or subtle obstacles.

Understand Penalty (Xing) relationships between Earthly Branches in Bazi, including self-penalty, ungrateful penalty, and bullying penalty types.

Find Tao Hua in a Bazi chart with all four branch groups, a worked year-versus-day example, natal and transit distinctions, and source limits.

Understand Wealth Star in Bazi Ten Gods system, including Direct Wealth and Indirect Wealth, representing money, assets, and material resources.

Learn about Power Star in Bazi Ten Gods system, including Direct Officer and Seven Killings, representing authority, career, and social status.

Understand Resource Star in Bazi Ten Gods system, including Direct Seal and Indirect Seal, representing support, education, and nurturing influences.

Learn about Output Star in Bazi Ten Gods system, including Eating God and Hurting Officer, representing creativity, expression, and productivity.

Hidden Stems are the Heavenly Stems assigned inside an Earthly Branch in Bazi.

The Month Commander is the Earthly Branch of the Bazi Month Pillar, used as the seasonal reference for chart strength and pattern analysis.

Chart strength means the traditional assessment of how well the Day Master is supported.

A Bazi pattern is a classification of the chart's dominant Ten-God relationships, often beginning with the month branch.

Seven Killings is the Ten God whose element controls the Day Master and has the same yin/yang polarity.

Direct Officer is the Ten God whose element controls the Day Master and has opposite yin/yang polarity.

Direct Wealth is the Ten God controlled by the Day Master's element with opposite yin/yang polarity.

Indirect Wealth is the Ten God controlled by the Day Master's element with the same yin/yang polarity.

Eating God is the Ten God produced by the Day Master's element with the same yin/yang polarity.

Hurting Officer is the Ten God produced by the Day Master's element with opposite yin/yang polarity.

Direct Resource is the Ten God that produces the Day Master's element with opposite yin/yang polarity.

Indirect Resource is the Ten God that produces the Day Master's element with the same yin/yang polarity.

Companion stars are the two same-element Ten-God roles: Friend or Bi Jian has the Day Master's polarity, and Rob Wealth or Jie Cai has the opposite polarity.

The Life Palace is the chart position from which Zi Wei Dou Shu's twelve named palaces are arranged.

The Body Palace is a supplementary Zi Wei Dou Shu location calculated from birth month and hour.

The fourteen major stars are Zi Wei Dou Shu's principal symbolic chart labels.

Zi Wei is the central symbolic star of the Zi Wei group in Zi Wei Dou Shu.

Tian Fu is the leading star of the second principal placement group in Zi Wei Dou Shu.

Hua Lu is the benefit or resource transformation in Zi Wei Dou Shu's Four Transformations.

Hua Quan is the authority or agency transformation among Zi Wei Dou Shu's Four Transformations.

Hua Ke is the reputation or refinement transformation in Zi Wei Dou Shu's Four Transformations.

Hua Ji is the obstructive or entangled transformation among Zi Wei Dou Shu's Four Transformations.

A Major Period, Da Xian, is a roughly ten-year layer of a Zi Wei Dou Shu reading assigned to a palace.

A Minor Period, Xiao Xian, is a yearly palace-position cycle in Zi Wei Dou Shu.

A Zi Wei annual reading overlays a chosen year's palace and transformation rules on a natal chart, usually alongside the Major Period.

The Chinese zodiac names years with twelve animals associated with the twelve Earthly Branches.

The twelve zodiac animals correspond to Zi–Rat, Chou–Ox, Yin–Tiger, Mao–Rabbit, Chen–Dragon, Si–Snake, Wu–Horse, Wei–Goat, Shen–Monkey, You–Rooster, Xu–Dog and Hai–Pig.

The sexagenary or Sixty Jiazi cycle advances the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches together.

Traditional shichen divide a day into twelve two-hour periods named for Earthly Branches.

Bazi compatibility compares two complete birth charts through element relationships, Day Masters and branches.

Relationship compatibility narrows a two-chart comparison to a partnership question.

Career fortune is a report topic that interprets work-related traditional symbols, often Officer, Resource and Output relationships in Bazi or the Career Palace in Zi Wei.

Wealth fortune is a reading theme built around traditional resource and Wealth-role relationships.

Love fortune is a broad report topic about traditional romance symbolism such as Peach Blossom, spouse-palace relationships and timing overlays.

Learn about Chinese divination methods including I Ching, Plum Blossom, and various casting techniques. Understand the philosophy and practice of seeking guidance.

Understand what Yao lines are in I Ching—the solid Yang and broken Yin lines that form trigrams and hexagrams, carrying meaning through their positions.

Learn what moving lines are in I Ching—lines in transition that transform your hexagram, revealing where change is active in your situation.

Understand the primary hexagram (Ben Gua) in I Ching divination—the original hexagram that represents your current situation before any transformation.

Understand the changed hexagram (Bian Gua) in I Ching divination—the transformed hexagram that shows the outcome or direction of change.

Build a six-line hexagram from six coin throws, follow changing lines from Kun to Jie, and distinguish Na Jia, Six Relatives and Shi/Ying positions.

Learn the coin casting method for I Ching divination—toss three coins six times to build your hexagram. Simple, accessible, and effective.

Learn the traditional yarrow stalk method for I Ching divination—the original, elaborate ritual using 50 stalks to build a hexagram through sacred mathematics.

Learn the time casting method for I Ching divination—derive your hexagram from the current year, month, day, and hour using Plum Blossom numerology.

Learn the number casting method for I Ching divination—transform any meaningful number into a hexagram using Plum Blossom numerology.

Learn the character casting method for I Ching divination—transform Chinese characters into hexagrams through stroke counting and symbolic interpretation.

Learn the direction casting method for I Ching divination—use compass directions and their trigram associations to generate meaningful hexagrams.

Learn the sound casting method for I Ching divination—transform auditory phenomena like bird calls, knocks, or any counted sounds into meaningful hexagrams.

Understand the Qian trigram—pure Yang energy representing heaven, creativity, strength, and the father principle in Chinese metaphysics.

Understand the Kun trigram—pure Yin energy representing earth, receptivity, nurturing, and the mother principle in Chinese metaphysics.

Zhen, Thunder ☳, has one solid bottom line and two broken lines above.

Xun, Wind ☴, has a broken bottom line and two solid lines above.

Kan, Water ☵, has a solid middle line between two broken lines.

Li, Fire ☲, has a broken middle line between two solid lines.

Gen, Mountain ☶, has a solid top line over two broken lines.

Dui, Lake ☱, has a broken top line over two solid lines.

The Eight Trigrams are all eight possible three-line yin/yang forms: Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen and Dui.

The sixty-four hexagrams are the possible six-line yin/yang forms of the Yijing.

The Mutual Hexagram, Hu Gua, is constructed from a primary hexagram's inner lines.

Nuclear Hexagram is a common English name for the Mutual Hexagram, Hu Gua.

The Six Relatives, Liu Qin, are the relationship labels used on Six-Line divination charts: Parents, Siblings, Children, Wealth and Officer/Ghost.

The Six Spirits are Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, Gou Chen, Teng She, White Tiger and Black Tortoise, assigned alongside the six lines in one divination convention.

In Six-Line divination, the Useful God is the line or role chosen to represent the subject of a question.

Learn about Sha Qi in feng shui—what it is, common sources, how to identify it, and practical methods to neutralize or deflect negative energy in your space.

Learn about Sheng Qi in feng shui—the vital, life-giving energy that brings prosperity, health, and vitality. Discover how to attract and cultivate it in your space.

Learn what Ming Tang means in feng shui, compare an entrance layout before and after moving boxes, and distinguish modern usage from ritual halls.

Backing Mountain is the elevated land or supporting form behind a site in form-school feng shui.

Learn about the Azure Dragon in feng shui—the protective energy on the left side of a building. Understand its role in the Four Guardians model and how to optimize it.

Learn about the White Tiger in feng shui—the protective energy on the right side of a building. Understand its role in the Four Guardians model and how to maintain balance.

Learn about Road Rush in feng shui—one of the most common forms of Sha Qi. Understand why direct roads pointing at buildings are problematic and how to remedy them.

Learn about Sky Cutting Sha in feng shui—the harmful energy created by narrow gaps between tall buildings. Understand why it matters and how to protect against it.

Learn about Bow Back Sha in feng shui—the harmful energy created when a building sits on the outer curve of a road. Understand why it matters and how to remedy it.

Learn about Sharp Corner Sha in feng shui—the harmful energy created by pointed building corners or objects aimed at your space. Understand how to identify and remedy it.

Learn about Wen Chang Wei in feng shui—the academic position that supports learning, examinations, and intellectual pursuits. Discover how to locate and activate it.

Compare Peach Blossom directions, southwest relationship areas and annual feng shui. Follow a Wu-to-Mao east-wall example with compass steps and clear limits.

Learn about Na Qi in feng shui—the crucial concept of how buildings receive and gather beneficial energy. Understand how doors, orientation, and layout affect Qi intake.

Learn about the main door in feng shui—one of the three essential elements of yang (living) feng shui. Understand door direction, positioning, and optimization.

Learn about Xuan Guan in feng shui—the entrance foyer that serves as a buffer zone between outside and inside. Understand its importance and design principles.

Learn how the Five Elements (Wu Xing) apply specifically to feng shui practice—directional correspondences, color applications, and creating elemental balance in spaces.

Learn how Yin Yang principles apply to feng shui—balancing light and dark, active and passive, open and enclosed to create harmonious living spaces.

Learn about the Luopan—the traditional feng shui compass with multiple rings of information. Understand its structure, use, and importance in professional feng shui practice.

Learn about Sitting and Facing direction in feng shui—the fundamental measurement that determines a building's feng shui chart and energy patterns.

Learn about Eight Mansions feng shui—a widely practiced system that divides homes and people into East and West groups with specific auspicious and inauspicious directions.

Learn about Xuan Kong feng shui—the sophisticated system that incorporates time factors and Flying Stars to analyze how building energy changes over periods.

Flying Stars are nine numbered symbolic influences in Xuan Kong feng shui, arranged on the Nine-Palace framework under period, sitting/facing and annual rules.

The Nine Palaces are a center and eight surrounding positions, often drawn as a three-by-three grid.

Learn how the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) is applied in feng shui—mapping directions, elements, and life aspects to create balanced and harmonious spaces.

The Twenty-Four Mountains divide a compass circle into twenty-four 15-degree sectors.

Compass directions in feng shui commonly refer to north, northeast, east, southeast, south, southwest, west and northwest.

Period Nine is the ninth twenty-year interval in the San Yuan Flying-Star scheme, conventionally 2024–2043.

Annual Flying Stars are the yearly overlay of nine numbered symbolic stars on the nine-palace grid.

A Mountain Star is one of the numbered layers in a Flying-Star natal chart, derived using the building's sitting orientation and the school's calculation rules.

Water Star commonly names the facing-star layer of a Flying-Star natal chart.

The Center Palace is the middle cell of the nine-palace grid.

Bedroom feng shui applies a school's spatial symbolism to bed location, door sightlines and surrounding furniture.

Kitchen feng shui discusses the placement of stove, sink and cooking space through traditional Fire/Water and spatial associations.

Desk position concerns the desk's location and the seated person's orientation.

Locate the Life Palace between the eyebrows, read its historical source, and compare two illustrated views to separate visible detail from fortune claims.

Learn about the forehead in Chinese face reading — representing early life fortune (ages 15-30), wisdom, and parental relationships.

Learn about eyebrows in Chinese face reading — called the "Longevity Officer," representing sibling relationships, lifespan, and personality.

Learn about eyes in Chinese face reading — called the "Inspection Officer," representing character, wisdom, and middle-age fortune.

Learn about the nose in Chinese face reading — called the "Judgment Officer," representing wealth, career, and middle-age fortune.

Learn about the mouth in Chinese face reading — called the "Output Officer," representing sustenance, speech ability, and later-life fortune.

Learn about the chin in Chinese face reading — called "Di Ge," representing later-life fortune, willpower, and property.

Learn about ears in Chinese face reading — called the "Listening Officer," representing wisdom, youth fortune, and constitutional vitality.

Learn about the Head Line in Chinese palm reading — one of the three major lines, representing thinking style, intelligence, and judgment ability.

Learn about the Heart Line in Chinese palm reading — one of the three major lines, representing emotional expression, love attitudes, and relationships.

Learn about the Fate Line in Chinese palm reading — representing career development, life direction, and destiny patterns.

Learn about the Sun Line in Chinese palm reading — representing success fortune, reputation, and artistic talent.

Learn about the Marriage Line in Chinese palm reading — representing marriage status, romantic experiences, and partner relationships.

Learn about Palm Mounts in Chinese palm reading — the raised fleshy areas representing different energies, traits, and potential.

Learn about "Face Reflects Mind" — the foundational principle of Chinese physiognomy that inner character manifests in outer appearance.

Learn what physiognomy is in Chinese tradition—how facial and body features are analyzed to understand character, fortune, and life patterns.

Learn about the Three Sections (三停) in Chinese face reading—how the face is divided into upper, middle, and lower zones representing different life stages and qualities.

Learn about the Five Features (五官) in Chinese physiognomy—how eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and ears reveal character traits and life patterns.

The facial Twelve Palaces are named regions in Chinese physiognomy, such as Life between the brows and Wealth at the nose.

Career Line is a modern English label often used for the palmistry Fate or Destiny Line, a roughly vertical crease toward the middle-finger region.

Health Line, Mercury Line or Hepatica is a palmistry name for a crease running toward the little-finger mount.

Children Lines are a palmistry name for small vertical marks above or near relationship lines on the little-finger edge of the hand.

The Venus Mount in Western palmistry is the fleshy pad at the base of the thumb, usually enclosed by the curve called the Life Line.

The Jupiter Mount is the palmistry region below the index finger.

The Mercury Mount is the palmistry region below the little finger.

Face shape describes the visible outline and proportions of a face.

Cheekbones are the bony prominences below the outer eyes.

The philtrum is the vertical groove between the base of the nose and the upper lip.

In physiognomy, teeth are discussed as visible features of the mouth, often through traditional bone symbolism.

Eyelids are the movable folds around the eyes.

Mole reading attaches traditional meanings to the location of marks on the face.

Learn about auspicious days in Chinese date selection — how favorable dates are determined and what makes a day suitable for important activities.

Learn about inauspicious days in Chinese date selection — what makes a day unfavorable and when to postpone important activities.

Learn about Yi Ji in the Chinese almanac — how the dos (suitable activities) and donts (activities to avoid) are determined for each day.

Learn about the Gan Zhi system — the foundation of Chinese calendrical calculations combining 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches.

Learn how the Ten Heavenly Stems apply to Chinese date selection — understanding stem qualities and their influence on day selection.

Learn how the Twelve Earthly Branches apply to Chinese date selection — understanding branch qualities, clashes, and combinations.

Learn about the Twelve Day Officers — a 12-day cycle in the Chinese almanac that determines the fundamental quality of each day.

Learn about Break Day in the Chinese almanac — one of the twelve day officers, generally considered unfavorable for most activities.

Learn about Monthly Break in Chinese date selection — a highly inauspicious condition when the day branch clashes with the month branch.

Learn about the Three Killings in Chinese date selection — three directional sha that change yearly and should be avoided for important activities.

Learn about Shen Sha in Chinese date selection — the system of auspicious deities and malevolent sha that influence each day's suitability.

Learn about auspicious deities in Chinese date selection — the beneficial celestial influences that make certain days more favorable.

Learn about malevolent sha in Chinese date selection — the negative celestial influences that make certain days less favorable or dangerous.

Learn about the 28 Lunar Mansions in Chinese date selection — ancient star divisions used to determine day quality and suitable activities.

Learn about the 24 Solar Terms in Chinese calendar — the astronomical markers that divide the year and influence date selection calculations.

Learn about Chinese Hours — the traditional 12-part division of the day, each two hours long and associated with an earthly branch.

Learn about the Six Clashes in Chinese date selection — the six pairs of earthly branches that directly oppose each other.

Learn how the Five Elements apply to Chinese date selection — understanding the elemental quality of days and matching them to your needs.

Wedding date selection compares an event with traditional almanac categories such as marriage, day officers and stem-branch clashes.

Moving date selection applies almanac categories such as relocation or entering a dwelling to a planned move.

Business opening date selection is an almanac consultation for opening or commencing trade.

Travel date selection compares a departure with traditional almanac entries for journeys.

Contract-signing date selection applies traditional almanac entries for agreements or transactions to a proposed signing.

Tai Sui is a traditional annual deity or directional marker associated with the year's Earthly Branch.

Year Breaker, Sui Po, is the branch or direction opposite the year's Tai Sui position in the traditional twelve-branch scheme.

Establish, Jian, is the first label in the Twelve Day Officers cycle.

Remove, Chu, is the second of the Twelve Day Officers, following Establish.

Full, Man, is the third of the Twelve Day Officers, after Establish and Remove.

Balance, Ping, is the fourth Day Officer, following Full.

Danger, Wei, is the eighth label in the Twelve Day Officers: Establish, Remove, Full, Balance, Settle, Hold, Break, Danger, Success, Receive, Open, Close.

Success, Cheng, is the ninth of the Twelve Day Officers, after Danger.

The Chinese agricultural calendar is lunisolar: months follow the Moon while solar terms anchor seasonal alignment.

Chinese New Year or Spring Festival is the first day of the first month of the traditional Chinese calendar.