Yang Wood 甲 · Yin Wood 乙
Spring · East
木曰曲直
The Wood Element: Personality, Colors and Missing Wood
Jia and Yi, spring and the east: what Wood means in your chart, how it shapes personality, and what to do when there is too much of it or none.
Updated October 17, 2026
Wood (木, mù) is the element of growth. In Bazi it appears as the stems Jia 甲 and Yi 乙 and the branches Yin 寅 and Mao 卯; it peaks in spring, faces east and is colored green. Wood people are known for kindness and drive. Too little Wood can leave a chart without direction, too much turns stubborn, and whether you should add Wood depends on your favorable elements, not on the count.
Wood at a glance
- Heavenly stems
- 甲Jia Wood · Yang乙Yi Wood · Yin
- Earthly branches
- 寅 Tiger卯 Rabbit
- Season
- Spring
- Direction
- East
- Color
- Green, teal
- Hetu numbers
- 3 · 8
- Organs
- Liver · Gallbladder
- Sense organ
- Eyes
- Emotion
- Anger
- Taste
- Sour
- Virtue
- Benevolence (仁)
How much Wood is in your chart?
Enter your birth date to see Wood'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 Wood.
Check your Wood
Your birth date is enough. Nothing is stored.
Missing, weak or strong: how Wood is measured
- 1
Count: how many of the eight visible characters (four stems, four branches) are Wood. 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 Wood.
- 3
Strength: the share again, with the birth month counted double, because the season decides whether Wood is thriving or dormant. The favorable elements calculator works from this.
Labels we use
- No Wood0%
- Weak Wood< 12%
- Balanced Wood12–30%
- Strong Wood> 30%
A low share describes the chart; it is not a verdict. Whether to add Wood is decided by your favorable elements: Favorable Elements Calculator
What the Wood element means in Bazi
The classics define each element by the way it moves. For Wood, its two stems, its season and the branches that hold it all follow from that movement.
The classical definition
木曰曲直，曲直作酸Wood bends and straightens, and what bends and straightens turns sour. The line describes living timber: it yields to pressure yet always grows back toward the light, which is the root of both Wood's flexibility and its principles.
Picture a tree in spring: roots pushing down, branches reaching out, every part of it growing. Wood stands for beginnings, plans and the urge to expand. It is the only living element, so it carries health, learning and kindness (仁, benevolence), and competition too, since trees race each other for the light.
Wood through the year
Wood is born in winter, when Water feeds its roots. It rules spring, the 寅 and 卯 months from early February to early April; it gives itself away to Fire in summer; it toils against the Earth months that close each season; and it is weakest in autumn, when Metal prunes it. Spring Wood is proud and full; autumn Wood is thin and needs nourishing.
Wood by monthYang Wood and Yin Wood: the two Wood stems
Yang Wood
甲 Jiǎ
Jia 甲 is the tall tree: a pine or a roof beam, straight, upright and hard to bend. As a stem it brings leadership, principle and a long view. Jia wants Fire to show its worth, and fears strong Metal that cuts it or heavy Earth that buries its roots.
甲木參天，脫胎要火。春不容金，秋不容土。Yin Wood
乙 Yǐ
Yi 乙 is grass, flowers and climbing vines: soft, adaptable and very hard to kill. It reaches its goals by bending around obstacles and leaning on stronger stems. Yi loves sun and moisture in balance, and does best when it has something to climb.
乙木雖柔，刲羊解牛。懷丁抱丙，跨鳳乘猴。Where Wood sits in a Bazi chart
Wood can appear as a stem, as a branch, or hidden inside a branch. Hidden Wood counts too, which is why a chart with no visible Wood character is rarely missing it altogether.
- 子·
- 丑·
- 寅甲
- 卯乙
- 辰乙
- 巳·
- 午·
- 未乙
- 申·
- 酉·
- 戌·
- 亥甲
- Wood branch
- Wood as main qi
- Wood as middle or residual qi
Wood element personality: strengths, blind spots, love and work
People with a Wood Day Master (甲 or 乙), or with Wood leading their chart, tend to be idealistic, growth-minded and principled. They like to start things and to help others grow.
Strengths
- Kind and generous; protective of the underdog
- Forward-looking: good at plans and beginnings
- Principled, with a clear sense of fairness
- Keeps growing: curious, studious, resilient
- Encourages others; a natural mentor
Shadow side
- Stubborn once a direction is chosen
- Impatient with slow people and red tape
- Takes on too much and spreads thin
- Anger flares when blocked
- Can moralize or insist on knowing best
Love
Career
Wood person: defined by the Day Master or the birth year?
A Wood person (木命) means one of two things. In Bazi it usually means your Day Master, the stem of your birth day, is Jia or Yi Wood; that is what the personality above describes. In folk use it often means your birth year's nayin (納音) is Wood: 1988 (戊辰) is 大林木, a Wood year by nayin, although 戊 is Earth. The two rarely match, so for personality and remedies go by the Day Master and the whole chart.
Birth years that are Wood by nayin (納音)
- 大林木Great forest wood戊辰 · 己巳1928–29, 1988–89
- 楊柳木Willow wood壬午 · 癸未1942–43, 2002–03
- 松柏木Pine and cypress wood寅 · 卯1950–51, 2010–11
- 平地木Flatland wood戊戌 · 己亥1958–59, 2018–19
- 桑柘木Mulberry wood壬子 · 癸丑1972–73, 2032–33
- 石榴木Pomegranate wood · 1980–81, 2040–41
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 Wood, weak Wood and missing Wood
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 Wood
Signs in a chart
- Born in spring (寅 or 卯 month), when Wood rules
- Several 甲 or 乙 stems, or Wood branches side by side
- A complete Wood frame: 亥卯未 or 寅卯辰
- Little Metal to prune it and little Fire to vent it
強木得火，方化其頑Strong Wood needs Fire; only then is its stiffness transformed.
What it means
Too much Wood behaves like an overgrown forest: plenty of energy and nowhere to put it. In people that reads as stubbornness, restlessness and starting more than can be finished. If the whole chart bends toward Wood, it may form the Wood-dominant structure 曲直格 (bending and straightening), which follows Wood rather than fighting it.
What helps
Fire comes first: it lets Wood express itself through creative work, teaching and visible results. Metal prunes, if the chart can carry it: structure, deadlines, editing. Earth gives Wood something to work on. Avoid piling on Water, which only feeds the forest.
Weak Wood
Signs in a chart
- Born in autumn (申 or 酉 month), when Metal cuts Wood
- Strong Metal stems such as 庚 or 辛 nearby
- Few roots: no 寅, 卯, 亥 or 未 among the branches
- Heavy Earth or Fire draining what little Wood there is
木弱逢金，必為砍折Weak Wood that meets Metal will be cut down.
What it means
Weak Wood is a sapling in a cold wind: willing to grow but short of support. People may feel unsure where they are heading, slow to start, or worn down by rules and duties (Metal). For a Wood Day Master this means a weak self; for others it thins whatever Wood stands for in their chart.
What helps
Water nourishes Wood as its resource: learning, rest, mentors. More Wood gives company and roots: allies, peers, time in nature. Hold back on Metal, and don't burn the little Wood there is with too much Fire.
Missing Wood
Signs in a chart
- No 甲 or 乙 among the stems
- No 寅 or 卯 among the branches
- No Wood hidden in 亥, 辰 or 未 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
A chart with no Wood at all is rarer than people think, because Wood hides in 亥, 辰 and 未. When it really is absent, growth, planning and flexibility have no anchor in the chart. What that means depends on the Day Master: for Fire, Wood is the resource (support, learning); for Earth, the officer (rules, status); for Metal, the wealth; for Water, the output (expression). A Wood Day Master can never be missing Wood.
What helps
If your favorable elements include Wood, bring it in with the list below: green, the east, plants, learning, an early-morning routine. If Wood is unfavorable, its absence is a strength; build up your actual favorable elements instead.
Missing Wood in your Bazi? How to add Wood, and what to do with too much
These are the traditional Wood correspondences people use to bring the element into daily life. Read the note first.
Missing Wood doesn't mean you must add Wood
What a chart needs comes from its favorable elements (喜用神), not from a count. A chart without Wood can be well balanced, and adding Wood to a chart that dislikes it tips it further off. Check your favorable elements first, and use the list below only if Wood is among them.
Lucky colors for Wood
Green, teal
Green in every shade, teal and cyan (青). Wear them, or use them for a phone case, a plant pot or the walls of your workspace.
Favorable directions
East is Wood's direction, and feng shui adds the southeast. Sit facing east, turn your desk or the head of your bed toward it, or choose an east-side room.
Wood numbers
Materials and objects
Everyday habits
Foods by taste
Taste: Sour
Sour flavors and green foods: leafy greens, sprouts, citrus, plums, a dash of vinegar.
Seasons and years
Spring, above all the 寅 and 卯 months (about 4 February to 4 April), and years with a 甲 or 乙 stem bring more Wood into your life.
Coming Wood years (by heavenly stem)
- 2034甲寅
- 2035乙卯
- 2044甲子
- 2045乙丑
Too much Wood? How to calm it
Let Fire vent it: create, perform, teach, publish, so the energy has an outlet. Use Metal to prune: deadlines, budgets, editing, finishing before starting. Give it Earth to work on: practical goals and money matters. Cut back on green and on extra Water, such as endless study with no output.
Day Master Strength CalculatorWood and the body: traditional correspondences
Traditional Chinese medicine pairs Wood with the liver and gallbladder, the eyes, the tendons, wind and the emotion of anger. Old Bazi texts read a badly unbalanced Wood as a cue to watch these areas. Today it is best taken as a reminder to stretch, rest your eyes and let anger out safely.
Traditional symbolism only, not medical advice. A Bazi chart can't diagnose anything; see a doctor about any health concern.
When is Wood strongest? Wood 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.
寅 month
Start of Spring · from about Feb 4旺Wood · Prosperous
This is Wood's own season. Wood is at full strength, so Wood Day Masters born now rarely lack support.
- 旺 Prosperous寅卯
- 相 Supported亥子
- 休 Resting巳午
- 囚 Confined辰未戌丑
- 死 Dormant申酉
Wood is prosperous in the 寅 and 卯 months (spring), supported in 亥 and 子 (winter), resting in 巳 and 午 (summer), confined in the four Earth months 辰, 未, 戌 and 丑, and dormant in 申 and 酉 (autumn). So a Wood Day Master born in autumn usually starts out weaker, and one born in spring stronger, before roots and other stems are counted.
Wood 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.
木賴水生，水多木漂
Wood relies on Water for life, but too much Water sets the Wood adrift.
Water feeds Wood the way rain feeds a tree. Moderate Water gives Wood resources, learning and support. Too much and Wood floats off without roots: plans that never land, and leaning on others.
木能生火，火多木焚
Wood can produce Fire, but too much Fire burns the Wood away.
Wood feeds Fire like fuel on a flame. Through Fire, Wood shows what it can do: talent, expression, results. But a big fire burns its fuel, and too much output leaves Wood drained.
木能剋土，土重木折
Wood can control Earth, but heavy Earth snaps the Wood.
Wood breaks up Earth, as roots split soil and also hold it together. This is how Wood manages and earns. Faced with a mountain of Earth, though, Wood snaps under more duties or assets than it can handle.
金能剋木，木堅金缺
Metal can control Wood, but hard Wood notches the Metal.
Metal cuts Wood like an axe or pruning shears. Pruned well, Wood takes a useful shape: discipline, structure, a career. Weak Wood is chopped down, while very hard Wood can even notch the blade (相侮, insulting).
Wood correspondence chart: colors, organs, directions and more
The five elements correspondence chart, with Wood 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 Wood
Traditional lists give Wood anything that grows, teaches or is made from plants. The list helps most when Wood is a favorable element. With an unfavorable Wood, a Wood job isn't forbidden, but it tends to feel like swimming upstream.
- Education and training
- Publishing, writing and paper
- Design and the arts
- Horticulture, farming and forestry
- Furniture, timber and bamboo
- Textiles and fashion
- Herbal medicine and wellness
- Social work and non-profits
Wood 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.