What it covers
Solar terms, cycles, time zones, birth time, and chart construction.
← Culture journal8-Zi / Calendar foundations
Calendar foundations
Understand how time becomes stems, branches, and palaces before treating an input error as interpretation.
Category guide
Learning path
Begin with calculation limits, then learn phases, roles, and palaces.
Put it into practice
Return to a chart and verify each deterministic field against the birth data.
Learning and practice
Articles in this category
3Calendar foundations
Before Reading the Four Pillars: Separate Calendar Rules from Interpretation
A practical introduction to the stems, branches, solar terms, and time boundaries that shape a BaZi chart, with a clear line between calculation and tradition.
7 min read
Calendar foundations
Five Phases and Ten Gods: Read Relations Before Deficits
Start from the Day Master and stem-branch relations to understand the Five Phases and Ten Gods without treating a low count as something to fix.
8 min read
Calendar foundations
Reading Zi Wei’s Twelve Palaces: Connections Before Single Stars
Begin with the Life and Body palaces, then read stars across connected life domains instead of applying a fixed dictionary entry for every star.
8 min read