Xin Metal Day Master (辛, Yin Metal)
Quick answer: Xin (辛) is the eighth of the ten Heavenly Stems: Yin Metal. You have a Xin Metal Day Master if the stem of your day pillar is Xin. The Di Tian Sui describes Xin as soft, warm, moist and clear. Its commentary says Xin is not pearls and jade: whatever is warm, soft, clear and moist counts as Xin. 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 Xin:
辛金軟弱，溫潤而清。畏土之疊，樂水之盈。能扶社稷，能救生靈。熱則喜母，寒則喜丁。
"Xin metal is soft and yielding, warm, moist and clear. It fears heaped-up earth and delights in abundant water. It can uphold the state and rescue living things. When hot it welcomes its mother; when cold it welcomes Ding."
— Di Tian Sui, "天干論", Chanwei text (ctext.org). Translation: PillarChart editorial team.
Line by line:
- "Soft… warm, moist and clear" (軟弱，溫潤而清). Xin is the refined, yielding form of Metal. The Chanwei original note says: 「辛乃陰金，非珠玉之謂也。凡溫軟清潤者，皆辛金也。」 — Xin is yin metal; it does not mean pearls and jade. Whatever is warm, soft, clear and moist is Xin.
- "Fears heaped-up earth; delights in abundant water." Earth produces Metal (too much earth buries metal — the same idea as in Yuanhai Ziping); Water is Metal's output. Climate and balance language, not a mood board.
- "Uphold the state… rescue living things." Classical moral metaphor for the stem's qi in the verse. Not a prediction about anyone's career or virtue.
- "When hot, welcomes its mother; when cold, welcomes Ding." "Mother" here is the resource (Earth) in heat; Ding fire is named for cold. Seasonal remedies, not personality.
Xin is not jewellery
Many English guides describe Xin as jewellery, pearls or precious ornaments. The commentary in the Di Tian Sui Chanwei says the opposite, directly:
辛乃陰金，非珠玉之謂也。凡溫軟清潤者，皆辛金也。
"Xin is yin metal; it does not mean pearls and jade. Whatever is warm, soft, clear and moist is Xin metal."
The verse itself describes Xin as 軟弱，溫潤而清: soft and yielding, warm, moist and clear. The point is the quality of the metal, not an object made from it. We keep the popular image only as a contrast to correct — the same correction already used on our Day Master calculator.
Yin, yang and the Metal element
Xin and Geng are the two forms of Metal. Geng is yang (hard); Xin is yin (soft, warm, clear).
| Geng | Xin | |
|---|---|---|
| Polarity | Yang Metal | Yin Metal |
| Classical image | Yang metal, essence of Taibai | Soft, warm, clear metal — not jewellery / pearls |
| Di Tian Sui opening | 庚金帶煞 "killing edge" | 辛金軟弱 "soft and yielding" |
| Main qi of the branch | 申 Shen | 酉 You |
| Also hidden in | 巳 Si | 戌 Xu, 丑 Chou |
| Combines with | 乙 Yi | 丙 Bing |
Read the partner page: Yang Metal (Geng).
Season and climate: why your birth month matters
The month branch tells you the season Xin was born into, and so how much support it starts with. In the seasonal scheme of the Sanming Tonghui, Metal is:
| Season (month branches) | Metal's state | What it means for Xin |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (寅 Yin, 卯 Mao) | Trapped 囚 | Held back while wood is Prosperous |
| Summer (巳 Si, 午 Wu) | Dead 死 | Out of season, controlled by fire |
| Sixth month (未 Wei) | Strong 相 | Nourished by earth |
| Autumn (申 Shen, 酉 You) | Prosperous 旺 | In season, strongly supported |
| Winter (亥 Hai, 子 Zi) | Resting 休 | Spending itself on water |
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 Xin in a key season opens:
正月辛金，阳气舒而寒气未除……取己土为生身之本，欲得辛金发现，全赖壬水之功……故正月辛金，先己后壬。
"Xin metal in the first month: yang is opening but cold remains. The book takes Ji earth as the root that produces the body, and relies on Ren water for Xin to show itself — so Ji first, then Ren." — Qiongtong Baojian, 正月辛金 (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 Xin include the following (paraphrased):
- Early summer (巳 Si): The book dislikes Bing's dryness and likes Ren water to wash and polish Xin (「忌丙火之燥烈，喜壬水之洗淘」).
- Midsummer (午 Wu): Ding is in command and Xin is out of season. The book uses Ji and Ren together — Ji as moistening silt, Ren as lake water (「须己壬兼用」).
- Autumn: Xin is in season. The book specialises in Ren water to wash the metal, and treats excess earth as a fault that Jia may correct (paraphrased from 七/八月辛金).
- Winter: Cold intensifies. Early winter puts Ren first then Bing; deep winter may reverse to Bing first then Ren to thaw and wash (「先壬后丙」 / 「先丙后壬」).
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 Xin Metal weak or strong?
Three questions decide it, in this order: season (the month branch), roots (Xin among the hidden stems, especially in 酉 You, 戌 Xu or 丑 Chou), and support from other stems (more Metal, or Earth as resource). Our calculator scores this with a published point method. Here are two Xin charts it produced:
A strong Xin: Chicago, 13 September 1988, 10:00 (open)
- Day Master:
- Yin Metal (Xin 辛) · Read more about Xin Metal
- Strength:
- 76% · strong (7.6 of 10 points)
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 辛未 癸巳). Score: 76%, strong (7.6 of 10 points).
A weak Xin: Chicago, 11 June 1987, 10:00 (open)
- Day Master:
- Yin Metal (Xin 辛) · Read more about Xin Metal
- Strength:
- 23% · weak (2.3 of 10 points)
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 辛卯 癸巳). Score: 23%, weak (2.3 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 Xin chart is said to "need" depends on its season, its strength and the reader's method, so there is no single answer for all Xin Day Masters. Our calculator doesn't output a favourable element.
How Xin 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 Xin Day Master:
| Stem | Element | Relation to Xin | Ten God | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 Jia | Yang Wood | Xin controls it | Direct Wealth (正財) | |
| 乙 Yi | Yin Wood | Xin controls it | Indirect Wealth (偏財) | |
| 丙 Bing | Yang Fire | Controls Xin | Direct Officer (正官) | Combines with Xin (辛丙合) |
| 丁 Ding | Yin Fire | Controls Xin | Seven Killings (七殺, also 偏官) | |
| 戊 Wu | Yang Earth | Produces Xin | Direct Resource (印綬, i.e. 正印) | |
| 己 Ji | Yin Earth | Produces Xin | Indirect Resource (偏印; also 倒食, 梟神) | |
| 庚 Geng | Yang Metal | Same element, opposite polarity | Rob Wealth (劫財) | |
| 辛 Xin | Yin Metal | Same element, same polarity | Friend (比肩) | |
| 壬 Ren | Yang Water | Xin produces it | Hurting Officer (傷官) | |
| 癸 Gui | Yin Water | Xin produces it | Eating God (食神) |
Xin and Bing combine. Bing–Xin is one of the five standard stem combinations. Our calculator doesn't model combinations.
Xin and fire. Fire controls Metal. Whether Bing/Ding forge, dry or melt Xin depends on season — summer often wants water to wash Xin; cold months may want Bing to warm it.
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 Xin Metal
- "Xin is my zodiac year element." Day Master ≠ year stem.
- "Xin people are all delicate / jewellery-like." The soft-metal image describes the stem's quality, not the person — and jewellery is the image the classics reject.
- "Xin is jewellery / pearls / a fine blade." This is the image the classics reject for the jewellery/pearls version. See the section below.
- "Earth is always good for Xin." Earth produces Metal, but the verse fears heaped-up earth, and the Yuanhai Ziping warns that too much earth buries metal.
How modern readers describe Xin Metal
Modern guides often associate Xin with refinement, discernment and attention to quality, extending the soft-clear-metal image. Some also mention over-sensitivity. 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 Xin Metal yin or yang?
Yin. Xin is Yin Metal, and its yang partner is Geng.
What element is good for a Xin 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 Xin, and output, wealth and power for a strong one. Our calculator doesn't output a favourable element.
Which stem combines with Xin?
Bing (丙, Yang Fire). Xin–Bing is one of the five classical stem combinations.
Is a Xin 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 Xin Day Master means the day stem is Xin. You can have either without the other.
How do I find out if my Day Master is Xin?
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 Xin is weak or strong.
Why do so many English sites call Xin "jewellery"?
It is a widespread modern memory aid, and it is not what the text says. The Di Tian Sui Chanwei commentary says the opposite in so many words: Xin is not pearls and jade; warm, soft, clear, moist metal is Xin. We follow that note.
Next steps: Calculate your full chart to see your Xin'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
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 Xin and original note, 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), Xin seasonal sections (正月辛金 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