Jia Wood Day Master (甲): the Yang Wood stem in BaZi
Last checked · verse from the Di Tian Sui on Chinese Wikisource; tables calculated
甲 (Jia) is the first Heavenly Stem, the yang partner of 乙 Yi in wood. The Di Tian Sui opens its verse with "Jia wood towers to the sky", and its annotation describes Jia as the wood of root and trunk.
Stem
甲 Jia
Element and polarity
Yang Wood
Combines with
己 Ji (Earth)
Clashes with
庚 Geng
The Jia verse in the Di Tian Sui (滴天髓)
Verse traditionally attributed to Jingtu (京圖), with the annotation attributed to Liu Ji (劉基, Ming dynasty); quoted from Chinese Wikisource. The translation is ours.
甲木參天，脱胎要火，春不容金，秋不容土，火熾乘龍，水蕩騎虎，地潤天和，植立千古。
Jia wood towers to the sky; to break out of its embryo and grow, it needs fire. In spring it cannot bear metal; in autumn it cannot bear earth. When fire blazes, it rides the Dragon; when water floods, it rides the Tiger. With the earth moist and heaven in harmony, it stands for a thousand years.
The verse uses human words (kind, loyal, filial) for how the stems act on one another in a chart; it does not describe people.
What the annotation says
The annotation reads the animals as branches: the Dragon is 辰 and the Tiger is 寅. When fire is heavy (寅午戌 with Bing or Ding), Jia sitting on 辰 can hold it, because 辰 is a store of water that checks fire and keeps the wood's roots moist. When water is heavy (申子辰 with Ren or Gui), Jia sitting on 寅 can take it in, because Jia's Lu (祿, its "salary" position) is in 寅, and 寅 belongs to the Gen (艮, mountain) trigram, whose earth is thick, so it can take in water. Fire is called the child of wood: strong wood that meets fire flourishes all the more.
The annotation opens with 「甲為根幹之木」 (the wood of root and trunk). Summarized in our words from the annotation on the same 天干論 page on Wikisource.
Wood in the Huainanzi (淮南子)
The Huainanzi, 天文訓 chapter, lists each direction with its element, season, planet and animal, and ends with the two stems of its days.
東方，木也……執規而治春。其神為歲星，其獸蒼龍，其音角，其日甲乙。
Direction: East · Season: Spring · Planet: Jupiter (歲星) · Animal: Azure Dragon (蒼龍) · Note: jue (角)
Ten Gods for a Jia Wood Day Master
What each of the ten stems is called, seen from this Day Master.
| Stem | Element | Ten God | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 Jia | Yang Wood | Friend | 比肩 Bi Jian |
| 乙 Yi | Yin Wood | Rob Wealth | 劫财 Jie Cai |
| 丙 Bing | Yang Fire | Eating God | 食神 Shi Shen |
| 丁 Ding | Yin Fire | Hurting Officer | 伤官 Shang Guan |
| 戊 Wu | Yang Earth | Indirect Wealth | 偏财 Pian Cai |
| 己 Ji | Yin Earth | Direct Wealth | 正财 Zheng Cai |
| 庚 Geng | Yang Metal | Seven Killings | 七杀 Qi Sha |
| 辛 Xin | Yin Metal | Direct Officer | 正官 Zheng Guan |
| 壬 Ren | Yang Water | Indirect Resource | 偏印 Pian Yin |
| 癸 Gui | Yin Water | Direct Resource | 正印 Zheng Yin |
Twelve stages of Jia (长生十二宫)
A yang stem runs forward through the branches from its Growth stage.
| Branch | Animal | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| 亥 Hai | Pig | 长生 Growth |
| 子 Zi | Rat | 沐浴 Bath |
| 丑 Chou | Ox | 冠带 Cap and Belt |
| 寅 Yin | Tiger | 临官 Taking Office |
| 卯 Mao | Rabbit | 帝旺 Prosperity |
| 辰 Chen | Dragon | 衰 Decline |
| 巳 Si | Snake | 病 Sickness |
| 午 Wu | Horse | 死 Death |
| 未 Wei | Goat | 墓 Tomb |
| 申 Shen | Monkey | 绝 Extinction |
| 酉 You | Rooster | 胎 Conception |
| 戌 Xu | Dog | 养 Nurture |
The six Jia day pillars
Jia pairs only with the yang branches, so it appears in six of the sixty pillars.
| Pillar | No. in the cycle | Na Yin | Void branches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲子 Jia Zi | 1 | 海中金 Sea Metal | 戌亥 |
| 甲戌 Jia Xu | 11 | 山头火 Mountain Fire | 申酉 |
| 甲申 Jia Shen | 21 | 泉中水 Spring Water | 午未 |
| 甲午 Jia Wu | 31 | 沙中金 Sand Metal | 辰巳 |
| 甲辰 Jia Chen | 41 | 覆灯火 Lamp Fire | 寅卯 |
| 甲寅 Jia Yin | 51 | 大溪水 Great Creek Water | 子丑 |
Jia is also a hidden stem in 寅 Yin (as the main stem) and 亥 Hai.
Next Jia days
China Standard Time dates; one day in every ten.
- Oct 27, 2026 · 甲戌
- Nov 6, 2026 · 甲申
- Nov 16, 2026 · 甲午
- Nov 26, 2026 · 甲辰
- Dec 6, 2026 · 甲寅
- Dec 16, 2026 · 甲子
FAQ
How do I find out if my Day Master is Jia Wood?
Your Day Master is the stem of your day pillar. Enter your birth date, time and time zone in the BaZi calculator; if the day pillar starts with 甲, your Day Master is Jia.
What is a Jia Wood Day Master?
A BaZi chart whose day pillar has 甲 (Jia) as its stem. Jia is the first of the ten Heavenly Stems, the yang stem of wood. The Di Tian Sui annotation describes it as the wood of root and trunk (甲為根幹之木).
What is the difference between Jia and Yi?
Both are wood. Jia (甲) is the yang stem and Yi (乙) the yin one. The Di Tian Sui annotation describes Jia as the wood of root and trunk and Yi as the wood of branches and leaves. Jia combines with Ji and Yi with Geng.
Which stem combines with Jia, and which clashes with it?
Jia combines with 己 Ji (the 甲己 combination, associated with Earth). It clashes with 庚 Geng.
How common is a Jia Day Master?
The day stems repeat every ten days without a break, so exactly one day in ten is a Jia day. The next ones are Oct 27, 2026, Nov 6, 2026, Nov 16, 2026 (China Standard Time dates).
Where does Jia sit in the twelve stages?
In the usual twelve-stage table, Jia has its Chang Sheng (Growth) in 亥 Hai and its Di Wang (Prosperity) in 卯 Mao; as a yang stem it moves forward through the branches.
Other Day Masters
Sources: 滴天髓 (Di Tian Sui), 天干論, on Chinese Wikisource; 淮南子 (Huainanzi), 天文訓, on Chinese Wikisource; Ten God names as in 淵海子平 (Yuan Hai Zi Ping) on Chinese Wikisource. This page describes the traditional system and quotes classical texts; it is not a character reading, a prediction or advice. Terms are given in simplified characters; quotations keep the script of their source. Day pillars: how they are calculated and checked.