The 60 Day Pillars
六十甲子日柱 · 每一柱一幅画
Your day pillar (日柱) is the stem-branch pair of the day you were born — one of sixty in the repeating cycle. Its stem is your Day Master; the pair together makes a picture, and this page lists all sixty.
Day pillar vs. Day Master — what is the difference?
| Day Master (日主) | Day pillar (日柱) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One character: the day's Heavenly Stem | Two characters: stem + branch of the day |
| How many | Ten | Sixty |
| What it tells | The element that stands for you | That element in a setting — the picture it stands in |
The Day Master is the figure; the day pillar is the figure in its landscape. 庚 alone is Yang Metal; 庚午 is that metal standing in fire — The Blade in the Furnace. Same figure, entirely different picture on a different branch.
How is the day pillar determined?
By your birth date alone — no birth time needed. The sixty pairs have cycled continuously for centuries, one per day; any date maps to exactly one pillar. The only edge case is a birth between 11 pm and 1 am, where schools disagree about which day the hour belongs to — our convention (and the dispute) is documented under true solar time and on the method page.
The full table: all sixty
The titles are the traditional imagery of each pair, with our fixed English translations — the same ones used on Auspice chart cards. Pillars with their own page are linked; the rest are being written, five a week.
| Pillar | Pinyin | Title (EN) | Title (中) | Nayin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲子 | jiǎzǐ | Ancient Tree by the Cold River | 寒江古木 | Gold in the Sea |
| 乙丑 | yǐchǒu | New Sprout on the Snowfield | 雪原新芽 | Gold in the Sea |
| 丙寅 | bǐngyín | Morning Sun Through the Forest | 林间旭日 | Fire in the Furnace |
| 丁卯 | dīngmǎo | Lamplight on a Spring Night | 春夜灯火 | Fire in the Furnace |
| 戊辰 | wùchén | The Mountain That Hides a Lake | 藏湖之山 | Great Forest Wood |
| 己巳 | jǐsì | Clay in the Warm Kiln | 暖窑陶土 | Great Forest Wood |
| 庚午 | gēngwǔ | The Blade in the Furnace | 炉中利刃 | Roadside Earth |
| 辛未 | xīnwèi | Jewel in the Sand | 沙中珠玉 | Roadside Earth |
| 壬申 | rénshēn | Spring Water over Stone | 石上清泉 | Sword-Edge Metal |
| 癸酉 | guǐyǒu | Morning Dew on a Jade Plate | 玉盘晨露 | Sword-Edge Metal |
| 甲戌 | jiǎxū | Lone Tree on the Autumn Plain | 秋原孤树 | Hilltop Fire |
| 乙亥 | yǐhài | Green Vine at the Water's Edge | 临水青藤 | Hilltop Fire |
| 丙子 | bǐngzǐ | Warm Sun on a Snowy Night | 雪夜暖阳 | Water in the Ravine |
| 丁丑 | dīngchǒu | Candle on Frozen Ground | 冻土烛光 | Water in the Ravine |
| 戊寅 | wùyín | Spring Mountain, Just Waking | 春山初醒 | City Wall Earth |
| 己卯 | jǐmǎo | Spring Grass on New Fields | 新田春草 | City Wall Earth |
| 庚辰 | gēngchén | The Sword in the Dragon's Deep | 龙渊藏剑 | White Wax Metal |
| 辛巳 | xīnsì | Jade Refined in the Furnace | 炉火炼玉 | White Wax Metal |
| 壬午 | rénwǔ | Great River Under a Blazing Sun | 骄阳大江 | Willow Wood |
| 癸未 | guǐwèi | Sweet Rain on Dry Land | 旱地甘霖 | Willow Wood |
| 甲申 | jiǎshēn | Pine in the Rock Crevice | 岩缝劲松 | Water in the Spring |
| 乙酉 | yǐyǒu | Orchid Beside the Blade | 剑边幽兰 | Water in the Spring |
| 丙戌 | bǐngxū | Afterglow at Dusk | 暮色霞光 | Rooftop Earth |
| 丁亥 | dīnghài | Fishing Lights on the Open Sea | 海上渔火 | Rooftop Earth |
| 戊子 | wùzǐ | High City by the River | 江畔高城 | Thunderbolt Fire |
| 己丑 | jǐchǒu | Rich Earth Under Deep Snow | 厚雪沃土 | Thunderbolt Fire |
| 庚寅 | gēngyín | The Axe That Opens the Forest | 林中开山斧 | Pine and Cypress Wood |
| 辛卯 | xīnmǎo | Scattered Jade Among Flowers | 花间碎玉 | Pine and Cypress Wood |
| 壬辰 | rénchén | Dragon Hidden in the Vast Sea | 沧海藏龙 | Long-Flowing Water |
| 癸巳 | guǐsì | Hot Spring on the Volcano | 火山温泉 | Long-Flowing Water |
| 甲午 | jiǎwǔ | Wood That Feeds the Lamp | 燃灯之木 | Gold in the Sand |
| 乙未 | yǐwèi | Tough Grass on the Wasteland | 荒原韧草 | Gold in the Sand |
| 丙申 | bǐngshēn | Fierce Sun on Metal and Stone | 金石烈日 | Fire at the Foothill |
| 丁酉 | dīngyǒu | Gilded Candlelight | 鎏金烛火 | Fire at the Foothill |
| 戊戌 | wùxū | Iron Wall, High Rampart | 铁壁高墙 | Wood on Level Ground |
| 己亥 | jǐhài | Terraced Fields Facing the Sea | 临海梯田 | Wood on Level Ground |
| 庚子 | gēngzǐ | Sword-Light Over a Cold Pool | 寒潭剑气 | Earth on the Wall |
| 辛丑 | xīnchǒu | Frozen Jade Awaiting Spring | 冻玉待春 | Earth on the Wall |
| 壬寅 | rényín | Great River Through Spring Woods | 春林大川 | Gold Foil Metal |
| 癸卯 | guǐmǎo | Young Shoots in Morning Dew | 晨露青苗 | Gold Foil Metal |
| 甲辰 | jiǎchén | Sacred Tree on Fertile Plains | 沃野神木 | Sheltered Lamp Fire |
| 乙巳 | yǐsì | The Vine That Leans Toward Fire | 向火之藤 | Sheltered Lamp Fire |
| 丙午 | bǐngwǔ | The Sun at High Noon | 正午烈阳 | Water of the Milky Way |
| 丁未 | dīngwèi | Spark on the Dry Plain | 燥原星火 | Water of the Milky Way |
| 戊申 | wùshēn | The Mountain That Hides Gold | 藏金之山 | Post-Road Earth |
| 己酉 | jǐyǒu | Fields at Harvest | 秋收之田 | Post-Road Earth |
| 庚戌 | gēngxū | Heavy Sword in the Sheath | 鞘中重剑 | Hairpin Metal |
| 辛亥 | xīnhài | Pearl-Light Under a Sea Moon | 海月珠光 | Hairpin Metal |
| 壬子 | rénzǐ | Waters of the Northern Deep | 北冥之水 | Mulberry Wood |
| 癸丑 | guǐchǒu | Hidden Spring Beneath the Ice | 冰下暗泉 | Mulberry Wood |
| 甲寅 | jiǎyín | The Tree That Touches the Sky | 参天巨木 | Water of the Great Stream |
| 乙卯 | yǐmǎo | Creeping Grass on Spring Fields | 春野蔓草 | Water of the Great Stream |
| 丙辰 | bǐngchén | Morning Sun Over the Lake | 湖上朝阳 | Earth in the Sand |
| 丁巳 | dīngsì | Twin Flames on One Stem | 并蒂之火 | Earth in the Sand |
| 戊午 | wùwǔ | A Heart of Magma | 熔岩之心 | Fire in the Sky |
| 己未 | jǐwèi | Farmland in High Summer | 盛夏田土 | Fire in the Sky |
| 庚申 | gēngshēn | Twin Blades, Drawn | 出鞘双刃 | Pomegranate Wood |
| 辛酉 | xīnyǒu | Jade, Fully Carved | 琢成之玉 | Pomegranate Wood |
| 壬戌 | rénxū | Waterfall in the Mountains | 山间瀑布 | Water of the Great Sea |
| 癸亥 | guǐhài | Rain Returning to the Sea | 归海之雨 | Water of the Great Sea |
What can a day pillar tell — and what can't it?
A day pillar is one of four pillars — a quarter of the chart, and the quarter that points most directly at you. Its image is a starting picture, not a verdict: two people with the same pillar diverge the moment the other three pillars and the seasons enter. Treat each title as something to check against your own memory — it should argue with you or agree with you. Cast your chart to see yours in context — free, no account. Auspice is for reflection, not prediction.