Yang Metal 庚 · Yin Metal 辛
Autumn · West
The Metal Element: Personality, Colors and Missing Metal
Geng and Xin, autumn and the west: what Metal means in your chart, how it shapes personality, and what to do when Metal is missing or too sharp.
Updated October 17, 2026
Metal (金, jīn) is the element of structure and decision. In Bazi it appears as the stems Geng 庚 and Xin 辛 and the branches Shen 申 and You 酉; it peaks in autumn, faces west and is colored white and gold. Metal people are principled and decisive. Too much Metal turns harsh, too little leaves a chart without edges, and missing Metal is a common worry; whether to add Metal depends on your favorable elements.
- Heavenly stems
- Geng Metal · YangXin Metal · Yin
- Earthly branches
- Monkey Rooster
- Season
- Autumn
- Direction
- West
- Color
- White, gold
- Hetu numbers
- 4 · 9
- Organs
- Lungs · Large intestine
- Sense organ
- Nose
- Emotion
- Grief
- Taste
- Pungent
- Virtue
- Righteousness (義)
How much Metal is in your chart?
Enter your birth date to see Metal'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 Metal.
Check your Metal
Your birth date is enough. Nothing is stored.
Missing, weak or strong: how Metal is measured
- 1
Count: how many of the eight visible characters (four stems, four branches) are Metal. 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 Metal.
- 3
Strength: the share again, with the birth month counted double, because the season decides whether Metal is thriving or dormant. The favorable elements calculator works from this.
Labels we use
- No Metal0%
- Weak Metal< 12%
- Balanced Metal12–30%
- Strong Metal> 30%
A low share describes the chart; it is not a verdict. Whether to add Metal is decided by your favorable elements: Favorable Elements Calculator
What the Metal element means in Bazi
The classics define each element by the way it moves. For Metal, its two stems, its season and the branches that hold it all follow from that movement.
The classical definition
金曰從革，從革作辛Metal follows and changes, and what follows and changes turns pungent. Metal yields to the smith, who melts, casts and reshapes it, and then it holds the new form hard. That is the root of Metal's discipline: accepting a form, then keeping it.
Metal is the blade and the bell, the ore in the hill and the coin in the hand. It stands for cutting away, judging, finishing and keeping order: autumn's harvest and its first frost. Its virtue is righteousness (義). Metal knows where the line is and holds it.
Metal through the year
Metal grows out of Earth in the months that close each season. It rules autumn, the 申 and 酉 months from early August to early October; it gives itself to Water in winter; it toils against Wood in spring; and it is weakest in summer, when Fire melts it. Autumn Metal is sharp and complete; summer Metal is soft and needs Earth and Water.
Metal by monthYang Metal and Yin Metal: the two Metal stems
Yang Metal
庚 Gēng
Geng 庚 is raw iron and the axe: hard, blunt and powerful. As a stem it brings courage, a sense of justice and a soldier's loyalty. Geng is at its best when Fire forges it into a tool and Water polishes it; unforged, it can be harsh.
庚金帶煞，剛健為最。得水而清，得火而銳。Yin Metal
辛 Xīn
Xin 辛 is jewelry, fine gold and pearls: refined, bright and sensitive. It stands for taste, precision and self-respect. Xin dislikes being buried under heavy Earth and loves clear Water that makes it shine.
辛金軟弱，溫潤而清。畏土之疊，樂水之盈。Where Metal sits in a Bazi chart
Metal can appear as a stem, as a branch, or hidden inside a branch. Hidden Metal counts too, which is why a chart with no visible Metal character is rarely missing it altogether.
- 子·
- 丑
- 寅·
- 卯·
- 辰·
- 巳
- 午·
- 未·
- 戌
- 亥·
- Metal branch
- Metal as main qi
- Metal as middle or residual qi
Metal element personality: strengths, blind spots, love and work
People with a Metal Day Master (庚 or 辛), or with Metal strong in their chart, tend to be principled, decisive and orderly. They value quality, keep their word and say what they think.
Strengths
- Decisive; cuts through confusion
- Principled, fair and loyal
- Disciplined and organized
- High standards; values quality
- Brave when something is wrong
Shadow side
- Harsh or blunt under stress
- Critical of self and others
- Rigid about rules and plans
- Slow to forgive; holds grief in
- Can seem cold or distant
Love
Career
Metal person: defined by the Day Master or the birth year?
A Metal person (金命) can mean your Day Master is Geng or Xin Metal, the Bazi sense used on this page, or that your birth year's nayin (納音) is Metal. 1984 (甲子) is 海中金, a Metal year by nayin, even though 甲 is Wood and 子 is Water. Questions about missing Metal mix up the two; the Day Master and the whole chart are what count.
Birth years that are Metal by nayin (納音)
- Gold in the sea甲子 · 乙丑1924–25, 1984–85
- Sword-edge metal壬 · 癸1932–33, 1992–93
- White wax metal辰 · 巳1940–41, 2000–01
- Gold in the sand甲午 · 乙未1954–55, 2014–15
- Gold leaf壬寅 · 癸卯1962–63, 2022–23
- Hairpin and bracelet gold戌 · 亥1970–71, 2030–31
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 Metal, weak Metal and missing Metal
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 Metal
Signs in a chart
- Born in autumn (申 or 酉 month), when Metal rules
- Several 庚 or 辛 stems, or 申 and 酉 together
- A complete Metal frame: 巳酉丑 or 申酉戌
- Little Fire to forge it and little Water to vent it
強金得水，方挫其鋒Strong Metal needs Water; only then is its sharp edge blunted.
What it means
Too much Metal is a drawn sword with no sheath: sharp, cold and quick to cut. People may be harsh, inflexible or caught up in conflict, and the Wood in the chart gets cut down. If Metal dominates completely, the chart may follow it as the Metal-dominant structure 從革格 (following and changing).
Weak Metal
Signs in a chart
- Born in summer (巳 or 午 month), when Fire melts Metal
- Strong Fire stems such as 丙 or 丁 nearby
- Few roots: no 申, 酉, 丑 or 戌 among the branches
- Heavy Water or Wood draining it
金衰遇火，必見銷熔Weak Metal that meets Fire will surely melt.
What it means
Weak Metal is a blade without temper: it bends under pressure. People may struggle to decide, to set boundaries or to finish things, and pressure from authority (Fire) can feel crushing. For a Metal Day Master that is a weak self; for others it thins whatever Metal stands for in their chart.
Missing Metal
Signs in a chart
- No 庚 or 辛 among the stems
- No 申 or 酉 among the branches
- No Metal hidden in 巳, 丑 or 戌 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
Missing Metal is the most searched 'missing element' of all. When Metal is absent, the chart lacks edges: decisiveness, boundaries, rules and closure have no anchor. For a Water Day Master Metal is the resource, for Wood the officer (status, discipline), for Fire the wealth, for Earth the output. A Metal Day Master can never be missing Metal.
Missing Metal in your Bazi? How to add Metal, and what to do with too much
These are the traditional Metal correspondences people use to bring the element into daily life. Read the note first.
Missing Metal doesn't mean you must add Metal
What a chart needs comes from its favorable elements (喜用神), not from a count. A chart without Metal can be well balanced, and adding Metal to a chart that dislikes it tips it further off. Check your favorable elements first, and use the list below only if Metal is among them.
Lucky colors for Metal
White, gold
White, gold, silver, grey and metallic finishes. A white shirt, a silver watch or a pale grey workspace all count.
Favorable directions
West is Metal's direction, and feng shui adds the northwest. A desk facing west, a west-side room or a trip west are the traditional choices.
Metal numbers
Materials and objects
Everyday habits
Foods by taste
Taste: Pungent
Pungent flavors and white foods: ginger, garlic, onion, white radish, pear, lotus root, lily bulb, almonds.
Seasons and years
Autumn, above all the 申 and 酉 months (about 8 August to 7 October), and years with a 庚 or 辛 stem, such as 2030 庚戌 and 2031 辛亥.
Coming Metal years (by heavenly stem)
Too much Metal? How to calm it
Let Water vent it: talk things through, travel, write, rest. Forge it with Fire: take on a challenge that turns hardness into skill, and add warmth and social time. Give it Wood to work on: creative projects and growth goals. Cut back on white, on metal and on rigid rules.
Day Master Strength CalculatorMetal and the body: traditional correspondences
Traditional Chinese medicine pairs Metal with the lungs and large intestine, the nose, the skin, dryness and the emotion of grief. The classics read extreme Metal as a cue to look after breathing and skin. In practice it is a reminder to breathe deeply, keep the air moist and let sadness be expressed.
Traditional symbolism only, not medical advice. A Bazi chart can't diagnose anything; see a doctor about any health concern.
When is Metal strongest? Metal 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.
申 month
Start of Autumn · from about Aug 8Metal · Prosperous
This is Metal's own season. Metal is at full strength, so Metal Day Masters born now rarely lack support.
- 旺 Prosperous申酉
- 相 Supported辰未戌丑
- 休 Resting亥子
- 囚 Confined寅卯
- 死 Dormant巳午
Metal 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.
金賴土生，土多金埋
Metal relies on Earth for life, but too much Earth buries the Metal.
Earth bears Metal, as rock holds ore. Moderate Earth gives Metal support, training and resources. Too much Earth buries it: protection that smothers, ore that never sees the light.
金能生水，水多金沉
Metal can produce Water, but too much Water sinks the Metal.
Metal makes Water, the way cold metal gathers dew and ore-bearing rock feeds springs. Through Water, Metal's thinking flows into words and ideas. Too much Water sinks the Metal: talk that drains resolve.
金能剋木，木堅金缺
Metal can control Wood, but hard Wood notches the Metal.
Metal cuts Wood, as an axe fells a tree. This is how Metal manages and earns, shaping raw material for use. Very hard Wood, though, notches the blade: more work than Metal can cut.
火能剋金，金多火熄
Fire can control Metal, but too much Metal puts the Fire out.
Fire melts Metal in the forge. In the right amount, Fire refines Metal into a tool; it is the pressure that gives Metal its use. Too much Fire melts weak Metal, while a mass of Metal can smother a small Fire instead.
Metal correspondence chart: colors, organs, directions and more
The five elements correspondence chart, with Metal 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 Metal
Metal covers money, rules, tools and anything cut or forged. These fields suit you most when Metal is favorable. With an unfavorable Metal, Metal work is still possible, but balance it with communication (Water) and warmth (Fire).
- Finance, banking and accounting
- Law, justice and compliance
- Military, police and security
- Engineering and machinery
- Automotive and hardware
- Metalwork, tools and manufacturing
- Jewelry, watches and luxury goods
- Quality control and auditing
Metal 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.