The terms the Oracle uses, in plain English. Open the receipts on any reading, tap a word, and learn it without leaving your chart. The traditions are old and public. The synthesis Zodiacs does with them — Compass, Ming — is our own.
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The star at the center of the chart — your core self, the direction your life takes.
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In Western astrology the Sun's sign (your sun sign) describes the self you project, the light you move toward. In BaZi, it roughly maps to the day master. It changes sign monthly, spending ~30 days in each.
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Your inner weather — moods, needs, reactions. Changes sign every two-and-a-half days.
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Fastest-moving body in the chart. The Moon describes what you need to feel safe, how you absorb experiences, and the rhythm of your emotions. Tracking Moon sign day-to-day gives a short-term weather read for the week.
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How you think, speak, and send messages. Rules travel and commerce, too.
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Mercury is the communicator. Its sign shows your native register; its transits shape the week's conversations, contracts, and travel. Mercury retrograde (~3× per year, 3 weeks each) slows and reviews these things.
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How you love, enjoy, and attract. Also rules money, beauty, and aesthetics.
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Venus describes your capacity for pleasure, your taste, and how you relate one-on-one. Its sign shows what delights you; its transits soften or sharpen relationships for days at a time.
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How you push. Drive, conflict, physical energy, assertion.
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Mars is the will. Its sign shows how you go after what you want; its transits set the week's physical pace. When Mars is active in your chart, you feel pushed — productively, or argumentatively.
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Where things expand — luck, growth, belief, the long view.
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Jupiter is the social planet of generosity and horizon. One year per sign, twelve years to circle the chart. When Jupiter aspects a natal planet, that planet's themes broaden, for better (or overreach).
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Where things tighten — discipline, limits, time, the hard work that pays later.
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Saturn is the teacher. Two-and-a-half years per sign; twenty-nine years to return to birth position (your Saturn Return, a reckoning moment around ages 29 and 58). Saturn's transits slow things down and demand structure.
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Where things break open — surprise, rebellion, sudden change.
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Seven years per sign; eighty-four to return. Uranus's transits produce the unexpected — the call out of nowhere, the sudden exit, the insight that rewrites everything. It doesn't negotiate.
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Where things dissolve — dreams, illusion, spirituality, blurred lines.
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Fourteen years per sign; 165 to circle. Neptune transits soften the boundaries of the planet they touch — more imagination, more empathy, more confusion. Both inspiration and deception live here.
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Where things transform through pressure — power, obsession, death-and-rebirth.
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Twenty years per sign; 248 years to orbit. Pluto transits are rare and heavy — they end what no longer works and surface what was buried. Whatever Pluto touches in your chart, you will not come out the same.
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The wound that becomes wisdom. Where you were hurt early and learned to heal others.
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A minor body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus. In a natal chart, Chiron's sign and house describe an early vulnerability that matures into a teaching gift — you end up knowing this territory because you had to learn it the hard way.
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Where your chart is pulling you — the growth direction, often uncomfortable at first.
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Not a body but a mathematical point: where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic going north. Classical astrology reads the North Node as the direction of soul growth for this lifetime; the South Node is what you're bringing forward from before.
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What's already familiar — the comfort zone your chart asks you to release.
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The mathematical opposite of the North Node. South Node traits come easily but won't produce growth; it's the 'what you already know' the chart asks you to let go of so you can head toward the North Node.
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Where you refuse to be tamed. The rage, the wild, the part of you you won't domesticate.
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Black Moon Lilith is the mean orbital point where the Moon is farthest from Earth. Its sign and house describe the territory where you're least apologetic — taboo, uncompromising, uncivilized in the best sense.
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Two planets at the same point in the sky — their forces blend, for better or for friction.
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Zero degrees between two bodies. A conjunction fuses two planetary themes into one expression. It's neutral on paper — the flavour depends on which planets meet. Venus-Jupiter blends into luck; Mars-Saturn into blocked drive.
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Two planets across the sky from each other — a pull between opposing needs, seeking balance.
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180 degrees between two bodies. Opposition feels like tension between two real needs, often projected onto other people. The resolution isn't picking a side; it's holding both.
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Two planets 120° apart — natural flow, ease, a supported channel.
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The easiest aspect. Trines open a door; you still have to walk through it. Because it's comfortable, trines can pass unnoticed — you may not realise a supported window was there until it closes.
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Two planets 90° apart — friction that forces action, useful but uncomfortable.
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The growth aspect. Squares don't dissolve; they require effort to resolve, and in the doing, you build. Most of what you've actually learned from your chart probably came through squares.
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Two planets 60° apart — opportunity if you reach for it; it doesn't force itself.
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A friendlier trine. Sextiles offer openings that require initiative. They're why "reach out today" lands better than "wait and see" on some days.
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Two planets 150° apart — an awkward angle that requires small, continuous adjustments.
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Also called inconjunct. The two planets can't see each other cleanly; they ask you to translate between signs that share nothing in common. Quincunxes describe health issues, relationship mismatches, and the persistent low-level fixes.
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Of your birth chart — the sky at the moment you were born, frozen forever.
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"Natal Venus" means the Venus in your birth chart — its sign and degree at your first breath. Natal positions don't change. Transits move against them.
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The sky today, in motion, interacting with your frozen birth chart.
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A transit is what's happening now in the sky, read against your natal positions. "Saturn transiting your natal Sun" means Saturn in the current sky is forming an angle with where your Sun was at birth.
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When a planet appears to move backward from Earth — pace slows, things return for review.
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An optical phenomenon: planets don't actually reverse, but from Earth they look like they do. Retrograde periods slow the themes of that planet, bring old threads back, and are classically poor timing for pushing new projects in that planet's domain.
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How close two planets must be to an exact angle for the aspect to count — usually a few degrees.
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An aspect with a 1° orb is tighter — active, strong. A 6° orb is loose — present but weaker. Orbs widen for faster planets (Moon) and major aspects; tighten for slower planets and minor aspects.
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One of twelve sectors of your chart, each covering a life domain (money, work, partners, etc.).
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Houses are the "where" of astrology — the planets say what, signs say how, houses say where in life it plays out. First house is self; seventh is partnerships; tenth is career. House systems (Placidus, Whole Sign, Equal) differ slightly; we use Placidus by default.
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An aspect tightening toward exact — the geometry is still forming, still gaining strength.
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Applying aspects are what's coming into effect. Traditionally they matter more than separating aspects in electional and horary astrology — they describe what's building, not what's fading.
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An aspect moving past exact — the geometry is fading, its peak behind it.
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Separating aspects describe themes already activated. The weight is leaving. In electional astrology, you prefer applying aspects for new undertakings because the story is still being written.
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Cardinal fire sign, ruled by Mars. First of the zodiac — initiative, directness, the push.
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March 21 – April 19. Aries begins things. The sign's energy is fast, front-footed, sometimes impatient. Its challenge is finishing what it started.
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Fixed earth sign, ruled by Venus. Steadiness, pleasure, what endures.
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April 20 – May 20. Taurus grounds. Builds slowly, holds tightly, appreciates material and sensory life. Its challenge is knowing when to let something go.
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Mutable air sign, ruled by Mercury. Curiosity, wit, language, multiplicity.
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May 21 – June 20. Gemini is the mind in motion — reading, connecting, talking, switching registers. Its challenge is depth over breadth.
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Cardinal water sign, ruled by the Moon. Home, family, memory, intuition.
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June 21 – July 22. Cancer protects and feeds. The sign's energy runs toward tenderness and guardedness in equal measure. Its challenge is not confusing protection with control.
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Fixed fire sign, ruled by the Sun. Presence, creativity, warmth, performance.
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July 23 – August 22. Leo walks into the room and the room tilts toward them. The sign's energy is generous and visible. Its challenge is staying generous when not being seen.
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Mutable earth sign, ruled by Mercury. Craft, attention, usefulness, service.
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August 23 – September 22. Virgo refines. Notices what others miss, fixes what others overlook. Its challenge is resting without needing to earn it.
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Cardinal air sign, ruled by Venus. Relationship, balance, fairness, taste.
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September 23 – October 22. Libra weighs. The sign's energy runs toward partnership and aesthetic harmony. Its challenge is making a clean decision when both sides have weight.
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Fixed water sign, ruled by Mars (and Pluto). Depth, intensity, transformation, truth-telling.
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October 23 – November 21. Scorpio goes under. Holds secrets, reads what's unspoken, changes you if you let it in. Its challenge is trust over control.
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Mutable fire sign, ruled by Jupiter. Horizon, belief, travel, the long view.
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November 22 – December 21. Sagittarius aims. Asks the big questions, chases meaning, wants the next country. Its challenge is finishing the chapter before starting the next.
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Cardinal earth sign, ruled by Saturn. Structure, ambition, the long build.
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December 22 – January 19. Capricorn constructs. Plays the long game; trusts what compounds. Its challenge is warmth on the way up, not just at the summit.
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Fixed air sign, ruled by Saturn (and Uranus). Community, invention, principle.
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January 20 – February 18. Aquarius sees the system. Builds for groups, for ideas, for the future. Its challenge is not treating people as units of the group.
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Mutable water sign, ruled by Jupiter (and Neptune). Empathy, dream, dissolution, art.
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February 19 – March 20. Pisces blurs. Absorbs others' feelings, hears what isn't said, can drift. Its challenge is keeping a line between self and not-self.
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When the Sun and Moon align — dark sky. A reset point; plant intentions, start quietly.
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Happens roughly once a month. The beginning of a new lunar cycle. Traditionally a good time to name what you want but a poor time to launch publicly — the Moon's light hasn't grown yet.
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When the Sun and Moon sit across the sky. Peak of a cycle; things become visible, sometimes overwhelmingly.
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Halfway through the lunar cycle. What started at the new moon comes into light. Emotions run close to the surface. A good time for finishing things; a bad time for starting anything you want to hold quiet.
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Hours after the Moon's last major aspect, before it enters the next sign. Action taken during this often doesn't stick.
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Classical electional wisdom: avoid signing contracts, launching products, or making firm decisions during void-of-course Moon. Things done here tend to unravel, repeat, or fizzle. Hours to days in duration.
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The Heavenly Stem of your birth day — your core element and central reference in BaZi.
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Your Day Master is the single character from your Day Pillar's Stem that every other part of your BaZi chart is read in relation to. It's your elemental nature — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water, in either yin or yang form. Similar in function to the Western sun sign, but computed differently.
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One of ten Heavenly Stems — the yin/yang expression of each of the five elements. Written with one Chinese character.
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The ten Heavenly Stems pair each of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) with yang or yin polarity. Your BaZi chart holds four Stems — one in each Pillar. Together with the Branches, they describe your elemental makeup across time.
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One of twelve Earthly Branches — the Chinese zodiac animals (Rat, Ox, Tiger…) that form BaZi's time units.
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The twelve Branches are the animals most Western audiences associate with "Chinese zodiac" — Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. They rotate through years, months, days, and two-hour periods, pairing with Stems to form Pillars.
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One of four BaZi pillars (year, month, day, hour), each holding a Stem and Branch. Four Pillars together form your chart.
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The BaZi chart is eight characters (八字) arranged as four Pillars: Year, Month, Day, Hour. Each Pillar holds one Heavenly Stem and one Earthly Branch. Together they map your elemental nature across the timescales of life.
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A Stem-Branch pair. Written with two Chinese characters, like 甲子. Your BaZi chart holds four ganzhi.
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Ganzhi (干支) is the core unit of Chinese time reckoning — one Heavenly Stem plus one Earthly Branch. 60 possible combinations cycle across years, months, days, and hours. Your four ganzhi (one per Pillar) are your BaZi chart.
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The BaZi chart's structure — Year, Month, Day, and Hour — each a Stem-Branch pair.
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Four Pillars of Destiny (四柱) is the full name of the BaZi system. Each Pillar describes a timescale: Year for ancestry and era, Month for career and environment, Day for self and partner, Hour for children and legacy.
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One of 24 fixed points in the solar year marking season changes. BaZi months change at solar terms, not on the first.
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The Chinese solar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms (二十四節氣) at roughly 15-day intervals, tied to the Sun's ecliptic longitude. BaZi months begin at specific solar terms — not on the first of the calendar month — which is why BaZi birth dates near the cusp need careful calculation.
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A numerology number (1–9) derived from your birth date and the current year. Describes the year's theme for you.
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Personal Year is calculated by summing your birth month, birth day, and the current year, then reducing to a single digit. Nine-year cycles. A Personal Year 1 is beginnings; a 9 is endings. It's the simplest numerology lens for planning.
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A numerology number (1–9) for your month — derived from your personal year plus the current month number.
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Personal Month is the month-by-month zoom of the Personal Year cycle. Adding your Personal Year number to the month number (and reducing) gives you the flavour of each month within the year. It moves faster than Personal Year — practical for weekly planning.
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The dominant numerology number from your full birth date. Your core thread across a lifetime.
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Life Path is the reduced sum of your full birth date (month + day + year). Unlike Personal Year, it doesn't change. A Life Path 5 is restlessness and change; a Life Path 8 is ambition and material mastery. The core numerology identifier.
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The sign on the eastern horizon at your birth minute — how people first see you before they know you.
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Often called 'Rising' — the sign coming up over the horizon at the exact moment and place of birth. It rotates every ~2 hours, so it's specific to your birth time (not just date). The Rising sign describes the mask, the style, the first impression; the Sun and Moon underneath tell the rest.
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The highest point of the sky at your birth — your public-facing self, career direction, reputation.
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The Latin 'Medium Coeli,' literally 'middle of the sky.' The Midheaven describes the calling, the public role, how you want the world to see you over time. Its sign colors vocation; planets near it take on career weight.
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Cardinal signs start things. Fixed signs hold. Mutable signs adapt. Every sign is one of the three.
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Each zodiac sign belongs to one modality: Cardinal (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn — starters), Fixed (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius — holders), Mutable (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces — changers). Modality describes the HOW of each sign's expression; element describes the WHAT.
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The planet associated with each weekday in classical astrology. Sunday = Sun, Monday = Moon, Tuesday = Mars, and so on.
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The seven classical planets each govern one weekday in Chaldean order: Sun (Sunday), Moon (Monday), Mars (Tuesday), Mercury (Wednesday), Jupiter (Thursday), Venus (Friday), Saturn (Saturday). Medieval and Renaissance astrologers used the day ruler as a baseline for the day's tone — still useful for electional timing.
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In BaZi, one of five: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. Their generating and controlling cycles drive the reading.
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Five Elements (五行) is the core logical structure of Chinese cosmology. Each element generates the next (Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal holds Water, Water grows Wood) and controls another (Wood parts Earth, Fire melts Metal, Earth dams Water, Metal cuts Wood, Water quenches Fire). BaZi readings move through these relationships.
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Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water. They generate and control each other in cycles — foundation of BaZi.
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Wu Xing (五行) — the five movers. Distinct from the four classical Greek elements. Each has seasonal, directional, color, flavor, and organ correspondences. Your BaZi chart's balance across the five is read to find excess, deficiency, and what element supports you.
Terms missing? Write to support@zodiacs.ai — the dictionary grows.