藏干 Hidden Stems —
the underwater part of your chart

When you look at your BaZi chart (八字, bā zì), you see four pillars (四柱, sì zhù — "four pillars"). Each pillar consists of a Heavenly Stem (天干, tiān gān) on top and an Earthly Branch (地支, dì zhī) below. That makes 8 characters in all. But this is an incomplete picture. Each Earthly Branch contains, within itself, hidden Heavenly Stems — 藏干 (cáng gān).

A metaphor: if the Earthly Branch is an iceberg, then the 藏干 is its underwater part. What is on the surface (the visible Heavenly Stem of the pillar) reflects the outward expression. What is hidden within the branch is the deeper nature — inner motives, concealed resources, and vulnerabilities. It is precisely from the 藏干 that the additional Ten Gods (十神, shí shén) of the chart are drawn.

1 The 藏干 table: what is hidden in each branch

Every Earthly Branch has a main hidden stem (本气, běn qì — "primary Qi," the strongest) and up to two secondary ones (中气, zhōng qì — "middle Qi," and 余气, yú qì — "residual Qi"):

2 Why the Earth branches are the most complex

In the table you will have noticed that all four "storehouses" (墓库, mù kù — "Dragon, Goat, Dog, Ox") contain three hidden stems. This makes them the most "enigmatic" Earthly Branches. The Dragon (辰) conceals Earth, Water, and Wood — three different elements at once.

The practical consequence: a person with the Dragon, Goat, Dog, or Ox in key pillars of their chart often has a more complex and multifaceted character than the visible stems suggest. Behind an outward simplicity lie several layers.

3 How the 藏干 add Ten Gods

A practical example. Suppose your 日主 (rì zhǔ — "Day Master") is 甲 Jia (Yang Wood). In your Hour pillar there is the Earthly Branch 寅 (yín — Tiger). The visible Heavenly Stem of the hour is separate. But hidden inside the Tiger are:

• 甲 Jia (Yang Wood) — this is 比肩 (bǐ jiān — "Shoulder to Shoulder")
• 丙 Bing (Yang Fire) — this is 食神 (shí shén — "the Eating God")
• 戊 Wu (Yang Earth) — this is 偏財 (piān cái — "Indirect Wealth")

So a single pillar with the Tiger branch already contains three of the Ten Gods in hidden form! This triples the information that the pillar carries.

4 Main vs secondary hidden stem

The strength of the hidden stems is not equal:

• 本气 (běn qì — "primary energy"): the main stem — the strongest, ~80% of the influence;
• 中气 (zhōng qì — "middle energy"): the secondary stem — moderate influence, ~60%;
• 余气 (yú qì — "residual energy"): the third stem — the weakest, ~40%.

This means that when analyzing hidden stems you begin with the main one. Only in a detailed reading (or in the context of compatibility / Da Yun) does it make sense to study the secondary stems.

5 藏干 and activation through combinations

Hidden stems "sleep" under ordinary conditions — they are passive. But they can be activated through combinations of Earthly Branches:

• 🔥 三合 (sān hé — "Three Harmony"): when three branches form a trio, their shared hidden stem (the resulting element) "rises to the surface";
• 💛 六合 (liù hé — "Six Combinations"): the partnering union of two branches activates their inner stems;
• ⚡ Clash 沖 (chōng): paradoxically, conflict also unlocks the contents of a branch — like a cracked nut.

6 Why a chart cannot be read correctly without the 藏干

It is the 藏干 that explain many "contradictions" in charts. A person with a "watery" chart (many Water characters) suddenly turns out to have a strong 正印 (zhèng yìn — "Direct Resource"), which should have been rare — because the hidden stem in one of the branches carries the required character. Without the 藏干, this analysis is impossible.