Learn BaZi · 藏干
Hidden Stems: beneath the branch
An animal names a branch. Its main element is only the beginning of its composition.
A pillar has a visible Heavenly Stem above an Earthly Branch. Hidden Stems 藏干 are the stems traditionally contained within that branch. “Hidden” describes their position in the notation, not a secret personality or a guaranteed outcome.
One branch, all its hidden stems
🐅Tiger 寅
Main element: Wood
- 🌳甲 · Jia · Yang WoodMain stem
- 🔥丙 · Bing · Yang FireAdditional stem
- ⛰️戊 · Wu · Yang EarthAdditional stem
This guide preserves the app’s canonical table, with the main stem first. Main qi 本气 names the leading component; middle qi 中气 and residual qi 余气 are traditional descriptions of other components. Their classification and ordering vary by convention, so additional stems are not assigned those roles just from their position here.
Equal-sized items are labels, not equal contributions or strength percentages. Season, placement and the wider chart matter; this page calculates no strength or personal reading.
One, two or three stems
These fictional branch-only teaching selections are not a birth chart. They compare composition, not people or fortune.
🐀Rat 子
- 💧癸 · Gui · Yin WaterMain stem
Rat has Gui, Yin Water alone in this table.
🐎Horse 午
- 🔥丁 · Ding · Yin FireMain stem
- ⛰️己 · Ji · Yin EarthAdditional stem
Horse’s main component is Ding, Yin Fire; Ji, Yin Earth is also present. Calling it Fire does not erase Earth.
🐅Tiger 寅
- 🌳甲 · Jia · Yang WoodMain stem
- 🔥丙 · Bing · Yang FireAdditional stem
- ⛰️戊 · Wu · Yang EarthAdditional stem
Tiger contains Jia Wood, Bing Fire and Wu Earth. Three stems do not mean three equal shares.
The twelve-branch reference
| Branch | Hidden stems |
|---|---|
| 🐀Rat 子 |
|
| 🐂Ox 丑 |
|
| 🐅Tiger 寅 |
|
| 🐇Rabbit 卯 |
|
| 🐉Dragon 辰 |
|
| 🐍Snake 巳 |
|
| 🐎Horse 午 |
|
| 🐐Goat 未 |
|
| 🐒Monkey 申 |
|
| 🐓Rooster 酉 |
|
| 🐕Dog 戌 |
|
| 🐖Pig 亥 |
|
Rooting and emergence are different questions
Rooting · 通根
Rooting concerns support for a visible stem within the branches. As a simple same-stem example, visible Jia 甲 with Tiger 寅 has Jia among Tiger’s hidden stems. Broader same-element rooting conventions also exist. This identifies a relationship, not a strength score.
Emergence · 透干
Here, emergence means the exact hidden stem also appears among the visible Heavenly Stems. In a fictional arrangement, Tiger contains Bing 丙; if Bing is visible elsewhere, that hidden Bing is expressed in the visible notation. If only Ding 丁 is visible, shared Fire alone does not establish this exact-stem match.
These schematic examples omit dates and the other chart factors. Neither rooting nor emergence automatically means favourable, strong or successful.
Common questions
Does every branch hide three stems?
No. This table has one stem for Rat, Rabbit and Rooster; two for Horse and Pig; three for the remaining branches. Do not fill empty slots with invented stems.
Are the stems equal percentages?
No. A composition table is not a universal weighting scheme. The app’s assessment rules are separate, declared heuristics; this guide neither displays nor changes their weights.
Where do the Ten Gods fit?
Ten Gods describe a stem relative to a chosen Day Master. The same hidden stem can have a different Ten God for another Day Master. This page teaches composition only; use the Ten Gods guide to learn that separate relationship.