BaZi Compatibility Calculator
How BaZi compatibility is read
Year animals — the generational layer
The 12 animals divide into four groups by the 三合 trine and six 六合 harmony pairs — naturally allied combinations. The six 六冲 clash pairs sit in structural friction. This is the layer most people know from popular astrology, though it is only one of four factors in a full BaZi compatibility reading.
Day Masters — the core element relationship
The Day Master is the element that represents you in the chart. When one element generates the other (wood feeds fire, fire feeds earth, earth feeds metal, metal feeds water, water feeds wood) the relationship has a naturally nourishing current. When one controls the other (wood roots earth, earth dams water, water douses fire, fire melts metal, metal chops wood) there is a push-pull quality. Equal elements sit neutrally.
Day branch — the spouse palace
In classical Four Pillars analysis, the day branch is called the spouse palace — the branch most directly associated with the partner. When two people's day branches form a 六合 combination, the palace pulls together. A 六冲 clash between them introduces tension to navigate in the partnership domain.
Element balance — what each chart carries
A chart missing an element can draw on a partner whose chart supplies it. When both charts lack the same element, that gap travels with the relationship. Neither case is inherently good or bad — the pattern shows where the combined chart has abundance and where it relies on outside sources.
Why this isn't just zodiac animal matching
The zodiac animal is the year branch — shared by all people born in the same year. Two people born on different days of the same year are the same animal but have entirely different Day Masters, day branches, month pillars and element balances. The animal-level reading is a generational sketch; the day pillar is the individual one. Classical BaZi analysis places the most weight on the day stem (Day Master) and day branch (spouse palace) precisely because they distinguish one person from everyone else born the same year.
What the birth hour adds
A date-only reading covers three of the four pillars and gives a solid structural picture of the main compatibility factors. Adding the exact birth time (corrected to true solar time of the birthplace) fills in the hour pillar, which can shift the Day Master strength score and reveal whether the spouse palace has additional reinforcement or pressure from the hidden stems. The free DayAtlas BaZi calculator handles the solar-time correction automatically — use it for a full four-pillar reading.
Want each person's full chart? Use the free BaZi calculator →
FAQ
What does BaZi say about compatibility?
BaZi examines four structural factors: whether the year animals clash or harmonise (六合/三合/六冲), how the Day Master elements relate (nourish, control, or sit neutrally), whether the day branches — the spouse palace — combine or clash, and whether the two charts cover each other's missing elements. None of these factors alone decides the relationship; together they sketch the structural grain.
Why use the day pillar rather than just the zodiac animal?
The zodiac animal is the year branch — a generational signature shared by everyone born in the same year. The Day Master (day stem) is the specific element that represents the individual, and the day branch is the spouse palace in classical BaZi, so it carries more weight for relationship analysis than the popular animal-zodiac match.
Do I need the birth time for a compatibility reading?
No — the three-pillar chart from the birth date alone is enough for a structural reading of the main factors. The hour pillar adds the full Day Master strength score and the exact spouse-palace configuration, and can shift the reading noticeably. Add both birth times in the free BaZi calculator for the complete picture.