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Chinese Astrology & Divination Glossary | 中国术数词典

A bilingual guide to the names, meanings, and cultural differences behind BaZi, the Four Pillars, the I Ching, Zi Wei, Chinese oracle lots, and related traditions.

八字 · BaZi · Eight Characters

BaZi

BaZi is a traditional Chinese birth-chart system based on the year, month, day, and hour of birth. Each pillar contains a Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch, producing eight characters.

Read the origins of BaZi

四柱 · Four Pillars of Destiny

Four Pillars

Four Pillars is another English name for BaZi. The four pillars are Year, Month, Day, and Hour. BaZi refers to their eight written characters, while Four Pillars emphasizes the chart structure.

BaZi and self-understanding

易经 · I Ching · Book of Changes

I Ching

The I Ching is an ancient Chinese classic about change, timing, and the relationships between situations. Its 64 hexagrams have influenced Chinese philosophy, decision-making traditions, and later systems of interpretation.

紫微神术 · 紫微斗数 · Zi Wei Dou Shu

Zi Wei

Zi Wei Dou Shu is a Chinese astrological chart system that organizes symbolic stars into twelve palaces. “Zi Wei Shen Shu” is a related popular search phrase used for Zi Wei-based destiny interpretation.

Explore Zi Wei Shen Shu

观音灵签 · Guanyin Oracle Lots

Guanyin Oracle

Guanyin Oracle Lots, also called Guanyin Fortune Sticks, are a temple divination tradition. A numbered lot is interpreted through an associated poem or story. It is distinct from BaZi because it begins with a question and a drawn lot rather than birth data.

黄大仙灵签 · Wong Tai Sin Fortune Sticks

Wong Tai Sin Oracle

Wong Tai Sin Fortune Sticks are best known through the Wong Tai Sin temple tradition in Hong Kong. The numbered verses are interpreted in relation to a visitor’s question and cultural context.

五行 · Wu Xing · Five Phases

Five Elements

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water describe recurring patterns of growth, expression, stability, refinement, and flow. “Five Phases” is often more precise than treating them as physical substances.

Understand Five Elements balance

风水 · Feng Shui

Feng Shui

Feng Shui is a Chinese tradition of observing how landscape, orientation, shelter, movement, and human activity shape the experience of a place.

What is Feng Shui?

Quick Answers

Are BaZi and Four Pillars the same?

Yes. Four Pillars describes the chart’s four-part structure, while BaZi means the eight characters contained in those pillars.

Is the I Ching the same as BaZi?

No. The I Ching is an ancient classic and hexagram tradition. BaZi is a birth-chart system built from the date and time of birth.

Are Guanyin Oracle Lots and Wong Tai Sin Fortune Sticks forms of astrology?

They are better described as temple oracle-lot traditions. They use a question, a drawn number, and an associated verse rather than a planetary or birth-time chart.

These traditions are presented for cultural learning, reflection, and entertainment. Their historical and symbolic ideas should not replace medical, legal, financial, investment, or psychological advice.