On this page
How we write
Our pages are written with the classical BaZi books open beside us, then put into plain English for readers who have never met the subject. We aim to be clear without bending the rules underneath.
Every guardian description, article and element page goes through the same steps: research against the old sources, drafting with care for cultural accuracy, and a check that all 80 guardians read consistently.
How we check accuracy
Charts are worked out with the Chinese calendar: a cycle of 60 character pairs, and months that begin when the sun reaches a new season. We check the core elements, the forces and the element relations against several traditional sources, and we test the “strongest force” rule against worked charts printed in a classical book (子平真詮).
- Each guardian pairs your core element with the strongest force your birth month sets
- The five elements feed and tame (hold back) each other in the standard classical order
- The sun's seasons, not calendar months, set your birth month
- The elements hiding inside each animal sign count toward your element balance
For the curious: the proper names
- Month-order structure 月令取格
- The classical name for reading the strongest force from the birth month.
- Solar terms 節氣
- The sun's 24 seasons. Each BaZi month starts at one of them.
- Hidden stems 藏干
- The elements hiding inside each animal sign.
- Zi Ping Zhen Quan 子平真詮
- A classical BaZi handbook from about 300 years ago, the main rulebook we follow.
Use of AI in content creation
We use AI language models to help with drafting, translation and accessibility. Our team reviews and edits all AI-written content for accuracy, tone and fit with the classical rules. Paid reports are written by a language model from facts our engine works out. It is told not to add health claims, dated predictions or anything the chart does not contain.
The calculation itself does not use AI. Your chart, core element, strongest force and element counts come from fixed rules, the same every time.
Content updates
We review content regularly. When we change guardian descriptions, articles or calculation rules, we note it on the page it affects. Method changes are listed on the methodology page. The most recent, in October 2026, made the birth month choose the strongest force and grew the set to 80 guardians.
What our content is not
Our content is not medical, psychological, financial or legal advice. We present BaZi as a traditional personality map for self-reflection and fun, not a proven psychological test. We do not claim BaZi can diagnose conditions, predict specific events or replace professional help in any field.
Error correction
If you spot an error in a calculation, a guardian description or an article, write to support@elementalfate.me. We look into it and correct verified errors quickly. Errors are most likely in:
- Births close to a change of month (when the sun enters a new season)
- The hour for births around the day change (11 pm to midnight)
- Old time zones and daylight saving before the 1970s
- Shades of meaning lost between classical Chinese and English