Five Elements Calculator (Wu Xing)
Enter your birth date and time to see how much Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water your Chinese birth chart holds, which element is missing, and your Day Master element.
The generating and controlling cycles
Generating: Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water, Water nourishes Wood
Controlling: Wood parts Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood
Arrows around the circle show the generating cycle; the star inside shows the controlling cycle.
The five elements
WoodA green shoot that bends in the wind and keeps climbing toward the light.
FireSummer noon and a lamp in the window: heat that rises and light that reaches out.
EarthThe field between harvests, holding the seed, the rain, and the weight of the house.
MetalAutumn air, a whetted blade, and the clean edge left after the harvest is cut.
WaterA winter river under thin ice, quiet on top and always moving underneath.
Five elements chart
What the five elements are
Wu Xing, usually translated as the five elements or five phases, describes Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water as forces that feed and check one another. Each of the ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches belongs to one of them, so a BaZi chart (a pair of stem and branch for your birth year, month, day and hour) can be read as a mix of the five.
In the generating cycle each element feeds the next: wood burns into fire, and water nourishes wood. In the controlling cycle each element keeps another in check, the way water puts out fire. Control is balance rather than harm.
What “missing an element” means
An element counts as missing when none of the chart’s stems or main branch elements carry it. Branches also hold hidden stems, so a missing element often shows up there, which is why the calculator gives both a count and a score.
Whether a missing or crowded element matters depends on the Day Master’s strength, the birth season and the chart as a whole, and practitioners disagree. This tool shows the spread and the traditional readings without ranking charts or suggesting remedies.
FAQ
What element am I?
In BaZi, “your element” usually means your Day Master: the Heavenly Stem of the day you were born. Your zodiac year also has an element, such as a Fire Horse year, but that describes the year rather than you.
Do I need my birth time?
No. Without it the calculator uses three pillars instead of four, so the element count is a little less complete.
Is missing an element bad?
No. Many charts lack one or two elements. Traditional readings weigh the whole chart, and this tool does not judge charts as good or bad.
The five elements and BaZi are cultural traditions offered for reflection and entertainment. They do not predict outcomes or replace medical, financial or legal advice.