Yang Wood - (Jia :甲)

甲：像草木破土而萌，陽在內而被陰包裹。 

Yang Wood  - (Jia :甲) represents the image of the grassland, the meadow, vegetation and it is able to both break the ground and to sprout.

Wood is the only element that is alive and has a life of its own. So Yang Wood stresses the living aspect of the wood energy. An excellent way to view Yang Wood is to think of a large tree, which grows upwards strong and healthy.

This growth indicates the quality of hard work and industrious effort and can suggest someone highly motivated. Yang Wood people will spend efforts to plan and develop in order to move upward from their current situation. Moreover their roots are always rooted firmly in the ground, they are not easily wavered by strong winds. 

The characteristics of Yang Wood people are that they have strong willpower, are outspoken, will not give up easily even encountered some setbacks. They are righteous and not the type who will beat around the bush. They like to upkeep morals and reputation. Their character is also steady and down to earth.

Hence they are not frivolous and they are not slipshod in their work. No matter what they do, they have a strong sense of responsibility and are of honorable people, and seldom get wavered by temptations. Yang Wood people are able to sympathize with others, will not turn away knowing others in need of help, however this may lead to much interference to others.

If the day master is Yang Wood, and if it is weak, it will manifest the more positive qualities and if it is strong it can manifest a stubborn streak, not able to compromise, not as quick witted and sometimes not able to adapt to changing circumstances. Like a strong tree with roots firmly grounded, any changes are unlikely to happen overnight.

The 10 Heavenly Stems

The Ten Heavenly or Celestial Stems (天干) are the elements of an ancient Chinese cyclic character numeral system : Jia (甲), Yi (乙), Bing (丙), Ding (丁), Wu (戊), Ji (己), Geng (庚), Xin (辛), Ren (壬), Kui (癸).

They are associated with the concepts of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. They have either Yin or Yang properties as well as elemental property of the Five elements.The heavenly stems are the prevailing energy (Qi) or surface Qi.

The 10 heavenly stems are some of the oldest Chinese characters known.  Their first recorded use seems to be during the 商 Shāng dynasty, around 1500 BC, where they appeared on oracle bones.  These ‘oracle bones’ were usually the scapula of oxen or tortoise plastrons that were drilled with small holes then subjected to fire to form many tiny cracks, the relative auspiciousness (or inauspiciousness) of which could be read by a skilled diviner.

The philosophy of the heavenly stems was developed over time and recorded in ancient classical texts.  They were adopted to describe the circulation of the Qi of the five elements in the sky. 

Evolution of the stems continued and scholars classified the odd numbered as yang, the even as yin. 

Odd number : Jia (甲), Bing (丙), Wu (戊), Geng (庚), Ren (壬) are classified as Yang

Even number : Yi (乙), Ding (丁), Ji (己), Xin (辛), Kui (癸) are classified as Yin

They then combined with the earthly branches (yin to yin and yang to yang) to make up the earthly branches (干支 Gānzhī or 甲子 Jiǎzǐ - named after 1st combination) the ‘60 binomials’. 

In BaZi reading (子平Zǐpíng method), the heavenly stems represent the upper layers of interpretation of a chart. They are external perceptions of a person in terms of character, personality or outlook in life. They are insights into a person’s character, potential and destiny by their appearance in a BaZi Chart.

The 3 Cycles of 5 Elements

There are 3 cycles that exist between these five elements:

 1) Productive Cycle : The burning Wood produces Fire, and the Fire further produces Earth (soil or ashes in this particular case). Deep in the Earth Metal (in the form of ore) is created over years, and Water condenses on the Metal surface. And finally, we all know that while watering plants the Water produces the Wood. The expression“Wood produces Fire” is actually describing an energy transformation. 

 2) Destructive Cycle : The Water puts out the Fire, the Fire forges the Metal and the Metal cuts the Wood. The Wood airs the Earth (soil) with its roots, and the Earth in the form of soil retains the Water.

3) Exhaustive Cycle : The Wood absorbs Water into its roots to allow it to grow. The Water corrodes the Metal, turning it to rust. The Metal weakens the Earth by using the earth’s energy to sustain an environment to allow it to form. The Earth reduces the Fire, and the Fire reduces the Wood by burning it to ashes.

The 5 elements are symbolic for the different phases, or primal forces within the universe, nature, and our bodies. Knowing which element(s) predominates our personalities can help further insight into our lives and relationships.

It is of uttermost importance to understand that the five elements always strive to attain balance, and it is through the five elements that the Yin and Yang balance is achieved.