In the elevators of Chinese skyscrapers, floors numbered with the digit 4 are often omitted, while apartments numbered 8 command higher prices. This is not a superstition without basis; behind it lies a millennium-old system of correspondences between numbers and the Five Elements. Wu Xing (wǔ xíng — Five Elements) (Wu Xing — "Five Elements")). 🔢 But here is what 99% of people overlook: There are no universally "lucky" numbers.The number 8 indeed carries the energy of Earth, while 4 carries the energy of Wood; however, whether they will benefit you depends on which elements your personal BaZi chart requires.
In this article, we will explore the origin of the connection between numbers and elements (the Luo Shu magic square), how digits are distributed among the Five Elements, and how to calculate them. own Numbers through the concept of... (sentence incomplete) Yong Shen (用神 (yùn shén — "Useful God"))Which numbers work for money, which for career and health, what to avoid, and how to apply all this in a phone number, apartment number, PIN code, and date selection. And why the myth "4 always means death" is a dangerous oversimplification.
1 Where does the connection between numbers and elements originate? From Luo Shu and He Tu.
The roots of the numerical system lie in two ancient Chinese metaphysical schemes that are collectively known as BaZi (Bā Zì). 河圖洛書 (Hé Tú Luó Shú — "Map of the River He and Script of the River Luo")According to legend, Emperor Fuxi saw a pattern of dots on the back of the Yellow River Dragon-Horse (河，hé — "Yellow River"), which was the origin of... He Tu (Hé Tú — River Map) (Hé tú — "River Map"))On the shell of the divine turtle from River Luo, a magic square appeared— Lo Shu (Luo Shu) (Luo Shu — "Scriptures of the Luo River")).
Lo Shu is a 3×3 grid where numbers from 1 to 9 are arranged so that the sum of any row, column, or diagonal equals 15. This is the oldest known magic square:
Each cell of the square also represents a compass direction and an element. The center (number 5) is Earth, the point of support. North (1) is Water, South (9) is Fire, East (3) is Wood, and West (7) is Metal. It was from Luo Shu that Feng Shui "Flying Stars" (Xuan Kong Fei Xing — «mysterious void, flying stars») and the numerical numerology we use today emerged.
2 Five Elements Numbers – Basic Table
From the Hexagram arises the most practical correspondence—the distribution of ten digits (including 0) among the five elements. The numbers come in pairs: one Yang and one Yin, with each pair belonging to its respective element.
There is a nuance here that must be clearly stated. In classical He Tu, the pairs are as follows: 1.6 — Water (Shuǐ) (water) 2.7 — Fire 火 (huǒ — "Fire"), 3.8 — Wood (Mù) (mù — "Wood"), 4.9 — Metal (Jīn) (jīn — "Metal"), 5·10(0) — Earth (Tǔ) (earth). Odd numbers (1, 3, 5, 7, 9) are considered... Yang (Yang, yáng — "bright"), even numbers (2, 4, 6, 8, 0) — Yin (Yīn — "dark").
3 How to Find Your Personal Numbers — Through the Useful God (yòng shén) In BaZi (八字), your personal numbers are derived from your Useful God (yòng shén — 用神). The Useful God is the element in your Four Pillars (四柱—sì zhù) that best balances your Day Master (日主/日元—rì zhǔ/rì yuán) and brings harmony to your chart. Here is how to determine your numbers: 1. **Identify Your Useful God**: Analyze your BaZi chart to find which Heavenly Stem (天干—tiān gān) or Earthly Branch (地支—dì zhī) acts as the Useful God. This element supports your Day Master and resolves imbalances caused by other Ten Gods (十神—shí shén). 2. **Map Elements to Numbers**: Once you know the Useful God's element, assign it a number based on its position in the Five Elements cycle: * Wood (木—mù): 3, 8 * Fire (火—huǒ): 2, 7 * Earth (土—tǔ): 5, 10 * Metal (金—jīn): 4, 9 * Water (水—shuǐ): 1, 6 3. **Apply to Daily Life**: Use these numbers for important dates, such as choosing auspicious days for events (择日 zé rì), selecting phone numbers, or determining lucky days based on the Annual Pillar (流年—liú nián) and Luck Pillar (大运—dà yùn). By aligning with your Useful God, you harness its energy to enhance luck and balance in various aspects of life.
To make the number bring good fortune. To youIt must carry the element of your Day Master. Yong Shen (用神 (yùn shén — "Useful God")) — the element that balances your BaZi chart and "heals" its imbalance. This is the central concept of the Ziping school (子平派, zǐ píng pài — "School of Zi Ping"), and without it, any numerology becomes mere guessing.
The logic is simple. First, the strength of the Day Master (日元 yuán jiàn — Day Master) is determined based on the birth chart. Day Master (rì zhǔ) (jiā zhǔ — "Day Master")) — Heavenly Stem of the birth day. If it is too strong, it needs elements that consume it; if too weak, it requires elements that nourish it. This "healing" element is the Yong Shen (yòng shén — Useful God). The numbers carrying this element are your lucky numbers.
Algorithm in three steps:
- Calculate your BaZi chart and determine your Useful God (yòng shén — e.g., Fire).
- Find the numbers of this element from the table above (Fire = 2 and 7).
- Add the numbers of the "Nourishing" element (Xǐ shén — Xi Shen). (Si Shen — "Lucky God")For Fire, this is Wood (fuel) — 3 and 8.
This results in a personal set. If your Yong Shen (yòng shén — Useful God) is Fire, your main lucky numbers are: 2, 7, and the auxiliary ones are... 3, 8If the Useful God (yòng shén) is Water, your numbers are... 1, 6plus the "maternal" Metal— 4, 9.
| Your Useful God (yòng shén) | Main Numbers | Auxiliary Gods (Xi Shen — Auxiliary Gods) |
|---|---|---|
| Wood (Mù) | 3 · 8 | 1 · 6 (Water nourishes) |
| Fire 火 | 2 · 7 | 3 · 8 (Wood Nourishes) |
| Earth (tǔ) | 5 · 0 | 2 · 7 (Fire Nourishes) |
| Metal (Jīn) | 4 · 9 | 5 · 0 (Earth Nourishes) |
| Water 水 | 1 · 6 | 4 · 9 (Metal Nourishes) |
Discover your exact lucky numbers.
Joey Yap's school algorithm will determine the strength of your Day Master, identify the Useful God (yòng shén), and provide your personal set of auspicious numbers. The chart is calculated for free.
Calculate your chart for free →4 Numbers for Wealth vs Career vs Health
The Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God) brings "general" luck. However, if you need to precisely strengthen a specific area of life, the system comes into play. Ten Gods (shí shén) (Shi Shen — "Ten Gods")) — the ten roles that the elements play relative to your Day Master. Money, career, and health are governed by different "Gods," which means they are associated with different elements and different numbers.
💰 Numbers for Wealth
Wealth is represented by the Wealth Star (cái xīng). The Wealth Element (財 cái) (cai — "wealth")) This is the element that... controls Your Day Master. For example, for a Wood Day Master, money represents Earth (Wood holds Earth with its roots), so the "wealth" numbers are... 5 and 0For a Fire Day Master, money corresponds to Metal (Fire melts Metal); the numbers are... 4 and 9.
Numbers for Career and Status
Career, position, and authority are conferred by the Officer Star (官星 — Guān Xīng). The Element of the Officer Star (官星) (Guan — "official, authority")) —the element that controls Your Day Master. For Wood, this is Metal (Metal chops Wood) — numbers 4 and 9For Water, this is Earth (Earth controls Water) — numbers 5 and 0.
🌿 Numbers for Health
Health is tied to the balance of the Day Master itself. If it is weak, numbers help support health. Resource Star (印星) (Yin — "Seal, Resource")) —the elements acting as "mother" that nourish you, plus the numbers of your own element. If the Day Master is strong, conversely, use the numbers that gently drain it.
5 What to Avoid: Numbers of the "Unfavorable" Element
Just as every BaZi chart has a Useful God (yòng shén), it also has an Unfavorable God (jì shén). Ji Shen (忌神 (jǐ shén — "Forbidden God")) —the element that amplifies the imbalance and causes harm. The numbers of this element are your "unlucky" numbers, which should be avoided in important contexts.
The logic is mirror-image to Section 3. If your Yong Shen (yòng shén — Useful God) is Fire (numbers 2, 7), then your Ji Shen (jì shén — Unfavorable God) is most often Water (numbers 1, 6), because Water extinguishes Fire. If your Yong Shen is Wood (3, 8), then your Ji Shen is Metal (4, 9), which chops Wood.
| If the Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God) is... | Avoid numbers. | Unfavorable Element (Jì shén — Unfavorable God) |
|---|---|---|
| Wood (Mù) | 4 · 9 | Metal (cuts Wood) |
| Fire 火 | 1 · 6 | Water (extinguishes Fire) |
| Earth (tǔ) | 3 · 8 | Wood (depletes Earth) |
| Metal (Jīn) | 2 · 7 | Fire (melts Metal) |
| Water 水 | 5 · 0 | Earth (absorbs Water) |
6 Application — phone, apartment, car, PIN, dates
Theory without practice is dead. This is where numbers truly work in daily life. The principle is simple: accumulate Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God) numbers in places you use frequently and that belong to you.
How to calculate a multi-digit number. Add up all the digits to get a single-digit result (numerological reduction) and examine its element. For example: phone number...3782 → 3+7+8+2 = 20 → 2+0 = 2 → element FireIf your Useful God (yòng shén) is Fire, that's an excellent number. An alternative, more "rough" method is simply to look at which digits appear most frequently in the number.
7 Connection with Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
There is also a second, more "structural" layer of numbers—the ordinal positions. Ten Heavenly Stems (shí tiān gān) (tian gan — "Heavenly Stems")) i Twelve Earthly Branches (dì zhī) (di zhī — "Earthly Branches"))These 22 signs are the alphabet of BaZi, and each has its own ordinal number, which also carries numerical energy.
| № | Stem | Element (Xìng) | № | Stem | Element (Xìng) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 甲 (jiǎ) | Yang Wood | 6 | Ji (己) | Yin Earth |
| 2 | Yi (乙) | Yin Wood (Yīn mù) | 7 | Geng Geng (gēng) | Metal Yang (Yáng Jīn) |
| 3 | Bing (bǐng) | Yang Fire (yáng huǒ) | 8 | Xin (辛) | Yin Metal (Yīn Jīn) |
| 4 | Ding (丁) | Yin Fire (Yīn Huǒ) | 9 | Ren (壬) | Yang Water (Yáng Shuǐ) |
| 5 | Wu (戊) | Yang Earth (Yáng Tǔ) | 10 | Gui (guǐ) | Yin Water (Yīn Shuǐ) |
Similarly, the twelve Earthly Branches are numbered from 1 to 12: 子 (zǐ — "Rat", No. 1, Water), 丑 (chǒu — "Ox", No. 2, Earth), 寅 (yín — "Tiger", No. 3, Wood), and so on up to 亥 (hài — "Pig", No. 12, Water). When a master sees that your Yong Shen (yòng shén — Useful God) is Fire, they know: you resonate not only with the numbers 2 and 7 (according to the He Tu), but also with the ordinal numbers of the Fire signs—the stems No. 3 (Bing) and No. 4 (Ding).
For daily application, the basic table from Section 2 is sufficient. However, the ordinal numbers of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches explain why masters sometimes refer to "non-standard" personal numbers—they look deeper at specific signs in your BaZi chart, not just the generalized element.
8 Myths: "8 always means wealth, 4 always means death"
The most resilient myth of Chinese numerology was born from... The phonetics of the Cantonese dialect are not directly related to BaZi terminology or Chinese metaphysics concepts. If you have specific questions about BaZi, such as interpreting a chart, understanding terms like 用神 (yòng shén — Useful God), or analyzing elements like 木 (Wood) and 火 (Fire), please provide the relevant context so I can assist you accurately according to the translation rules., but not from metaphysics. The number 8 (八 (Ba — "eight")) In Cantonese, it sounds similar to 發 (fā — "to prosper, to become wealthy"), hence "8 = money". And... 4 (四 (si — "four")) Resonant with sǐ ("death"), hence "4 = death".
This is Language association, not spontaneous. From the perspective of BaZi:
- 8 carries the element of Wood. According to the Hexagram (He Tu), pair 3·8: If your Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God) is Metal, then 8 is more favorable for you. UnfavorableFor Metal chops Wood, expending its own strength. There are no "guaranteed earnings."
- 4 carries the element of Metal. (Section 4.9). If your Useful God (yòng shén) is Metal or Water, then the number 4 is favorable for you. auspicious number — despite its "ominous" phonetics.
Another popular myth is that "the more eights, the better." An excess of one element is just as harmful as its deficiency. The number 8888 for a person with Yong Shen (yòng shén — Useful God) Metal is an overdose of Wood, which Metal is forced to chop endlessly. Balance is more important than quantity.
9 Personal Luck Date: How to Choose a Favorable Day
Selection of dates is already... 择日 (Ze ri — "date selection"), a separate art of Chinese metaphysics. But the basic principle, based on numbers and elements, is accessible to everyone.
Every day in the Chinese calendar has its own pillar — a Heavenly Stem plus an Earthly Branch — and thus its own element. A good day for an important matter is one whose element:
- Your Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God) brings fortune. — the primary criterion. A Fire Day Master with a Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God) of Fire is like having a favorable wind.
- Does not clash with your Year Pillar or Day Master. Avoid days whose Earthly Branch is in a Clash (chōng — "clash") with yours.
- Matches the nature of the undertaking. For wealth, a day belonging to the Wealth Star element is favorable; for marriage, a day harmonious for both partners is preferred.
For truly significant events (weddings, business launches, surgeries), it is advisable to commission an individual date selection—this takes into account not only the numbers but also clashes, "Day Destroyers," and the compatibility of the elements among all participants. Numbers provide a first approximation; the master determines the exact date.
10 Practice — build your set in 3 steps
Let's bring it all together. Here is a step-by-step recipe to get your personal set of lucky numbers right today. 🎯
Step 1. Determine your Useful God (yòng shén).
Calculate your BaZi chart (birth date, time, and location are required). Determine the strength of your Day Master and your Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God). This is the foundation: without it, the entire set will be "general" rather than "yours."
Step 2. Write down the main and auxiliary numbers.
According to the table in Section 3: your Yong Shen (yòng shén — Useful God) numbers plus Xi Shen (xì shén — Unfavorable God) numbers, and the element-mothers (auxiliary elements). For example, if the Useful God is Water → main 1, 6Xi Shen (Metal) → auxiliary 4, 9Your basic set: 1, 4, 6, 9.
Step 3. Add "target" numbers and remove "harmful" ones.
If you wish to strengthen wealth, add the Wealth numbers (Section 4). If you aim for career advancement, use the Officer numbers. And cross out the Ji Shen numbers from your priorities (Section 5). This will result in a final personalized list of 3–5 digits that you consciously choose for phone numbers, PIN codes, dates, and account numbers.
And remember the most important thing: numbers are... Fine-tuning, not a lever of fate. They function as a tailwind: they do not replace effort but make the journey slightly easier. True power comes from understanding. all of your chart—the Day Master, Useful God (yòng shén), pillars of luck, and Ten Gods (shí shén). Numbers are merely one tool among many in applied BaZi. 🌟
Discover your exact lucky numbers — a full analysis of the BaZi chart.
Individual analysis based on the Ziping canon and Joey Yap school algorithm: Day Master strength, your Useful God (yòng shén — Useful God), personal set of auspicious numbers, colors, directions, professions, and luck pillars for decades. 15 sections, PDF.
Order Full Analysis · 1000₽In the classics, it is said: 「數者, 氣之跡也」 (Numbers are the traces of Qi) — "Numbers are the imprints of breath (Qi)." Behind every digit lies the movement of an element. Once you learn to read these traces in your BaZi chart, you stop choosing numbers at random and begin selecting those that breathe in rhythm with you.