What does BaZi compatibility actually compare?
A BaZi compatibility chart is usually two charts side by side, but the comparison can start from different places, and each gives a different kind of answer. Naming the pair of symbols gives you something to inspect in both charts. A verdict such as “perfect match” leaves the method hidden.
- Year branches: each person's zodiac animal is one branch in one pillar.
- Day masters: the day stem of each chart.
- Particular pillar positions: the reading should say which ones it paired.
- Whole charts: several relationships across both charts, using every pillar that is known.
The free pair page reads the day masters, the stems, the day and year branches and the elements each chart needs; a reading that names more should say what it added.
Two people with the same year branch can have different day stems and other pillars, so a year label alone does not describe two complete charts. State what is missing, too. For the individual fields, see how to read a BaZi chart.
Follow along with the free tool.
Try the BaZi toolWhat do you need from each person?
Each birth record has its own conditions. Sharing a city now says nothing about the time zones two people were born in, so do not copy one person's settings to the other without checking them against that person's record.
| Item | What to record for each person |
|---|---|
| Birth date | The date and its calendar, solar or lunar, with any leap month |
| Birth time | Exact clock time, a two-hour period, or unknown |
| Birthplace time zone | The time zone where the person was born, not where they live now |
| Correction | Whether coordinate-based time correction was used |
| Receipt | The calculation receipt, kept separately for each chart |
| Consent | Only information the person has agreed to share |
On the free BaZi compatibility page, enter each person's birth date, two-hour birth period and gender, and it shows both charts with the points where they meet or pull apart. The free BaZi calculator uses every field in the table above; the pair page uses only those three.
If you want to check one record on its own first, the free BaZi calculator makes a single chart with its receipt. For the input choices themselves, see how to calculate BaZi.
Check both charts before comparing readings
Pair receipts with charts
Put each calculation receipt next to the chart it produced.
Check each record on its own
Settings need not match when the birthplaces differ; each must suit its own record.
Compare services with care
For charts from different services, check how each handles calendar conversion, time correction and day boundaries.
Settle chart differences first
Resolve a disagreement in the underlying chart before comparing interpretations.
Label an estimated time
Keep an estimated hour as a labeled alternative, and note which part of the comparison changes if another hour changes a pillar.
Keep observations that hold for every candidate apart from conclusions that depend on one of them, so the uncertainty stays visible.
How do day masters and elements enter a reading?
A BaZi day master is the day stem of each chart, and the BaZi five elements supply categories with directions between them. Comparing two day masters usually starts with their elements: whether they are the same, or one generates or controls the other.
The tradition also names relations between particular stems or branches. Such a name classifies two characters, and finding one is where an explanation starts.
| Term in a reading | What it refers to | What it cannot show by itself |
|---|---|---|
| Zodiac animal | The year branch of one pillar | Two complete charts |
| Day master | The day stem of each chart | Either person's character, or who ranks higher |
| “Controls” | A direction between two element categories | Controlling behavior in a partner |
| Day master strength | Conditions inside one chart | Either person's role in the couple |
| Element percentages | Shares inside one chart's weighting | A match percentage |
When a reading names a relation, ask which two characters are involved, how the rule applies, and what reasoning connects it to the people. A strong vs weak day master is a condition within one chart, so it cannot rank either partner.
What does a compatibility score mean?
A percentage needs a scale behind it, and two services' numbers can be compared only once both methods are clear. Ask three questions of any score:
- Which features add points, and which remove them?
- How does the method handle a missing birth time?
- Does a higher number mean more matching symbols, a combination one reader prefers, or a claimed estimate of a real outcome?
The sources behind this guide explain the notation and the named relations between stems and branches. None of them tests a scoring method against real couples.
Let the two people answer for themselves
If both people want to explore the reading, take one concrete question into a conversation. A chart term can open the subject; each person then answers from their own experience.
- How do we prefer to handle a disagreement?
- What makes a shared routine comfortable for each of us?
- Which expectation is still unspoken?
Keep the reading beside what you observe: whether agreements are kept, whether concerns can be raised, and whether both people want the same commitment. If an interpretation feels wrong, name the mismatch rather than reshaping the person's account to fit it.
What to write down after a comparison
Write the comparison down in the order it was made, so the facts and the assumptions stay apart when you come back to it.
Comparison note
- Person A: birth record and calculation receipt
- Person B: birth record and calculation receipt
- Pillars available: four, or three if an hour is unknown
- Symbols compared, and the rule named
- Interpretation, written after the lines above
- What it depends on: an estimated hour, an unexplained score
To see the points for a real pair, open the free BaZi compatibility page. Sometimes the next step is simply to understand one term better, and the BaZi guide is a good place to start.
BaZi compatibility: common questions
Can a zodiac animal alone show BaZi compatibility?
No. A zodiac animal is only the year branch of one pillar. If a reading claims to compare complete charts, ask how the other pillars and the input conditions enter its reasoning.
Can two charts be compared if one birth time is unknown?
Not on the free pair page, which asks for a two-hour period for each person. In the free BaZi calculator you can build a three-pillar chart for the person whose hour is unknown, and any conclusion that depends on the missing hour stays conditional.
Does a difficult chart label mean a relationship should end?
No. A label describes a relation between symbols under a stated rule. It shows neither how the people behave nor what they should do; weigh it beside the actual relationship and both people's wishes.
Does Multifate give a BaZi compatibility score?
No. The free BaZi compatibility page shows both charts and a list of specific points, each marked harmony or tension with one sentence, and gives no score and no verdict. The free BaZi calculator makes one chart at a time and shows no comparison.
Sources and scope
- Multifate BaZi compatibility page: Reference for what the free comparison shows: both charts and a list of named harmony and tension points, each with one sentence, and no score.
- Multifate BaZi calculator: Reference for preparing individual charts, keeping calculation receipts and recognizing unknown-time limits.
- Hong Kong Observatory: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches: Reference for the calendar notation used in individual charts. The page does not evaluate relationship compatibility or marriage outcomes.
- 6tail Tyme: HeavenStem and EarthBranch documentation: Documents traditional symbolic relations between stems and branches. These computational definitions do not by themselves validate predictions about a couple.
