What BaZi is
This guide describes the Pillars phone app. The website does the same calculations, but some screens and features work differently or aren't here yet.
BaZi (八字, "eight characters") is a traditional Chinese system of symbols. It takes the moment you were born and writes it as four pairs of characters: the four pillars of year, month, day and hour.
Where it comes from
The pillars use two very old cycles of the Chinese calendar: the ten heavenly stems (甲 乙 丙 丁 戊 己 庚 辛 壬 癸) and the twelve earthly branches (子 丑 寅 卯 辰 巳 午 未 申 酉 戌 亥). Paired up, they form sixty combinations that repeat in order, like a clock with sixty positions.
What this app does
- It calculates your pillars with real astronomy: the Sun's position, historical time zones and your city's solar time.
- It explains each character in plain words and shows where each reading comes from.
- It separates calculation (From your chart), tradition (Traditional reading) and the app's own choices (App model).
What it doesn't do
BaZi doesn't predict events or diagnose anything. We use it as a language for reflection: themes, rhythms and questions about your own path.