Every BaZi chart has a Day Master (the Heavenly Stem of your day pillar) and a month branch (the Earthly Branch of your month pillar). The month branch holds one to three hidden stems, ordered by strength. The first one — the main qi (主气, zhǔqì) — defines the dominant element of the branch. To find your structure, you take that main qi, ask what its Ten God relationship to your Day Master is, and the answer becomes the name of your structure.
For example, if your Day Master is 甲 (Yang Wood) and you were born in the month of 酉 (Rooster, the autumn Metal month), the main qi of 酉 is 辛 (Yin Metal). 辛 is Direct Officer to 甲. So you have a 正官格 (Direct Officer structure) — which means the chart reads through the institutional, status-oriented lens described below. The structure is considered strong if a Direct Officer stem also surfaces somewhere else in the chart, and moderate if it only shows up through the hidden main qi.
Two cases break that simple rule. First, when the main qi is the same element as the Day Master (the Self group), the chart does not get a Ten God label — it gets either 建禄格 (Establishing Officer structure) or 羊刃格 (Yang Blade structure) depending on whether the day stem hits its established-officer or emperor-peak position in the month branch. Second, in extreme imbalances, special structures override the normal rule entirely — see the section on the nine special structures below.
The four pillars give you eight characters of raw input. The element balance and Day Master strength tell you how the chart sits as a system. The Ten Gods tell you what each individual stem means relative to you. The structure is the layer above all of that — the headline sentence that organizes everything else into a single coherent profile.
In practice, identifying the structure is usually the first thing a practitioner does after running strength analysis. It collapses thousands of possible chart shapes into a manageable number of recognizable types. Once you know someone is reading as a 七杀格 (Seven Killings structure) chart with a strong Day Master and decent Resource support, you already know roughly what kind of careers will fit, what kind of bosses they will clash with, what kinds of relationships they gravitate to, and what kind of decade-by-decade pressure they handle well. The other modules of the reading sharpen that picture, but the structure sets the frame.
The other reason structures matter is that they connect classical BaZi to modern life advice in a useful way. A 食神格 (Eating God structure) and a 正官格 (Direct Officer structure) describe genuinely different operating modes — one is creative-output-oriented, the other is institutional-status-oriented — and the kind of advice that helps one is exactly the kind of advice that frustrates the other. Practitioners use the structure to avoid generic guidance.
These cover the majority of charts. Eight of them map directly to the eight non-Self Ten Gods (Direct Officer, Seven Killings, Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Direct Resource, Indirect Resource, Eating God, Hurting Officer). Two more — Establishing Officer and Yang Blade — handle the cases where the month branch and Day Master share the same element, which would otherwise produce no Ten God label.
正官格Direct Officer StructureZhèng Guān Gé
Power groupDirect Officer (正官)
How it’s detected
The main qi (the dominant hidden stem) of the month branch is the element that controls the Day Master, with opposite polarity. The signal is stronger if a visible Direct Officer also appears in the year, month, or hour stem.
How it reads in practice
The institutional, status-oriented archetype. People with this structure tend to thrive inside formal hierarchies, gravitate toward titled roles, and care about being seen as legitimate by recognized authorities. Their decisions track clear chains of command, written rules, and reputation. Career identity tends to fuse tightly with the position they hold rather than with personal projects on the side.
Where this profile thrives
Common in lawyers, civil servants, judges, corporate executives, military officers, accountants, university administrators, diplomats, and anyone whose status depends on a recognized credential or title.
Watch-outs
Too much Direct Officer reads as conformist, image-anxious, or unable to function outside an institution. When the Day Master is weak and the Officer is heavy, the chart can manifest as chronic pressure from bosses and rule-makers — the person feels boxed in by structures that they secretly resent but cannot leave.
In the wild
Often visible in long-tenured judges, central bankers, and senior civil servants — the kinds of careers where the title is half the identity.
七杀格Seven Killings StructureQī Shā Gé
Power groupSeven Killings (七杀)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element that controls the Day Master, same polarity. The 七杀 (Seven Killings) reading is reinforced if a visible Seven Killings stem appears elsewhere in the chart.
How it reads in practice
The command-oriented archetype. Built for pressure, competition, and decisive action under stress. People with this structure are usually comfortable with high stakes, blunt feedback, and adversarial environments — the kinds of situations where raw drive matters more than protocol. They tend to operate well when there is a real target to push against and become restless or destructive when there is not.
Where this profile thrives
Common in surgeons, special-forces officers, trial litigators, emergency responders, professional athletes, turnaround executives, and entrepreneurs in unforgiving industries. Often found in people who repeatedly choose high-risk roles other people would refuse.
Watch-outs
Without the Resource group to channel it, Seven Killings can burn the chart owner out, attract injuries, or pull them into conflicts they did not need to take on. In a weak chart it manifests as feeling persecuted by life, attracting domineering bosses, or struggling with chronic adrenal-style fatigue.
In the wild
A pattern frequently associated with battlefield commanders, ER trauma surgeons, and founders who specialize in crisis turnarounds.
正财格Direct Wealth StructureZhèng Cái Gé
Wealth groupDirect Wealth (正财)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element the Day Master controls, with opposite polarity. The pattern is stronger if a visible Direct Wealth stem also appears in the year, month, or hour.
How it reads in practice
The steady-earning archetype. Direct Wealth structures relate to money as something you build through consistent, accountable effort over a long horizon — salary, retained equity, real assets that compound. People with this structure usually prefer clear ownership, written contracts, and reliable counterparts. They are not allergic to risk so much as bored by it; their edge is patience.
Where this profile thrives
Common in accountants, controllers, operations leads, engineers, civil servants, salaried professionals, real estate landlords, and family-business operators. Often the people who quietly outperform flashier peers over a 20-year window.
Watch-outs
Can read as risk-averse, conservative, or stuck in jobs that pay safely but dull the rest of the chart. In a chart that needs movement, Direct Wealth without an outlet looks like someone who saves diligently and never spends — a life optimized for the spreadsheet at the expense of everything else.
In the wild
Common in long-tenured CFOs, family-business heirs who actually run the business well, and salaried specialists with decades of vested compounding.
偏财格Indirect Wealth StructurePiān Cái Gé
Wealth groupIndirect Wealth (偏财)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element the Day Master controls, same polarity. Reinforced when a visible Indirect Wealth stem also surfaces elsewhere in the chart.
How it reads in practice
The opportunistic-income archetype. Indirect Wealth charts read markets, work networks, and treat money as something that arrives in lumps rather than steady flow. The relationship with capital is more transactional than custodial — they spend it freely when an opportunity is hot and accept that some bets lose. Relationships often double as deal pipelines without the chart owner consciously meaning it that way.
Where this profile thrives
Common in entrepreneurs, traders, dealmakers, sales leaders, real estate developers, brokers, investors, and people whose income line is mostly commission, equity, or upside-linked. Frequently seen in serial founders.
Watch-outs
Highs and lows can be extreme. Without Direct Wealth or solid Resource support, the chart can churn through fortunes — make a lot, spend a lot, repeat. In traditional readings the same star also points to romantic complications when the chart is unbalanced, since Indirect Wealth governs appetite as well as capital.
In the wild
Visible in many self-made entrepreneurs and dealmakers — the kind whose net worth has chart-shaped years rather than a smooth growth curve.
正印格Direct Resource StructureZhèng Yìn Gé
Resource groupDirect Resource (正印)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element that produces the Day Master, with opposite polarity. Strongest when a visible Direct Resource stem also penetrates to the surface.
How it reads in practice
The credentialed-learner archetype. Direct Resource charts pull naturally toward formal study, mentorship, institutional knowledge, and good reputation. They treat education as part of identity, not just preparation for a job. Their authority in any room usually comes from what they have read, who they have studied under, and how trustworthy they are perceived to be — rather than from raw output or risk-taking.
Where this profile thrives
Common in teachers, doctors, professors, classical-trained musicians, traditional professionals, librarians, museum curators, and any field where the path is degree → license → seniority. Also strong in researchers and editors.
Watch-outs
Can become dependent on external validation — credentials, titles, and institutional approval. Heavy Direct Resource without Output can read as someone who collects qualifications instead of producing work, or who freezes when asked to operate without a clear authority above them.
In the wild
Common pattern among long-career academics, attending physicians at teaching hospitals, and traditional masters of an art who spent decades studying under a recognized lineage.
偏印格Indirect Resource StructurePiān Yìn Gé
Resource groupIndirect Resource (偏印)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element that produces the Day Master, same polarity. Reinforced if a visible Indirect Resource stem also appears in the year, month, or hour.
How it reads in practice
The niche-expertise archetype. Indirect Resource charts gravitate to obscure, specialized, or unconventional bodies of knowledge — the kind nobody assigns and nobody else wants to learn. They prefer depth over breadth, self-directed study over formal programs, and tend to develop unusual mental models that other people find hard to replicate. Frequently a touch eccentric in their interests, even when conventional in everything else.
Where this profile thrives
Common in researchers, technical specialists, intelligence analysts, occult scholars, alternative-medicine practitioners, niche craftspeople, and people who become the only expert on something narrow. Strong in engineers who build the weird internal tool nobody else understands.
Watch-outs
Tendency toward overthinking, isolation, and rabbit-holes that pay nothing. The same chart can also struggle with being misunderstood by mainstream peers and feel chronically unrecognized. In traditional readings, heavy Indirect Resource is associated with complicated relationships with mother figures.
In the wild
Frequently seen in lifelong specialists — cryptographers, paleographers, fringe-tech researchers, traditional medicine doctors with rare lineages.
食神格Eating God StructureShí Shén Gé
Output groupEating God (食神)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element the Day Master produces, with the same polarity. Reinforced by a visible Eating God stem in the year, month, or hour.
How it reads in practice
The generative, easygoing-output archetype. Eating God charts have a relaxed, productive relationship with making things — food, art, code, kids, whatever the medium is. Output flows without strain. Their work tends to reward enjoyment rather than discipline, and they are usually in their best state when they can shape both the process and the outcome. Often described as good company because the same energy that produces work also produces presence.
Where this profile thrives
Common in chefs, hospitality operators, performers, illustrators, novelists, podcasters, craftspeople, and any role where the output itself is the point and the process can be enjoyable. Also strong in early-childhood educators and family-oriented small-business owners.
Watch-outs
Without enough Wealth or Officer support, the chart can read as indulgent, undisciplined, or unwilling to convert output into income. The same easygoing energy that produces good work can also produce missed deadlines and a tendency to coast when nothing external is pushing.
In the wild
Visible in successful career chefs, long-running illustrators, and people who turn a personal craft into a sustainable income without ever quite acting like a business operator.
伤官格Hurting Officer StructureShāng Guān Gé
Output groupHurting Officer (伤官)
How it’s detected
The main qi of the month branch is the element the Day Master produces, opposite polarity. Reinforced by a visible Hurting Officer stem elsewhere in the chart.
How it reads in practice
The expressive, unconventional-output archetype. Hurting Officer is the sharp, original, sometimes-iconoclastic edge of creativity. People with this structure dislike arbitrary rules, push back against authority on principle, and want their talent to be visible. They tend to do their best work when they have room to be original and their worst when forced to fit into rigid hierarchies. Often described as brilliant and difficult in roughly equal proportion.
Where this profile thrives
Common in performers, comedians, designers, journalists, surgeons, critics, architects, software engineers, broadcast personalities, and entrepreneurs whose product is essentially their own taste. Also a frequent pattern in famous creative directors.
Watch-outs
Famous for friction with bosses, regulators, spouses' parents, and any institutional figure that wants to limit them. In a weak chart, the same energy turns inward and reads as self-sabotage, abrupt career exits, or reputational blowups. In traditional readings, also associated with complications around the Direct Officer star — careers and partners that resist being pinned down.
In the wild
A pattern often associated with breakout creatives, polarizing public figures, and the kind of executive who builds a company brilliantly and then gets fired by the board.
建禄格Establishing Officer StructureJiàn Lù Gé
Self groupFriend (比肩) — Self group
How it’s detected
The Day Master sits at its 临官 (lín-guān, established-officer) position in the month branch — meaning the chart is born in the month where its own element is freshly mature. For 甲 this is 寅, for 丙 it is 巳, and so on. Some looser variants are also classed here when the Day Master simply shares the month branch's element.
How it reads in practice
The self-standing archetype. Establishing Officer charts are born in their own season and have strong intrinsic agency. They tend to be self-reliant, independent-minded, and uncomfortable being told what to do. Their identity does not depend on a title or a partner — they show up to a room as themselves first, role second. Often described as people who would rather build their own thing than climb someone else's ladder.
Where this profile thrives
Common in self-employed professionals, founders, athletes, freelancers, independent consultants, and people who repeatedly leave good jobs to start their own. Often the chart of the family member everyone treats as the responsible one by default.
Watch-outs
The independence can curdle into stubbornness, lone-wolf isolation, or an inability to accept help. A chart with too much Self-group support and not enough Wealth or Output to direct it can read as someone who is strong, capable, and going nowhere in particular.
In the wild
Common pattern in self-made business owners, successful freelancers, and people whose career arc is mostly horizontal moves between independent ventures.
羊刃格Yang Blade StructureYáng Rèn Gé
Self groupRob Wealth (劫财) — Self group
How it’s detected
A yang Day Master (甲, 丙, 戊, 庚, 壬) sits at its 帝旺 (dì-wàng, emperor-peak) position in the month branch — the absolute peak of its own element's strength. For 甲 this is 卯, for 丙 it is 午, for 庚 it is 酉, and so on. Classically reserved for yang stems only.
How it reads in practice
The peak-strength, sharp-edged archetype. Yang Blade charts carry an unusually high tolerance for conflict and a willingness to push hard when most people would back down. They are decisive, sometimes to the point of being abrasive, and they tend to do their best work when there is a real challenge in front of them. The same energy that makes them formidable in the right context makes them dangerous to themselves and others when there is nothing legitimate to aim it at.
Where this profile thrives
Common in surgeons, military and police officers, professional fighters, trial lawyers, emergency responders, demolition contractors, and high-pressure deal closers. Also seen in entrepreneurs who specialize in hostile environments.
Watch-outs
Without an outlet, Yang Blade turns into accidents, fights, broken relationships, and self-inflicted wounds. The classical text warns that this structure needs Officer or Killings to 'guide the blade' — without something to fight, the blade cuts the chart owner. Heavy alcohol, thrill-seeking, and recurring conflicts with authority are common shadow expressions.
In the wild
A pattern associated with elite combat-sports athletes, decorated military officers, and surgeons in trauma specialties.
Special structures (变格 biàn-gé) override the standard weak/strong model in rare, specific conditions. There are two families. The first is following structures(从格, cóng-gé), where the Day Master is so outweighed by another group that the chart effectively gives up its own agenda and “follows” the dominant force. The second is transformation structures(化气格, huà-qì-gé), where the Day Master combines with an adjacent stem and the pair transforms into a new element that takes over the chart’s operating frame.
The Day Master is extremely weak — its native element is roughly 15% or less of the chart’s weighted balance — and one or more other groups dominate. Instead of fighting that imbalance, the chart accepts it and reads through whichever group has taken over.
从财格Following Wealth StructureCóng Cái Gé
Special — Following
How it’s detected
The Day Master is extremely weak (its native element is roughly 15% or less of the chart) and the Wealth group dominates at 60% or more of the weighted balance. The chart effectively gives up the normal strength balance and reads through the Wealth lens instead.
How it reads in practice
A wealth-magnet pattern. Instead of fighting the imbalance, the chart succeeds by surrendering to it — money, assets, and resources flow because the chart owner accepts the Wealth-driven life rather than trying to be self-directed. People with this structure are often described as effortlessly attracting financial opportunities and partners, but the path requires letting go of the usual self-assertive playbook that works for ordinary charts.
Where this profile thrives
Common in inherited-wealth scenarios, people who marry into resources, deal-makers in capital-rich industries, and entrepreneurs whose role is essentially to be a magnet for other people's money. Often visible in family-business heirs who do not need to actively run the business.
Watch-outs
Extremely fragile to luck pillars that re-strengthen the Day Master. When a 比肩 / 劫财 luck period arrives and tries to restore self-assertion, the structure breaks and the chart owner suffers heavy losses. The same fragility applies to Resource luck pillars. Practitioners flag this as a structure that depends on staying in the right kind of life rather than fighting the chart.
从杀格Following Killings StructureCóng Shā Gé
Special — Following
How it’s detected
The Day Master is extremely weak and the Power group (Direct Officer + Seven Killings) dominates at 60% or more of the chart's weighted balance. The Day Master surrenders to the overwhelming pressure rather than resisting it.
How it reads in practice
A high-stakes command pattern. The chart reads as someone whose life is defined by external authority and pressure — and who succeeds precisely by accepting that role rather than fighting it. People with this structure often rise quickly inside hierarchical, demanding environments because they do not waste energy resenting the pressure. The shape of their life is set by the institutions and figures around them, and their advantage is not flinching.
Where this profile thrives
Reads as the chart of people in heavily structured, high-pressure command roles — military, government, demanding corporate environments, or in some traditional readings, women whose lives are defined by powerful partners. Practitioners read this carefully because the conditions are rare and easily misdiagnosed.
Watch-outs
Like the other 从格 patterns, very fragile to anything that tries to re-strengthen the Day Master. Resource or Friend luck pillars can disrupt the structure and produce serious downturns. The pattern requires the chart owner to accept a life shape that ordinary advice would call unhealthy — which is why classical texts urge caution before declaring this structure on a chart.
从儿格Following Output StructureCóng Ér Gé
Special — Following
How it’s detected
The Day Master is extremely weak and the Output group (Eating God + Hurting Officer) dominates at 60% or more of the chart. The chart 'follows the child' — gives itself to creative or expressive output instead of holding onto its own identity.
How it reads in practice
A talent-driven pattern. The chart succeeds through pure creative or expressive flow rather than through positional authority or asserted will. People with this structure tend to be defined by their work rather than by their job title. The output itself carries the chart, often with a quality that other people find hard to imitate, and the chart owner usually does best when they organize their life around the act of producing.
Where this profile thrives
Often associated with prolific creators, artists, writers, performers, and craftspeople whose body of work is the main fact of their life. Practitioners flag this as one of the more favorable special structures when conditions are clean.
Watch-outs
Resource luck pillars are particularly disruptive — the parent-energy of Resource clashes with the 'child' the chart is following, and the structure can break. As with all 从格, mis-diagnosis is common, and a chart that looks weak-with-heavy-output is not automatically a 从儿格.
从势格Following Power StructureCóng Shì Gé
Special — Following
How it’s detected
The Day Master is extremely weak and the combined Wealth + Officer + Resource groups account for 70% or more of the chart, but no single group is dominant enough to trigger one of the cleaner 从 patterns. The chart 'follows the prevailing momentum' as a blend rather than committing to one direction.
How it reads in practice
A momentum-rider pattern. People with this structure tend to succeed by reading and aligning with whatever the dominant external force happens to be — institutional, financial, or relational — rather than by forcing their own agenda. The shape of the life is set by whichever group is loudest in any given decade. Less clean than the other 从 structures and read with lower confidence.
Where this profile thrives
Often described in people whose careers move with the prevailing winds — institutional operators, well-connected generalists, and those who serve powerful networks. The pattern is genuinely rare and the literature is more divided on it than on the cleaner follow patterns.
Watch-outs
Of all the 从格 structures this is the most easily misclassified. The detection conditions are looser and the interpretation is less stable across luck pillars. Practitioners typically use it as a last-resort label when none of the cleaner patterns fit and the Day Master is clearly abandoned.
The Day Master pairs with an adjacent stem (year stems are too distant) through one of the five classical Heavenly Stem combinations. When the resulting element dominates the chart at 35% or more of the weighted balance, and the Day Master’s native element is not also dominant, the pair is read as having transformed. The chart then reads through the new element’s lens regardless of which Day Master it started with.
化土格Transformation to Earth StructureHuà Tǔ Gé
Special — Transformation
How it’s detected
The Day Master is 甲 or 己, and the other half of the 甲己 stem combination sits in the month or hour stem (year stems are too distant). Earth must dominate the chart at 35% or more of the weighted balance, and the Day Master's own native element must not exceed 35%. The 甲己 pair 'combines and transforms' into Earth.
How it reads in practice
The chart reads through an Earth lens regardless of which stem the original Day Master was. Earth qualities — patience, stability, material grounding, slow accumulation, mediation between opposing forces — become the dominant interpretive frame. The chart owner often shows up as steady, grounded, and reliable in ways the original Day Master might not naturally suggest.
Where this profile thrives
Treated like any other Earth-strong chart: real estate, agriculture, family-business operators, mediators, long-horizon institutional builders, and roles that reward patience and trust over speed.
Watch-outs
All 化气 structures depend on conditions that can be disrupted. If a luck pillar brings strong Wood, the 甲己 combination can be 'broken' and the chart reverts to an unfavorable weak-Day-Master reading. Practitioners read transformation structures with hedged language because the pattern is conditional, not permanent.
化金格Transformation to Metal StructureHuà Jīn Gé
Special — Transformation
How it’s detected
The Day Master is 乙 or 庚, and the other half of the 乙庚 stem combination sits in the month or hour stem. Metal must account for 35% or more of the chart and the Day Master's native element must not exceed 35%. The 乙庚 pair transforms into Metal.
How it reads in practice
The chart reads through a Metal lens. Metal qualities — precision, decisiveness, refinement, sharp judgment, and a low tolerance for slop — become the dominant interpretive frame. People with this structure often present as crisper and more rule-bound than their original Day Master would suggest.
Where this profile thrives
Treated like any other Metal-strong chart: legal work, financial controllership, surgery, engineering, military and police, anything that rewards precision and clean execution.
Watch-outs
Strong Fire luck pillars can break the structure (Fire melts Metal). The same conditional fragility applies as with the other transformation structures — read with hedged language and check whether each upcoming decade keeps the conditions intact.
化水格Transformation to Water StructureHuà Shuǐ Gé
Special — Transformation
How it’s detected
The Day Master is 丙 or 辛, and the other half of the 丙辛 stem combination sits adjacent. Water must account for 35% or more of the chart and the Day Master's native element must stay below 35%. The 丙辛 pair transforms into Water.
How it reads in practice
The chart reads through a Water lens. Water qualities — adaptability, intelligence, fluid strategy, indirect approach, and an instinct for working around obstacles instead of through them — become the dominant interpretive frame. The chart owner often presents as more strategic and less direct than their original Day Master would suggest.
Where this profile thrives
Treated like any other Water-strong chart: strategy, diplomacy, intelligence work, finance, scholarship, communications, and roles that reward reading the room over forcing the room.
Watch-outs
Strong Earth luck pillars can break the structure (Earth controls Water). As with all 化气 patterns, the structure is conditional and re-checks at each luck pillar. Practitioners are conservative about declaring this on charts where the conditions are borderline.
化木格Transformation to Wood StructureHuà Mù Gé
Special — Transformation
How it’s detected
The Day Master is 丁 or 壬, and the other half of the 丁壬 stem combination sits adjacent. Wood must account for 35% or more of the chart and the Day Master's native element must stay below 35%. The 丁壬 pair transforms into Wood.
How it reads in practice
The chart reads through a Wood lens. Wood qualities — growth, initiative, expansion, willingness to push into new territory, and an upward drive — become the dominant interpretive frame. The chart owner often presents as more enterprising and forward-leaning than their original Day Master would suggest.
Where this profile thrives
Treated like any other Wood-strong chart: founders, growth roles, education, agriculture, healthcare, anything that rewards building something from a small starting point into a larger one.
Watch-outs
Strong Metal luck pillars break the structure (Metal cuts Wood). Same conditional fragility as the other transformation structures.
化火格Transformation to Fire StructureHuà Huǒ Gé
Special — Transformation
How it’s detected
The Day Master is 戊 or 癸, and the other half of the 戊癸 stem combination sits adjacent. Fire must account for 35% or more of the chart and the Day Master's native element must stay below 35%. The 戊癸 pair transforms into Fire.
How it reads in practice
The chart reads through a Fire lens. Fire qualities — visibility, passion, outward expression, charisma, and a need to be seen — become the dominant interpretive frame. The chart owner often presents as more public-facing and expressive than their original Day Master would suggest.
Where this profile thrives
Treated like any other Fire-strong chart: performance, broadcasting, public-facing leadership, marketing, hospitality, and any role where being seen is part of the job.
Watch-outs
Strong Water luck pillars break the structure (Water controls Fire). As with the other 化气 patterns, conditional and re-checked at every luck pillar.
If you have a chart on this site, the structure is detected automatically and surfaced in the chart view. Look for the structure badge in the summary panel — it shows the Chinese name, the English translation, the confidence level (strong, moderate, or weak), and a one-line interpretation. If your chart matched a special structure, the badge will say so explicitly.
If you’re computing by hand, the workflow is short. First, check the special structures: does your Day Master pair with an adjacent stem in one of the five Heavenly Stem combinations, and does the resulting element dominate the chart? If yes, you may have a transformation structure. Otherwise, is your Day Master extremely weak with one external group taking over the chart? If yes, you may have a following structure. If neither special pattern fits — and usually it won’t — fall back to the standard rule: take the main qi of your month branch, find its Ten God relative to your Day Master, and that’s your structure name.
The Self-group case is the only fiddly part of the standard rule. When the main qi is your own element, you don’t get a Ten God label — instead, check whether your Day Master sits at its 临官 (Establishing Officer) or 帝旺 (Yang Blade) position in the month branch. The mapping is fixed:
Yin-stem charts (乙, 丁, 己, 辛, 癸) born at their classical 帝旺 position are usually classed as 建禄格 in modern practice, since the Yang Blade name was historically reserved for yang Day Masters.
Not every chart has a clean structure. The engine on this site returns no structure on roughly a quarter of charts, and that proportion lines up with classical literature. There are several common reasons.
When the structure comes back null, treat that as information rather than a gap. It usually means the chart is reading as either balanced-versatile or genuinely conflicted — and the right move is to focus on the strength analysis, the elemental balance, and the Ten Gods page-by-page rather than trying to assign a typological label the chart does not support. The other modules of the reading still work fine without a structure.
The structure is one layer in a larger reading workflow. To get the most out of it, two pages are worth reading next: