流月 Liu Yue — The Monthly Pillar
and the calendar of the 24 seasons

If Liu Nian (流年 (liú nián — "Annual Pillar")) is the annual "weather", then Liu Yue (流月 (liú yuè — "Monthly Pillar")) is the seasonal fluctuation within it. And here begins one of the subtlest parts of BaZi: the month in Chinese metaphysics does not coincide with the Gregorian calendar. January is not the "first month", and the year does not begin on 1 January. This is a paradox that confuses every beginner, but it is precisely this that makes BaZi accurate.

The monthly pillar in BaZi is determined not by the date but by the solar season (節氣, jie-qi). The year is divided into 24 solar periods, each lasting about 15 days. Every two such periods form one of the 12 "BaZi months." And it is these 12 months that determine which Earthly Branch rules each segment of the year.

1 The monthly pillar — how it is calculated through the 24 seasons

The ancient Chinese observed the movement of the sun along the ecliptic and divided this circle into 24 equal angles — of 15 degrees each. The result was 24 points at which the sun "switches" the seasonal regime. These points are called jie-qi (節氣), "nodes and breaths." Of these, 12 are jie (節, nodes), which begin the BaZi months, and 12 are qi (氣, breaths), which mark the middle of the month.

For example, the BaZi month of Yin (寅, Tiger, the first month) begins with Li Chun (立春) — "the Establishment of Spring", around 4 February. The middle of this month is Yu Shui (雨水, "Rain Water"), around 19 February. And the month ends with the arrival of the next node — Jing Zhe (驚蟄, "the Awakening of Insects") on 5–6 March, when the month of Mao (卯, Rabbit) begins.

This means: if you were born on 3 February — you are still in the year and month of the previous cycle. But if on 5 February — you are already in the new year. And this is why in BaZi not only the date but the exact time of birth relative to the solar transitions is critically important.

2 Li Chun (立春) — the start of the year on 4 February

One of the most common questions: "So when does the year begin in BaZi?" The answer is Li Chun, around 4 February. The exact date shifts to 3–5 February depending on the year, because the 24 jie-qi are tied not to the calendar but to the astronomical longitude of the sun.

Li Chun literally translates as "the Establishment of Spring." This is the moment when the sun reaches 315° of ecliptic longitude. In China this is considered the astronomical beginning of spring — it is still cold, but "the seeds awaken." That is why it is precisely with Li Chun that the new annual pillar and the new "month of Yin" begin.

This is critical for those born at the end of January or the beginning of February. If your birthday is 1 February 2002 — you were born in the year Xin-Si (辛巳, the year of the Snake). But if 5 February 2002 — already in the year Ren-Wu (壬午, the year of the Horse). The very same child, given an error in the date, will receive a completely different chart.

3 The 12 solar months and their branches

Each of the 12 BaZi months corresponds to one of the 12 Earthly Branches. The month is determined by which jie-qi (node) has already passed. Here is the complete calendar:

Note: the four "earthy" branches (Chen, Wei, Xu, Chou) are the transitional months between seasons. They conceal the stem of the previous season: for example, Chen (late spring) hides Yi (Yin Wood) from the departing spring.

The stem of the month is determined by a special formula from the stem of the year. Thus, if the year is Bing (火), then the month of Yin will be Geng-Yin (庚寅), the month of Mao will be Xin-Mao (辛卯), and so on. All 60 year-month combinations repeat every 5 years, like the "Table of the Five Tigers" (五虎遁).

4 The combination of the month with the annual pillar

When reading Liu Yue, the first thing to look at is the interaction of the month with the year. The month "activates" the themes of the year, making them current precisely during this period.

Three types of activation

• Amplification — a month of the same element as the year. For example, in the year Bing-Wu (Fire) the month of Si (Fire) arrives — an amplification of the fire theme.
• He combination — the month enters into a union with the year. For example, in the year 2026 (Wu) the month of Wei arrives — the Wu-Wei he creates a temporary union. The theme of the year "fuses" into a single theme.
• Chong clash — the month clashes with the year. In the year Wu (Horse) the most tense month is Zi (Rat), December. A "challenge within the year" occurs.

In the year 2026 Bing-Wu the most interesting months are:

• Si (May) — Fire amplifies Fire, the peak of the fire theme. The culmination of creativity, or of burnout.
• Wei (July) — a he with Wu, a union. Stabilization. A good month for unions and partnerships.
• Zi (December) — a chong with Wu, a clash. The most difficult month of the year, especially for those whose chart contains Wu.
• Yin and Xu — form a san he with Wu (Yin-Wu-Xu = Fire). If both months are lived "consciously", the entire annual fire programme is activated to the maximum.

5 The combination of the month with the major luck Da Yun

The month also interacts with the current Da Yun pillar. This provides a second level of analysis: the month activates not only the theme of the year, but also the theme of the decade.

If your Da Yun is, say, Ji-Hai (己亥, Earth-Water), and in December 2026 the month of Zi (Water) arrives — Water is doubled. This is favourable if Water is your Yong Shen, or it is accelerated exhaustion if Water is harmful.

Pay special attention to the he of branches between the month and the Da Yun. If the month enters a six-he with the Da Yun, a powerful "fusing" of themes takes place. It is often precisely in such months that the key events of the decade occur: meeting one's future spouse, founding a company, moving abroad.

6 Dangerous months — what to watch for

Dangerous months are those in which several "triggers" from the natal chart, the Da Yun and the Liu Nian converge. They can be calculated in advance.

Signs of a dangerous month

1. The month clashes with the day branch — especially in a year that is already exerting pressure.
2. The month completes a triple punishment (Zi-Mao, Yin-Si-Shen, Chou-Xu-Wei), if two parts of the punishment are already present in the chart + the year.
3. The month brings a duplication of an already excessive element — for example, triple Fire for an already dry chart.
4. The month activates Qi Sha when the DM is weak — the peak of pressure and stress.
5. The month brings Shang Guan, which attacks the chart's Zheng Guan — conflicts with superiors, the law, the husband (for a woman).

What to do in a dangerous month

• Do not sign long-term contracts in the first week of the month.
• Take care of your health, especially the organ of the corresponding element.
• Do not provoke conflicts with those who carry an "activating" sign.
• Postpone key meetings and decisions to the next month.
• Use the favourable days within a difficult month (through date-selection 擇日).

7 Fortunate months — when to push forward

Fortunate months are those where a resonance forms with the Yong Shen, the favourable element of your chart. In such periods events move quickly, the right people appear, resources arrive on their own.

Signs of a fortunate month

1. The month brings the Yong Shen in the form of a stem or a hidden stem of a branch.
2. The month enters a he with the day or the hour, creating a favourable element.
3. The month completes a san he or a san hui with two branches of the natal chart — a powerful activation.
4. The month brings a Noble Helper (貴人, gui ren) — a special "luck person" according to the Tian-Yi gui ren table.
5. The month matches in element with the Liu Nian and the Da Yun, if they are favourable — a triple resonance.

In such months it is worth initiating key projects: a product launch, a relocation, entering into marriage, signing an important contract. What you launch in a resonant month will unfold more powerfully later on.

8 Month + year + Da Yun = the triple overlay

The most powerful moments of life are when three or four layers of luck (natal, Da Yun, Liu Nian, Liu Yue) all point in the same direction. This delivers the universe's "shot."

A positive triple overlay

Example: Day Master Jia (Wood), in need of Fire. The natal chart has Bing in the hour (Fire). The Da Yun now is Ding-Si (Fire). The Liu Nian is Bing-Wu (double Fire). And now the month of Si (May) arrives — Fire again. All four layers give Fire. This is a month of breakthrough, recognition, monetization — what Joey Yap calls a "window of opportunity".

A negative triple overlay

The same DM Jia, but the chart is already weak (little Water, little Wood). The Da Yun now is Geng-Shen (Metal cutting Wood). The Liu Nian is Bing-Wu (Fire burning Wood). The month of Xu (October) is Earth plus hidden Fire and hidden Metal. Everything is against Wood. This is a period of exhaustion, illness, mistakes. Not a time for risks.

9 How to plan the month — a practical algorithm

A specific algorithm for working with Liu Yue, recommended by the Joey Yap school and the Ziping classics:

1. At the start of each solar month (on the day after the jie-qi), determine the stem and the branch of the month.
2. Find the Ten Gods that are activated by the stem of the month and the main hidden stem of the branch.
3. Determine the interactions with the natal chart: chong, he, xing, hai with each branch of the chart.
4. Relate it to the Da Yun and the Liu Nian: amplification, contradiction, resonance?
5. Formulate the theme of the month in 1–2 sentences: "A month of career pressure through Qi Sha, attention to the health of the lungs is required." That is enough as a guide.
6. Choose 1–2 favourable days within the month for key actions — meetings, launches, contracts.
7. Note 1–2 dangerous days — those where there is a direct chong with your day of birth, or days of punishments.
8. Return to the plan at the end of the month: what came true, how the theme unfolded. This is how the skill of reading is calibrated.

The monthly rhythm of working with BaZi

• The first week of the month — setting the theme, observing, not forcing.
• The second and third weeks — the peak of activity, the main work on the month's theme.
• The last week — completion, transition. The theme of the next jie-qi becomes active.

10 The calendar of seasonal transitions — the 24 jie-qi nodes

The final practical tool is a table of all 24 jie-qi, in which the 12 jie (nodes) launch the monthly pillar and the 12 qi (breaths) mark the middle of the month. I will combine them into a complete annual rhythm:

This table is a practical navigator. Save it and consult it: every two weeks the "breath" of the season changes, every month — the branch and the stem. BaZi is not astrology "in general", but a fine chronometry of natural cycles.

Understanding Liu Yue turns BaZi from an abstract system into a practical tool. You stop "guessing about the year in general" and begin to plan your life in 30-day cycles, synchronized with the real rhythm of nature. This is what Chinese strategists used for millennia — the timing of action became a technology even before the invention of the clock.