Yi Wood Day Master (乙, Yin Wood)
Quick answer: Yi (乙) is the second of the ten Heavenly Stems: Yin Wood. You have a Yi Wood Day Master if the stem of your day pillar is Yi. The Di Tian Sui pictures Yi as wood that is soft yet able to "carve up the Goat and the Ox", and the commentary calls it branch-and-leaf wood, soft like flowers and plants. That image is a way to remember the stem's nature, not a verdict on anyone's personality. How Yi is read depends on its season and on the rest of the chart.
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 Yi:
乙木雖柔，刲羊解牛。懷丁抱丙，跨鳳乘猴。虛濕之地，騎馬亦憂。藤蘿系甲，可春可秋。
"Yi wood, though soft, can carve up the Goat and the Ox. Holding Ding and embracing Bing, it can ride the Rooster and the Monkey. On damp, empty ground, even riding the Horse is a worry. A vine tied to Jia can thrive in spring or autumn."
— Di Tian Sui, "天干論", text as in the Di Tian Sui Chanwei (ctext.org). The Wikisource edition reads 跨雞乘猴 for 跨鳳乘猴 and 籐蘿繫甲 for 藤蘿系甲, with the same meaning. Translation: PillarChart editorial team.
Line by line:
- "Though soft…" (雖柔). Yi is the flexible form of Wood. The Wikisource note calls it "branch-and-leaf wood, soft like flowers and plants" (枝葉之木，柔如花卉), in contrast with Jia, the "root-and-trunk wood".
- "Carve up the Goat and the Ox" (刲羊解牛). The Goat and Ox are 未 Wei and 丑 Chou. Both are earth storehouses that also hold wood. One plain reading is that soft Yi can work through these earth months when conditions allow — not that Yi always overcomes them.
- "Holding Ding and embracing Bing" (懷丁抱丙). Bing and Ding are Fire, which Wood produces. The verse pairs Yi with both yang and yin fire as outlets.
- "Ride the Rooster and the Monkey." 酉 You and 申 Shen are metal branches. Commentators read this together with the fire line: Yi meeting metal seasons with fire present, not a personality claim.
- "A vine tied to Jia" (藤蘿系甲). The classical image is a climbing plant that leans on a tall trunk. It describes how Yi relates to Jia in chart language, not a verdict that "Yi people are dependent".
Yin, yang and the Wood element
Jia and Yi are the two forms of Wood. Ziping Zhenquan puts it this way:
甲乙者，木之陰陽也。甲者，乙之氣；乙者，甲之質。
"Jia and Yi are the yin and yang of Wood. Jia is the qi of Yi; Yi is the substance of Jia." — Shen Xiaozhan, Ziping Zhenquan (text as on ctext.org). Translation: PillarChart editorial team.
| Jia | Yi | |
|---|---|---|
| Polarity | Yang Wood | Yin Wood |
| Classical image | Root-and-trunk wood (根幹之木) | Branch-and-leaf wood, soft like flowers (枝葉之木，柔如花卉) |
| Di Tian Sui opening | 甲木參天 "towers to the sky" | 乙木雖柔 "though soft…" |
| Main qi of the branch | 寅 Yin (Tiger) | 卯 Mao (Rabbit) |
| Also hidden in | 亥 Hai (middle qi) | 辰 Chen (middle qi), 未 Wei (residual qi) |
| Combines with | 己 Ji | 庚 Geng |
Read the partner page: Yang Wood (Jia).
Season and climate: why your birth month matters
The month branch tells you the season Yi was born into, and so how much support it starts with. In the seasonal scheme of the Sanming Tonghui, Wood is:
| Season (month branches) | Wood's state | What it means for Yi |
|---|---|---|
| Spring (寅 Yin, 卯 Mao) | Prosperous 旺 | In season, strongly supported |
| Summer (巳 Si, 午 Wu) | Resting 休 | Spending itself on fire |
| Sixth month (未 Wei) | Trapped 囚 | Held back |
| Autumn (申 Shen, 酉 You) | Dead 死 | Out of season, controlled by metal |
| Winter (亥 Hai, 子 Zi) | Strong 相 | Nourished by 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 Yi in a key season opens:
三春乙木，为芝兰蒿草之物，丙癸不可离也，春乙见丙，卉木向阳，万象回春，须癸滋养根基。
"In the three spring months Yi wood is like orchid or mugwort: Bing and Gui cannot be left out. When spring Yi meets Bing, plants turn toward the sun; Gui is still needed to nourish the roots." — Qiongtong Baojian, 三春乙木 (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 Yi include the following (paraphrased):
- Summer: Yi wood's nature is dry and scorched (木性枯焦). The book puts Gui water first in the fourth month, and Bing then Gui in the fifth and sixth (paraphrased from 三夏乙木).
- Autumn: Metal is in command. The book recommends Bing first, then Gui; in the ninth month it stresses Gui, lest Bing warm Wu earth into a problem (「先丙后癸，惟九月耑用癸水」).
- Early winter (亥 Hai): Yi is out of season and Ren water is in command. The book takes Bing as primary and Wu earth next (「取丙为用，戊土次之」).
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 Yi Wood weak or strong?
Three questions decide it, in this order: season (the month branch), roots (Yi or Jia among the hidden stems, especially in 卯 Mao, 寅 Yin, 辰 Chen or 未 Wei), and support from other stems (more Wood, or Water as resource). Our calculator scores this with a published point method. Here are two Yi charts it produced:
A strong Yi: Chicago, 28 March 1983, 10:00 (open)
- Day Master:
- Yin Wood (Yi 乙) · Read more about Yi Wood
- Strength:
- 80% · strong (8 of 10 points)
Born with month branch Mao 卯, when Wood is in a supportive season on our reading, with roots / companions visible in the pillars (癸亥 乙卯 乙卯 辛巳). Score: 80%, strong (8 of 10 points).
A weak Yi: Chicago, 24 September 1981, 10:00 (open)
- Day Master:
- Yin Wood (Yi 乙) · Read more about Yi Wood
- Strength:
- 10% · weak (1 of 10 points)
Born with month branch You 酉, when Wood is out of its best season on our reading, with limited support among the stems and hidden stems (辛酉 丁酉 乙巳 辛巳). Score: 10%, weak (1 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 Yi chart is said to "need" depends on its season, its strength and the reader's method, so there is no single answer for all Yi Day Masters. Our calculator doesn't output a favourable element.
How Yi 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 Yi Day Master:
| Stem | Element | Relation to Yi | Ten God | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 Jia | Yang Wood | Same element, opposite polarity | Rob Wealth (劫財) | |
| 乙 Yi | Yin Wood | Same element, same polarity | Friend (比肩) | |
| 丙 Bing | Yang Fire | Yi produces it | Hurting Officer (傷官) | |
| 丁 Ding | Yin Fire | Yi produces it | Eating God (食神) | |
| 戊 Wu | Yang Earth | Yi controls it | Direct Wealth (正財) | |
| 己 Ji | Yin Earth | Yi controls it | Indirect Wealth (偏財) | |
| 庚 Geng | Yang Metal | Controls Yi | Direct Officer (正官) | Combines with Yi (乙庚合) |
| 辛 Xin | Yin Metal | Controls Yi | Seven Killings (七殺, also 偏官) | |
| 壬 Ren | Yang Water | Produces Yi | Direct Resource (印綬, i.e. 正印) | |
| 癸 Gui | Yin Water | Produces Yi | Indirect Resource (偏印; also 倒食, 梟神) |
Yi and Geng combine. Yi–Geng is one of the five standard stem combinations. Ziping Zhenquan debates when a combination actually takes effect. Our calculator doesn't model combinations.
Yi and the metal stems. The Di Tian Sui's verse on Geng says it 「能贏甲兄，輸於乙妹」: yang metal can beat Jia but "loses" to Yi — because Yi combines with Geng rather than contesting it head-on. Schools differ on how stem clashes are counted.
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 Yi Wood
- "Yi is my zodiac year element." Not necessarily. Your Day Master is the stem of your day pillar. See What is my Day Master?.
- "Yi people are all gentle / dependent." The vine-and-flower image describes the stem, not the person. Two Yi Day Masters with different seasons are read very differently.
- "Metal is always bad for Yi." Autumn puts metal in season; the verse still speaks of Yi meeting metal branches when fire is present. That is a seasonal condition, not a blanket ban.
- "Yi is a peach blossom" / a named species. Modern guides pick flowers or vines as memory aids. The classical text says soft branch-and-leaf wood; specific species branding is modern decoration.
How modern readers describe Yi Wood
Modern guides often associate Yi with flexibility, adaptability and indirect paths, extending the vine-and-flower image. Some also mention indecision, the other side of bending rather than breaking. 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 Yi Wood yin or yang?
Yin. Yi is Yin Wood, and its yang partner is Jia.
What element is good for a Yi Wood 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 Yi, and output, wealth and power for a strong one. Our calculator doesn't output a favourable element.
Which stem combines with Yi?
Geng (庚, Yang Metal). Yi–Geng is one of the five classical stem combinations.
Is a Yi Wood Day Master the same as being born in a Wood year?
No. A Wood year means the year stem is one of the two Wood stems. A Yi Day Master means the day stem is Yi. You can have either without the other.
How do I find out if my Day Master is Yi?
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 Yi is weak or strong.
Why do some sites call Yi a vine and others a flower?
Both are modern memory aids built on "branch-and-leaf wood, soft like flowers and plants". The verse opens "though soft" and later uses the vine-tied-to-Jia image. Neither locks Yi to one species.
Next steps: Calculate your full chart to see your Yi'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 Yi, 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), Yi seasonal sections (三春乙木 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