Geng Metal Day Master (庚, Yang Metal)

Quick answer: Geng (庚) is the seventh of the ten Heavenly Stems: Yang Metal. You have a Geng Metal Day Master if the stem of your day pillar is Geng. The Di Tian Sui pictures Geng as metal that "carries a killing edge, the hardest and most vigorous of all", and the commentary calls it yang metal, the essence of Taibai / Venus (太白之精). That image is a way to remember the stem's nature, not a verdict on anyone's personality.

Not sure of your Day Master? Find it from your birth date, or calculate your full chart.

The classical image: what the Di Tian Sui says

The Di Tian Sui (滴天髓) is traditionally attributed to Jing Tu of the Song dynasty, although its authorship is uncertain. It describes each stem in a short verse. This is its verse on Geng:

庚金帶煞，剛健為最。得水而清，得火而銳。土潤則生，土乾則脆。能贏甲兄，輸於乙妹。

"Geng metal carries a killing edge, the hardest and most vigorous of all. With water it becomes clear; with fire, keen. Moist earth nourishes it; dry earth makes it brittle. It can beat its elder brother Jia, but loses to its younger sister Yi."

— Di Tian Sui, "天干論", Chanwei text. Wikisource variants: 剛強為最, 能勝甲兄. Translation: PillarChart editorial team. "Killing edge" translates 帶煞 as the verse's own martial metaphor for yang metal — not a prediction of violence.

Line by line:

• "Carries a killing edge… hardest" (帶煞，剛健為最). Geng is the hard, forged form of Metal. The Wikisource note calls it yang metal, "the essence of Taibai" (Venus). The martial wording is classical metaphor for the stem's qi, not a character judgment.
• "With water, clear; with fire, keen." Water is what Metal produces; Fire controls Metal. Both can refine Geng in the verse's climate language.
• "Moist earth nourishes; dry earth makes brittle." Earth produces Metal. Moisture vs drought changes whether that resource helps or harms.
• "Beats Jia, loses to Yi." Yang metal facing yang wood is a direct contest; Yi wood combines with Geng (乙庚合) instead. Chart mechanics, not sibling drama about people.

Yin, yang and the Metal element

Geng and Xin are the two forms of Metal. Geng is yang (hard, edged); Xin is yin (soft, warm, clear).

Read the partner page: Yin Metal (Xin).

Season and climate: why your birth month matters

The month branch tells you the season Geng was born into, and so how much support it starts with. In the seasonal scheme of the Sanming Tonghui, Metal is:

The table follows the Sanming Tonghui text, which places Earth's season in the sixth month. The other Earth months (辰, 戌, 丑) are treated in more than one way across schools. See Five Elements.

Climate adjustment in the Qiongtong Baojian

The Qiongtong Baojian (窮通寶鑑) reads every Day Master month by month, asking first whether the chart needs warming, cooling or moistening. Its section on Geng in a key season opens:

正月庚金，木旺之际，有土皆死，不能生金，且金之寒气未除，先用丙暖庚性，又虑土厚埋金，须甲疏洩。

"Geng metal in the first month: wood is Prosperous, earth is Dead and cannot feed metal, and metal's cold is not yet gone. The book first uses Bing to warm Geng's nature, and — fearing thick earth burying metal — needs Jia to open and drain." — Qiongtong Baojian, 正月庚金 (Wikisource). Translation: PillarChart editorial team. Climate / adjustment lines only; the book also contains fixed fortune pronouncements, which we do not reproduce.

For other parts of the year, the book's climate recommendations for Geng include the following (paraphrased):

• Midsummer (午 Wu): Ding fire is fierce and Geng is in a defeated place. The book specialises in Ren water, with Gui next (paraphrased from 五月庚金).
• Autumn (申/酉): Geng is extremely sharp. The book specialises in Ding fire to forge it, then Jia wood to lead Ding (「专用丁火煅炼，次取甲木引丁」).
• Early winter (亥 Hai): Water is cold and metal is cold. The book wants Ding to forge and Bing to warm — "cold water and cold metal love Bing and Ding" (「水冷金寒爱丙丁」).

These describe what one classical method looks for, given the season. They are not predictions, and other methods may weigh the same chart differently. Where schools disagree on a rule, see How we calculate your chart.

Is your Geng Metal weak or strong?

Three questions decide it, in this order: season (the month branch), roots (Geng among the hidden stems, especially in 申 Shen or 巳 Si), and support from other stems (more Metal, or Earth as resource). Our calculator scores this with a published point method. Here are two Geng charts it produced:

A strong Geng: Chicago, 22 September 1988, 10:00 (open)

Born with month branch You 酉, when Metal is in a supportive season on our reading, with roots / companions visible in the pillars (戊辰 辛酉 庚辰 辛巳). Score: 86%, strong (8.6 of 10 points).

A weak Geng: Chicago, 20 June 1987, 10:00 (open)

Born with month branch Wu 午, when Metal is out of its best season on our reading, with limited support among the stems and hidden stems (丁卯 丙午 庚子 辛巳). Score: 33%, weak (3.3 of 10 points).

For what weak and strong mean in general, see Weak Day Master and Strong Day Master. The hidden stems page explains the roots table behind those scores.

Favourable elements. Which element a Geng chart is said to "need" depends on its season, its strength and the reader's method, so there is no single answer for all Geng Day Masters. Our calculator doesn't output a favourable element.

How Geng interacts with the other nine stems

The Yuanhai Ziping names the Ten Gods using Jia as its example, then the same generating / controlling logic is shifted to any Day Master. So for a Geng Day Master:

Geng and Yi combine. Yi–Geng is one of the five standard stem combinations — the same pairing the verse points to when it says Geng "loses to younger sister Yi". Our calculator doesn't model combinations.

Geng and Jia. Sometimes listed as a stem "clash". The verse frames it as yang metal beating yang wood. Schools differ on clash counting.

Ten Gods are labels relative to the Day Master, not personality verdicts. For the naming logic in general, see How we calculate your chart.

Common misconceptions about Geng Metal

• "Geng is my zodiac year element." Day Master ≠ year stem.
• "Geng people are all aggressive / military." The "killing edge" metaphor describes yang metal's qi in the verse, not a career or temperament verdict.
• "Fire always destroys Geng." Autumn and winter sections of the Qiongtong Baojian use fire to forge or warm Geng. Season decides whether fire is forge or melt.
• "Geng is an axe / sword." Popular modern pictures. The classical commentary names yang metal and Taibai; weapons are later teaching aids.

How modern readers describe Geng Metal

Modern guides often associate Geng with directness, decisiveness and a strong sense of fairness, extending the forged-blade image. Some also mention harshness. These are interpretations built on the classical image, not statements from the classical texts. You may recognise yourself in them or not. Neither result says anything about what will happen to you.

Frequently asked questions

Is Geng Metal yin or yang?

Yang. Geng is Yang Metal, and its yin partner is Xin.

What element is good for a Geng Metal Day Master?

It depends on the season and the chart's strength. There is no single answer. The Qiongtong Baojian recommendations above are one classical climate method; a strength-based reading would favour resource and companions for a weak Geng, and output, wealth and power for a strong one. Our calculator doesn't output a favourable element.

Which stem combines with Geng?

Yi (乙, Yin Wood). Geng–Yi is one of the five classical stem combinations.

Is a Geng Metal Day Master the same as being born in a Metal year?

No. A Metal year means the year stem is one of the two Metal stems. A Geng Day Master means the day stem is Geng. You can have either without the other.

How do I find out if my Day Master is Geng?

Use the Day Master calculator. You only need your birth date (and whether you were born between 23:00 and midnight). The full chart also shows whether your Geng is weak or strong.

Why do some sites call Geng an "axe" or "sword"?

Modern memory aids for hard yang metal. The Di Tian Sui speaks of a killing edge and Taibai's essence; it does not require a specific weapon.

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Next steps: Calculate your full chart to see your Geng's season, roots and strength score, or read about the hidden stems that give it roots.

Related

• What is my Day Master?: all ten stems

• Yin Metal (Xin) · Yin Wood (Yi — combines)

• Five Elements · Hidden stems

• Weak Day Master · Strong Day Master

• Classical sources · Methodology

• Example charts you can audit · Ten Gods · Learn where to start

Sources

• Di Tian Sui Chanwei (滴天髓闡微), "天干論", verse on Geng, Chinese Text Project: https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=126492
• Di Tian Sui (滴天髓), 輯要 edition with notes, Wikisource: https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/滴天髓
• Ziping Zhenquan Pingzhu (子平真詮評註), yin–yang pairing of stems, Chinese Text Project: https://ctext.org/wiki.pl?if=gb&chapter=974137
• Yuanhai Ziping (淵海子平), Ten Gods naming logic, Wikisource: https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/淵海子平
• Sanming Tonghui (三命通會), 卷二, seasonal states, Wikisource: https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/三命通會/卷二
• Qiongtong Baojian (穷通宝鉴), Geng seasonal sections (正月庚金 and related), Wikisource: https://zh.wikisource.org/wiki/穷通宝鉴
• Example charts: computed by our engine (bazi-lichun-jieqi-tst-v1); see How we calculate your chart

Translations: PillarChart editorial team.

BaZi is a traditional Chinese cultural practice. This page describes what classical texts and practitioners say; it is for reflection, education and entertainment, and is not medical, legal, financial or psychological advice. Different schools may read the same chart differently.

Last updated: 2026-10-07