Luck cycles: the start, the decade, the year marker, and where a sentence stops
A luck cycle is a ten-year step laid on pillars that are already set. It does not replace the day master. The year marker is that year’s stem and branch. A sentence stops at which element is heavier and which ten god that is. It does not name a day.
Editorial review: 2026-09-22 · Reviewed by fatequery
The start is counted from birth to the next term
A yang year and a male chart run forward. Geng is yang, so this male chart runs forward. The engine’s gap is 2 years, 3 months, and 20 days, and the start date is 20 October 1992.
The elapsed time and the nominal age are different numbers. Birth to the start is a little over 2 years. The first step begins at nominal age 3. Keep both numbers.
Each step lasts ten years and keeps the day master
The first step is Gui-Wei, nominal ages 3–12, 1992–2001. Then Jia-Shen and Yi-You. 2022–2031 is Bing-Xu, nominal ages 33–42. The stem Bing toward the day master Bing is Peer. The branch Xu’s primary stem Wu is Eating God.
A luck step is read on the same ten-god table. The day master stays Bing. The step does not replace the day master with its own stem.
| Step | Nominal age | Years | Stem toward Bing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gui-Wei | 3–12 | 1992–2001 | Direct Officer |
| Jia-Shen | 13–22 | 2002–2011 | Indirect Resource |
| Yi-You | 23–32 | 2012–2021 | Direct Resource |
| Bing-Xu | 33–42 | 2022–2031 | Peer |
The year marker is that year’s pair
The year marker sits inside the current step. 2026 falls in Bing-Xu. The marker is Bing-Wu, nominal age 37. The stem Bing toward the day master is Peer. The branch Wu’s primary stem Ding is Rob Wealth.
The marker and the birth year both use Wu. That only means the branch meets the same branch. Still write the day master and the ten gods.
Where a sentence stops
A sentence that can be written points back at the characters: this step makes fire heavier, the stem is Peer, and fire was already heavy in the month. A sentence that names a day, a sum of money, a surgery, or a contract cannot.
An unknown hour stops at the year, month, and day. A luck step does not invent the hour. Do not copy ages across from a Zi Wei decade. This is an illustration, not something that has already happened.
What BaZi looks at is on what BaZi is. Once the date, time, and place are in, continue at the chart page.
Common mistakes
- Replacing the day master with the luck step’s stem.
- Turning the 2026 marker into income or a wedding that has already happened.
- Using a luck step to fill an hour that was never given.
Use it in fatequery
BaZi marriage match
Branch relations, day-master combinations and element balance
Compare two BaZi charts →Frequently asked questions
Why are “2 years” and “nominal age 3” different?
2 years, 3 months, and 20 days is the time from birth to the start. Nominal age 3 is where the first step sits on the timeline. Keep both.
Can 2026 answer whether money arrives?
No. That year is marked Bing-Wu. The stem is Peer, and Wu’s primary stem is Rob Wealth. The sentence stops there.
Can these ages be lined up with a Zi Wei decade?
No. Each system keeps its own ages. Do not edit either chart so the sentences match.
Sources and editorial basis
- 1. Yuanhai Ziping, transmitted text
Traditional names for the four pillars, the ten gods, and the month command. One text does not turn an illustration into something that has already happened.
- 2. Sanming Tonghui, transmitted text
Traditional names for the direct and indirect gods, the twelve stages, and nayin. The tables do not collapse into one luck sentence.
- 3. fatequery rule snapshot
The year changes at the Beginning of Spring, the month follows the twelve solar terms, hidden stems are weighted 1 / 0.5 / 0.3, and the day boundary defaults to 23:00, switchable to 00:00. It supports only the fields the chart prints.