Skip to content
Daoly Get the app

BaZi guide

BaZi Luck Pillars (大运)

Luck Pillars are ten-year periods that follow the birth chart. Each adds a new stem and branch that interact with your natal chart for that decade.

By the Daoly team · Updated November 2026

How Luck Pillars are generated

  1. Find the direction. A Yang year stem with male gender, or a Yin year stem with female gender, runs forward through the 60-pillar cycle. The other combinations run backward.
  2. Start from the Month Pillar. The sequence moves one step at a time from the Month Pillar.
  3. Find the starting age. Traditionally, the distance from birth to the nearest relevant solar term is converted at a rate of three days to one year.

How to read a Luck Pillar

A Luck Pillar has no meaning alone. Ask which Ten God its stem represents for your Day Master, and whether its branch combines with or clashes against your natal branches. Annual pillars then add a further, shorter layer.

An example sequence

For a male born at noon on January 1, 2000, in Beijing, the Luck Pillars begin 乙亥 at age 9, 甲戌 at 19, and 癸酉 at 29. The Year Pillar is 己 (Yin) with male gender, so the sequence runs backward from the Month Pillar 丙子.

Keeping cycles in perspective

Luck Pillars describe changing themes in the framework of BaZi. They are best used as prompts for reflection rather than as forecasts. The free BaZi calculator lists your Luck Pillars with their starting ages.

Keep reading

How to read a BaZi chartThe Ten Gods in BaZiThe Five Elements in BaZiBaZi compatibilityTrue solar time in BaZi

Frequently asked questions

How long is a BaZi luck cycle?

Each Luck Pillar lasts ten years. The starting age differs for each person.

Does gender affect Luck Pillars?

In the traditional method, yes: gender and year-stem polarity together determine whether the sequence runs forward or backward. Some modern practitioners question this rule.

Daoly presents BaZi and the I Ching as cultural traditions and tools for self-reflection. Nothing here is a prediction or medical, legal, financial, or psychological advice.