Short answer
How BaZi compatibility works
Each person's chart has a core element. Every element feeds one other element and tames one other element. Those two pulls describe how two people meet.
Feeding pairs. Wood feeds Fire, like dry logs keeping a fire alive. Fire feeds Earth, as it burns down to ash, and ash becomes soil. Earth feeds Metal, like gold and iron growing deep in the ground. Metal feeds Water, like dew gathering on cool metal. Water feeds Wood, like rain waking up a garden. These pairs tend to feel easy and warm.
Taming pairs. Wood breaks up Earth. Earth gives Water banks. Water cools Fire. Fire softens Metal. Metal cuts back Wood. These pairs rub, and handled well, that friction helps both people grow. Each pair has its own guide in the compatibility guide.
What the reading shows
- Your two core elements. Whether one of you feeds the other, tames the other, or mirrors the other.
- Your shared mix. Whether the two charts together cover all five elements or pile up in a few.
- Your two guardians. How your two guardian spirits, out of 80, complement or challenge each other.
- Easy places and rough places. Where you support each other without trying, and where it takes effort.
Compare with a friend free. The summary is free. A longer written report is optional.
Five elements compatibility chart
Read across a row. The first column is you. The others say who you feed, who you tame, who feeds you and who tames you.
| Element | Feeds | Tames | Fed by | Tamed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood | Fire | Earth | Water | Metal |
| Fire | Earth | Metal | Wood | Water |
| Earth | Metal | Water | Fire | Wood |
| Metal | Water | Wood | Earth | Fire |
| Water | Wood | Fire | Metal | Earth |
For the curious: the proper names
- Productive cycle 相生
- The classical name for elements feeding each other ("produces").
- Controlling cycle 相剋
- The classical name for elements taming each other ("controls").
- Day Master 日主
- Your core element: the top character of your birth day.
- Ten Gods 十神
- The forces one chart forms with the other: support, pressure, mirror.

