甲 is one member of the stem-and-branch system. There are ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches; paired together they form the sixty-term cycle used to count years, months, days, and hours.

What do element, polarity, and hidden stems mean?

The element is which of the five phases (Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, Earth) the stem or branch belongs to; polarity is its yin or yang quality. Beyond its primary element, an Earthly Branch also contains one to three hidden stems — these determine what relationships the branch can form.

Can this page read a chart for me?

No. It gives only the fixed attributes of a single stem or branch. Any conclusion has to go back into the whole chart, read together with its structure, favorable element, and luck cycles.

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Heavenly Stem

甲jia

甲 (jia) is number 1 of the ten Heavenly Stems — Yang Wood.

Element: Wood
Polarity: Yang

The Heavenly Stems are the "qi" layer of this system: they describe outward traits and the direction of influence, appearing at one end of each of the year, month, day, and hour pillars. The same stem reads differently in a different position or paired with a different branch — so this page gives the character's own attributes, not a verdict about any chart.

Other Heavenly Stems

乙丙丁戊己庚辛壬癸