Yang Earth 戊 · Yin Earth 己
Late summer (season changes) · Center
土爰稼穡
The Earth Element: Personality, Colors and Missing Earth
Wu and Ji, the center and the turn of every season: what Earth means in your chart, how it shapes personality, and what an Earth-heavy or Earth-free chart needs.
Updated October 17, 2026
Earth (土, tǔ) is the element of stability. In Bazi it appears as the stems Wu 戊 and Ji 己 and the four branches Chen 辰, Xu 戌, Chou 丑 and Wei 未; it rules the turn of every season, sits at the center and is colored yellow and brown. Earth people are steady, reliable and caring. Too much Earth gets stuck, too little leaves a chart without a center, and whether to add Earth depends on your favorable elements.
Earth at a glance
- Heavenly stems
- 戊Wu Earth · Yang己Ji Earth · Yin
- Earthly branches
- 丑 Ox辰 Dragon未 Goat戌 Dog
- Season
- Late summer (season changes)
- Direction
- Center
- Color
- Yellow, brown
- Hetu numbers
- 5 · 10
- Organs
- Spleen · Stomach
- Sense organ
- Mouth
- Emotion
- Worry
- Taste
- Sweet
- Virtue
- Trust (信)
How much Earth is in your chart?
Enter your birth date to see Earth's share of your chart, whether it counts as missing, weak, balanced or strong, and the part most sites skip: whether your chart actually wants more Earth.
Check your Earth
Your birth date is enough. Nothing is stored.
Missing, weak or strong: how Earth is measured
- 1
Count: how many of the eight visible characters (four stems, four branches) are Earth. Quick, but it ignores what the branches hide.
- 2
Share: stems plus hidden stems, weighted (main qi 1, middle 0.5, residual 0.3). This is the percentage shown here, and what most sites mean by missing Earth.
- 3
Strength: the share again, with the birth month counted double, because the season decides whether Earth is thriving or dormant. The favorable elements calculator works from this.
Labels we use
- No Earth0%
- Weak Earth< 12%
- Balanced Earth12–30%
- Strong Earth> 30%
A low share describes the chart; it is not a verdict. Whether to add Earth is decided by your favorable elements: Favorable Elements Calculator
What the Earth element means in Bazi
The classics define each element by the way it moves. For Earth, its two stems, its season and the branches that hold it all follow from that movement.
The classical definition
土爰稼穡，稼穡作甘Earth receives the sowing and yields the harvest, and what is sown and reaped turns sweet. Earth doesn't move like the other four. It holds, carries and lets things grow, which is the root of its patience and reliability.
Earth is the field and the mountain, the ground every other element stands on. It sits at the center of the compass and between the seasons, carrying the year from one to the next. Its virtue is trust (信): Earth keeps what it is given, stores it and returns it with interest at harvest.
Earth through the year
Earth has no season of its own. It rules the month that closes each season, 辰, 未, 戌 and 丑, and in an older reckoning the last 18 days of every season (土用). It is supported in summer, when Fire builds it; it rests in autumn while feeding Metal; it is confined in winter, damming Water; and it is weakest in spring, when Wood's roots break it up. Some schools also count Earth as strong in high summer, when Fire and Earth share a palace.
Earth by monthYang Earth and Yin Earth: the two Earth stems
Yang Earth
戊 Wù
Wu 戊 is the mountain, the dam and the city wall: thick, high and dependable. As a stem it brings steadiness, authority and protection. Wu stands firm against floods and supports everything above it, but it can become immovable.
戊土固重，既中且正。靜翕動闢，萬物司命。Yin Earth
己 Jǐ
Ji 己 is the field and garden soil: soft, moist and fertile. It nurtures rather than defends, quietly turning seeds into a harvest. Ji is humble and accommodating, takes in a great deal without complaint, and needs sun to stay fertile.
己土卑濕，中正蓄藏。不愁木盛，不畏水狂。Where Earth sits in a Bazi chart
Earth can appear as a stem, as a branch, or hidden inside a branch. Hidden Earth counts too, which is why a chart with no visible Earth character is rarely missing it altogether.
- 子·
- 丑己
- 寅戊
- 卯·
- 辰戊
- 巳戊
- 午己
- 未己
- 戊
- 酉·
- 戌戊
- 亥·
- Earth branch
- Earth as main qi
- Earth as middle or residual qi
Earth element personality: strengths, blind spots, love and work
People with an Earth Day Master (戊 or 己), or with Earth heavy in their chart, tend to be steady, loyal and practical. They are the people others lean on.
Strengths
- Dependable: keeps promises
- Patient and calm under pressure
- Practical; good with resources
- Caring; a natural host and mediator
- Honest, trustworthy and discreet
Shadow side
- Slow to change; resists new ideas
- Worries and overthinks
- Stubborn once settled
- Holds on to things and people
- Puts own needs last, then resents it
Love
Career
Earth person: defined by the Day Master or the birth year?
An Earth person (土命) can mean your Day Master is Wu or Ji Earth, the Bazi sense this page's personality section follows, or that your birth year's nayin (納音) is Earth. 1990 (庚午) is 路旁土, an Earth year by nayin, though its stem is Metal and its branch is Fire. When people ask what an Earth person lacks, the honest answer is that it depends on the whole chart, not on the label.
Birth years that are Earth by nayin (納音)
- 路旁土Roadside earth午 · 未1930–31, 1990–91
- 城頭土City-wall earth戊寅 · 己卯1938–39, 1998–99
- 屋上土Rooftop earth丙戌 · 丁亥1946–47, 2006–07
- 壁上土Wall earth子 · 丑1960–61, 2020–21
- 大驛土Post-road earth戊 · 己1968–69, 2028–29
- 沙中土Sand earth丙辰 · 丁巳1976–77, 2036–37
A Bazi year starts at the Start of Spring (around 4 February), so births in January and early February belong to the previous year.
Too much Earth, weak Earth and missing Earth
Each case reads differently. Pick one to see how it shows in a chart, the classical line on it and what tends to help.
Too much Earth
Signs in a chart
- Born in an Earth month (辰, 未, 戌 or 丑)
- Several 戊 or 己 stems, or three or four Earth branches
- Fire feeding it from summer months or from 巳 and 午
- Little Wood to loosen it and little Metal to vent it
強土得金，方制其壅Strong Earth needs Metal; only then is its blockage cleared.
What it means
Too much Earth is a landslide: everything piles up and nothing moves. People may feel stuck, overly cautious, or weighed down by duties and possessions. Heavy Earth also buries Metal and dams Water in the chart. If Earth dominates completely, the chart may follow it as the Earth-dominant structure 稼穡格 (sowing and reaping).
What helps
Metal vents Earth: skills, precision, refining and selling what Earth has stored. Wood loosens it: new learning, a change of scene, movement. Water, as Earth's wealth, gives it something to manage. Avoid extra Fire, which keeps building the mound.
Weak Earth
Signs in a chart
- Born in spring (寅 or 卯 month), when Wood breaks Earth
- Strong Wood stems such as 甲 or 乙 nearby
- Few roots: Earth branches missing or clashed
- Heavy Water washing it away, or Metal draining it
土衰遇木，必遭傾陷Weak Earth that meets Wood is bound to collapse.
What it means
Weak Earth is loose soil on a slope: it can't hold much. People may find it hard to settle, to save or to feel secure, and responsibilities feel heavier than they are. For an Earth Day Master this is a weak self; for others it thins whatever Earth stands for: resource for Metal, officer for Water, wealth for Wood, output for Fire.
What helps
Fire builds Earth as its resource: warmth, support, mentors. Earth itself steadies it: routine, a home base, dependable people. Hold back on Wood, and don't let Water or Metal drain it further.
Missing Earth
Signs in a chart
- No 戊 or 己 among the stems
- None of 辰, 戌, 丑 or 未 among the branches
- No Earth hidden in 寅, 巳, 申 or 午 either
有病方為貴，無傷不是奇A chart with a flaw to mend can rise high; a chart with nothing to mend is unremarkable.
What it means
Truly missing Earth is rare: four of the twelve branches are Earth, and Earth also hides in 寅, 巳, 申 and 午. When it is absent, the chart lacks a center, and stability, savings and follow-through have no anchor. For a Metal Day Master Earth is the resource, for Water the officer, for Wood the wealth, for Fire the output. An Earth Day Master can never be missing Earth.
What helps
If Earth is favorable for you, bring it in: yellow and brown, the center of your home, ceramics and stone, regular meals and sleep, keeping your word. If Earth is unfavorable, its absence is fine; build up your actual favorable elements.
Missing Earth in your Bazi? How to add Earth, and what to do with too much
These are the traditional Earth correspondences people use to bring the element into daily life. Read the note first.
Missing Earth doesn't mean you must add Earth
What a chart needs comes from its favorable elements (喜用神), not from a count. A chart without Earth can be well balanced, and adding Earth to a chart that dislikes it tips it further off. Check your favorable elements first, and use the list below only if Earth is among them.
Lucky colors for Earth
Yellow, brown
Yellow, ochre, beige, khaki and brown. Earth tones in clothing, furniture or a desk mat all count.
Favorable directions
The center is Earth's place, and feng shui adds the northeast and the southwest. Keep the middle of your home open and tidy, or work from a northeast or southwest room.
Earth numbers
Materials and objects
Everyday habits
Foods by taste
Taste: Sweet
Sweet-natured staples and yellow foods: rice, millet, oats, sweet potato, pumpkin, corn, carrots and other root vegetables.
Seasons and years
The Earth months that close each season (辰, 未, 戌 and 丑) and years with a 戊 or 己 stem, such as 2028 戊申 and 2029 己酉.
Coming Earth years (by heavenly stem)
- 2028戊申
- 2029己酉
- 2038戊午
- 2039己未
Too much Earth? How to calm it
Let Metal vent it: build a skill, refine, sell, finish. Loosen it with Wood: learn something new, change your surroundings, move more. Give it Water to manage: travel, trade, circulation. Cut back on yellow and brown, on overeating and on hoarding.
Day Master Strength CalculatorEarth and the body: traditional correspondences
Traditional Chinese medicine pairs Earth with the spleen and stomach, the mouth, the muscles, dampness and the emotion of worry and pensiveness (思). The classics read unbalanced Earth as a cue to look after digestion and routine. In practice it is a reminder to eat regularly and not overthink.
Traditional symbolism only, not medical advice. A Bazi chart can't diagnose anything; see a doctor about any health concern.
When is Earth strongest? Earth through the twelve months
The birth month is the season, and the season sets each element's strength: prosperous (旺), supported (相), resting (休), confined (囚) or dormant (死). Tap a month on the ring.
辰 month
Clear and Bright · from about Apr 5旺Earth · Prosperous
This is Earth's own season. Earth is at full strength, so Earth Day Masters born now rarely lack support.
- 旺 Prosperous辰未戌丑
- 相 Supported巳午
- 休 Resting申酉
- 囚 Confined亥子
- 死 Dormant寅卯
Earth is prosperous in the four Earth months 辰, 未, 戌 and 丑, supported in 巳 and 午 (summer), resting in 申 and 酉 (autumn), confined in 亥 and 子 (winter) and dormant in 寅 and 卯 (spring). Because its months are spread through the year, Earth's strength swings less than any other element's.
Earth and the other four elements
Every element is fed by one, feeds one, controls one and is controlled by one. Each relation helps in moderation and hurts in excess, and the old maxims say exactly how.
Hover over or tap a relation to trace it on the diagram.
土賴火生，火多土焦
Earth relies on Fire for life, but too much Fire scorches the Earth.
Fire makes Earth, as ash enriches soil. Moderate Fire gives Earth warmth, support and learning. Too much Fire scorches it into dry, cracked ground that grows nothing.
土能生金，金多土變
Earth can produce Metal, but too much Metal changes the Earth.
Earth bears Metal, as ore forms inside rock. Through Metal, Earth turns its stores into something refined: skill, output, results. Too much Metal drains and changes the Earth, effort that leaves the ground spent.
土能剋水，水多土流
Earth can control Water, but too much Water washes the Earth away.
Earth dams Water and keeps a river in its banks. This is how Earth manages and earns, by channeling flow. But a flood washes the dam away: more money or movement than Earth can hold.
木能剋土，土重木折
Wood can control Earth, but heavy Earth snaps the Wood.
Wood breaks Earth, as roots loosen soil. In moderation that helps: discipline and structure that keep Earth from hardening. Weak Earth facing strong Wood collapses; very heavy Earth can snap the Wood instead.
Earth correspondence chart: colors, organs, directions and more
The five elements correspondence chart, with Earth highlighted. Tap an element to open its page.
| Category | 木Wood | 火Fire | 土Earth | 金Metal | 水Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heavenly stems | 甲 乙 | 丙 丁 | 戊 己 | 壬 癸 | |
| Earthly branches | 寅 卯 | 巳 午 | 丑 辰 未 戌 | 子 亥 | |
| Season | Spring | Summer | Late summer (season changes) | Autumn | Winter |
| Direction | East | South | Center | West | North |
| Color | Green, teal | Red, purple | Yellow, brown | White, gold | Black, navy |
| Climate | Wind | Heat | Damp | Dryness | Cold |
| Yin organ | Liver | Heart | Spleen | Lungs | Kidneys |
| Yang organ | Gallbladder | Small intestine | Stomach | Large intestine | Bladder |
| Sense organ | Eyes | Tongue | Mouth | Nose | Ears |
| Body tissue | Tendons | Blood vessels | Muscles | Skin | Bones |
| Emotion | Anger | Joy | Worry | Grief | Fear |
| Taste | Sour | Bitter | Sweet | Pungent | Salty |
| Virtue | Benevolence (仁) | Propriety (禮) | Trust (信) | Righteousness (義) | Wisdom (智) |
| Musical note | Jue (角) | Zhi (徵) | Gong (宮) | Shang (商) | Yu (羽) |
| Planet | Jupiter | Mars | Saturn | Venus | Mercury |
| Celestial animal | Azure Dragon | Vermilion Bird | Yellow Dragon | White Tiger | Black Tortoise |
| Shape | Tall, upright | Pointed, triangular | Square, flat | Round, arched | Wavy, irregular |
| Hetu numbers | 3, 8 | 2, 7 | 5, 10 | 4, 9 | 1, 6 |
Careers and industries for Earth
Earth covers land, buildings, storage and anything built on trust. These fields feel natural when Earth is favorable. When it is unfavorable, pair Earth work with movement and new learning so you don't get stuck.
- Real estate and property
- Construction and architecture
- Agriculture and land management
- Warehousing and logistics
- Insurance and trusts
- Administration and HR
- Ceramics, stone and building materials
- Caregiving and hospitality
Earth element: common questions
Sources
The classical texts this page draws on. The maxims marked as traditional circulate in many manuals without a single author.
- 01《尚書·洪範》The earliest list of the five elements and their natures: water soaks downward, fire flames upward, wood bends and straightens.
- 02《黃帝內經·素問》The medical classic behind the organ, sense, emotion and taste correspondences.
- 03《五行大義》Xiao Ji's Sui-dynasty compendium that sets out the elements' correspondences, numbers and seasonal states.
- 04《滴天髓》The verse classic of Bazi, source of the stem verses quoted on this page.
- 05《窮通寶鑑》A month-by-month guide to what each Day Master needs; the basis of seasonal adjustment (調候).
- 06《神峰通考》Zhang Nan's Ming-dynasty manual, source of the illness-and-medicine view of a chart's gaps.
See all five elements in your own chart
The five elements calculator shows the share of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water in your chart, what is missing, and which elements are favorable for you.
Open the five elements calculatorMore free tools
- Generating & Controlling CyclesThe interactive five elements diagram: what produces and controls what, overacting, insulting and bridge elements.
- Favorable Elements CalculatorFind your useful god, joyful god and taboo elements, plus the colors, directions and years that suit you.
- Day Master Strength CalculatorIs your Day Master strong or weak? A 0–100 score built from season, roots and support.
- Bazi CalculatorFour Pillars, ten gods, hidden stems, element balance and luck pillars. Free, and no sign-up.
- The ten godsFriend, Eating God, Seven Killings and the rest: what each of the ten gods means and how to find yours.
- Bazi CompatibilityCompare two charts for love or business.