Bazi
/ˈbɑː.dzɨː/noun
A Chinese system of destiny analysis based on the year, month, day, and hour of a person’s birth.
Did you know?Bazi is also called the Four Pillars of Destiny because each birth-time unit contributes two characters—one heavenly stem and one earthly branch.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
八
“Eight; the numeral forming the first part of the name.”
Ancient Chinese
Chinese
字
“Written character or graph; the second part of the name.”
9th–10th Century
Chinese
八字
“The eight characters assigned to a person’s birth year, month, day, and hour.”
20th Century
English
Bazi
“A transliteration of Chinese 八字 used in English-language discussions of Chinese astrology and destiny analysis.”
Modern English
English
Bazi
“A system of Chinese metaphysical birth-chart interpretation, also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny.”