流月 Liu Yue — The Monthly Pillar
and the calendar of 24 solar terms

If Liu Nian (流年 (liú nián — "the current year")) is the annual "weather," then Liu Yue (流月 (liú yuè — "the current month")) is the seasonal fluctuation within it. And this is where one of the subtlest parts of BaZi begins: a month, in Chinese metaphysics, doesn't match the Gregorian calendar. January isn't the "first month," and the year doesn't start on January 1. It's a paradox that trips up every beginner, but it's exactly what makes BaZi precise.

The monthly pillar in BaZi is determined not by the date, but by the solar season (節氣, jié qì). The year is divided into 24 solar periods, each about 15 days long. Every two of these periods form one of the 12 "BaZi months." And it's exactly these 12 months that determine which earthly branch governs each stretch of the year.

1 The monthly pillar — how it's calculated through the 24 solar terms

Ancient Chinese astronomers tracked the sun's movement along the ecliptic and divided that circle into 24 equal angles of 15 degrees each. This produced 24 points where the sun "switches" its seasonal mode. These points are called jié qì (節氣), "nodes and breaths." Of these, 12 are jié (節, nodes), which start the BaZi months, and 12 are qì (氣, breaths), which mark the midpoint of each month.

For example, the BaZi month of Yín (寅, Tiger, the first month) begins with Lì Chūn (立春) — "the Start of Spring," around February 4th. The middle of this month is Yǔ Shuǐ (雨水, "Rain Water"), around February 19th. And the month ends when the next node arrives, Jīng Zhé (驚蟄, "the Awakening of Insects"), March 5–6, when the month of Mǎo (卯, Rabbit) begins.

This means: if you were born on February 3rd, you're still in the previous cycle's year and month. But if you were born on February 5th, you're already in the new year. That's why in BaZi, not just the date but the exact time of birth relative to these solar transitions is critical.

2 Lì Chūn (立春) — the year begins around February 4th

One of the most common questions: "So when does the year actually begin in BaZi?" The answer is Lì Chūn, around February 4th. The exact date shifts between February 3rd and 5th depending on the year, because the 24 jié qì are tied not to the calendar, but to the sun's astronomical longitude.

Lì Chūn literally translates as "the Establishment of Spring." It's the moment the sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude. In China, this is considered the astronomical start of spring — still cold, but "the seeds are waking up." That's why the new annual pillar, and the new "Yín month," both start on Lì Chūn.

This is critical for anyone born in late January or early February. If your birthday is February 1, 2002, you were born in the year Xīn-Sì (辛巳, the Year of the Snake). But if it's February 5, 2002, you're already in the year Rén-Wǔ (壬午, the Year of the Horse). The exact same child, with a date error, ends up with a completely different chart.

3 The 12 solar months and their branches

Each of the 12 BaZi months corresponds to one of the 12 earthly branches. A month is determined by which jié qì (node) has already passed. Here's the full calendar:

Notice: the four "earth" branches (Chén, Wèi, Xū, Chǒu) are transitional months between seasons. They hide the stem of the previous season: for example, Chén (late spring) hides Yǐ (Yin Wood) from the departing spring.

The month's stem is determined by a special formula based on the year's stem. So if the year is Bǐng (火), the Yín month will be Gēng-Yín (庚寅), the Mǎo month will be Xīn-Mǎo (辛卯), and so on. All 60 year-month combinations repeat every 5 years, following the "Five Tigers table" (五虎遁).

4 How the month combines with the annual pillar

When reading Liu Yue, the first thing to check is the month's interaction with the year. The month "activates" the year's themes, making them relevant specifically during that period.

Three types of activation

• Reinforcement — the month shares the year's element. For example, in a Bǐng-Wǔ (Fire) year, a Sì (Fire) month arrives — reinforcing the fire theme.
• A hé combination — the month forms a union with the year. For example, in the 2026 year (Wǔ), a Wèi month arrives — a Wǔ-Wèi hé forms a temporary union. The year's theme "fuses" into a single theme.
• A chōng clash — the month clashes with the year. In a Wǔ (Horse) year, the most tense month is Zǐ (Rat), December. This produces a "challenge within the year."

In the 2026 Bǐng-Wǔ year, these months are especially interesting:

• Sì (May) — Fire reinforces Fire, the peak of the fire theme. The climax of creativity, or of burnout.
• Wèi (July) — a hé with Wǔ, a union. Stabilization. A good month for alliances and partnerships.
• Zǐ (December) — a chōng with Wǔ, a clash. The hardest month of the year, especially for anyone with a Wǔ in their chart.
• Yín and Xū — together with Wǔ they form a sān hé (Yín-Wǔ-Xū = Fire). If both months are handled "consciously," the whole year's fire program activates at its fullest.

5 How the month combines with the Da Yun Luck Pillar

The month also interacts with your current Da Yun pillar. This gives you a second layer of analysis: the month activates not just the year's theme, but the decade's theme too.

If your Da Yun is, say, Jǐ-Hài (己亥, Earth-Water), and in December 2026 the Zǐ (Water) month arrives, Water doubles up. This is favorable if Water is your Yong Shen, or accelerated depletion if Water is harmful to you.

Special attention goes to a branch hé between the month and the Da Yun. If the month forms a Liù Hé with the Da Yun, a powerful "fusion" of themes occurs. Key events of the decade often happen in exactly such months: meeting a future spouse, founding a company, moving abroad.

6 Dangerous months — what to watch for

Dangerous months are the ones where several "triggers" converge from the natal chart, the Da Yun, and the Liu Nian. You can spot them ahead of time.

Signs of a dangerous month

1. The month chōngs your day branch — especially in a year that's already applying pressure.
2. The month completes a triple punishment (Zǐ-Mǎo, Yín-Sì-Shēn, Chǒu-Xū-Wèi), if two parts of the punishment are already present in the chart + year.
3. The month duplicates an element already in excess — for example, a triple dose of Fire for an already-dry chart.
4. The month activates Qī Shā against a weak DM — a peak of pressure and stress.
5. The month brings a Shāng Guān that attacks the chart's Zhèng Guān — conflict with superiors, the law, or the husband (for a woman).

What to do in a dangerous month

• Don't sign long-term contracts in the first week of the month.
• Protect your health, especially the organ tied to the relevant element.
• Don't provoke conflict with anyone carrying an "activating" sign.
• Push back key meetings and decisions to the next month.
• Use the favorable days within a difficult month (through date selection, 擇日).

7 Favorable months — when to push forward

Favorable months are ones that resonate with your Yong Shen, your chart's favorable element. During these periods, things move fast, the right people show up, resources come on their own.

Signs of a favorable month

1. The month brings your Yong Shen as a stem or a branch's hidden stem.
2. The month forms a hé with the day or hour, producing a favorable element.
3. The month completes a sān hé or sān huì with two branches of the natal chart — a powerful activation.
4. The month brings a Noble Helper (貴人, guì rén) — a special "lucky person" indicator, from the Tiān Yǐ guì rén table.
5. The month shares its element with Liu Nian and Da Yun, when they're favorable — a triple resonance.

During such months, it's worth launching key projects: releasing a product, moving, getting married, signing an important contract. What you launch during a resonant month tends to unfold more strongly down the line.

8 Month + year + Da Yun = a triple overlay

The strongest moments in life happen when three or four layers of luck (natal, Da Yun, Liu Nian, Liu Yue) all point the same direction. This gives you a "cosmic shot."

A positive triple overlay

An example: a Jiǎ (Wood) Day Master, needing Fire. The natal chart has a Bǐng (Fire) in the hour. The current Da Yun is Dīng-Sì (Fire). Liu Nian is Bǐng-Wǔ (double Fire). And then the Sì month (May) arrives — Fire again. All four layers deliver Fire. This is a month of breakthrough, recognition, monetization — what modern authors call «window of opportunity».

A negative triple overlay

The same Jiǎ DM, but the chart is already weak (little Water, little Wood). The current Da Yun is Gēng-Shēn (Metal chops Wood). Liu Nian is Bǐng-Wǔ (Fire burns Wood). The Xū month (October) brings Earth plus hidden Fire and hidden Metal. Everything is against Wood. This is a period of depletion, illness, mistakes. Not a time for risk.

9 How to plan a month — a practical method

A concrete method for working with Liu Yue, recommended by the classical Ziping school classics:

1. At the start of each solar month (the day after the jié qì), identify the month's stem and branch.
2. Find the 10 gods activated by the month's stem and the branch's main hidden stem.
3. Determine the interactions with your natal chart: chōng, hé, xíng, hài with each branch of the chart.
4. Cross-reference with Da Yun and Liu Nian: reinforcement, contradiction, resonance?
5. Sum up the month's theme in 1–2 sentences: "A month of career pressure through Qī Shā — pay attention to lung health." That's enough as a guide.
6. Pick 1–2 favorable days within the month for key actions — meetings, launches, contracts.
7. Flag 1–2 risky days — where there's a direct chōng with your birth day, or punishment days.
8. Revisit your plan at month's end: what came true, how the theme unfolded. This is how you calibrate your reading skill.

The monthly rhythm of working with BaZi

• The first week of the month — set the theme, observe, don't force things.
• The second and third weeks — peak activity, the main work on the month's theme.
• The last week — wrap up, transition. The next jié qì's theme becomes active.

10 A calendar of seasonal transitions — the 24 jié qì nodes

The final practical tool is a table of all 24 jié qì, where 12 jié (nodes) launch the monthly pillar and 12 qì (breaths) mark the middle of each month. Here they are combined into a full annual rhythm:

This table is a practical navigator. Save it and check back: every two weeks the season's "breath" changes; every month, the branch and stem change. BaZi isn't astrology "in general" — it's a precise chronometry of natural cycles.

Understanding Liu Yue turns BaZi from an abstract system into a practical tool. You stop "guessing at the year in general" and start planning your life in 30-day cycles synchronized with real natural rhythms. This is what Chinese strategists used for millennia — timing became a technology before the invention of the clock.