Age Pillar

“Age Pillar” 行年 (Xíng Nián) in the context of BaZi is the annual luck pillar, which represents the influence on a person in a specific year of their life.

It is important not to confuse it with Annual Pillar 流年 (Liú Nián):

  • Annual Pillar 流年 (Liú Nián) — is the pillar of the current calendar year that affects everyone (for example, 2024 is 甲辰, Wood Dragon).
  • Age Pillar 行年 (Xíng Nián) — is the individual “age pillar,” unique to each person for each year of their life. It shows the internal, personal dynamics of development at that age.

How the Age Pillar is Calculated

Here is a step-by-step algorithm:

Step 1: Determine the Direction of Movement

The direction (forward or backward through the Jia Zi cycle) is determined in the same way as for the 10-year Luck Pillars (大运). It depends on the person’s gender and the polarity (Yin/Yang) of the Heavenly Stem of the birth year (年干).

FORWARD Movement (顺行, shùnxíng):

  • A man born in a Yang Heavenly Stem year (甲, 丙, 戊, 庚, 壬).
  • A woman born in a Yin Heavenly Stem year (乙, 丁, 己, 辛, 癸).

BACKWARD Movement (逆行, nìxíng):

  • A man born in a Yin Heavenly Stem year (乙, 丁, 己, 辛, 癸).
  • A woman born in a Yang Heavenly Stem year (甲, 丙, 戊, 庚, 壬).

Step 2: Find the Starting Point

The starting point for calculating 行年 is always the Hour Pillar (时柱) from the natal BaZi chart.

The 行年 (Xíng Nián) for the 1st year of a person’s life is always their Hour Pillar (时柱).

⚠️ Important Note: a person’s next year of life in BaZi is counted not from the date of birth, but from the date of the year pillar change (the beginning of the “Start of Spring” season 立春 - around February 4th). For example, if a person was born on January 30, they are considered to be in their first year of life for only 4 days, and after February 4, their 2nd year of life begins.

Step 3: Calculate Subsequent Xíng Nián

Depending on the direction determined in Step 1, we move forward or backward through the 60-year Jia Zi cycle.

With FORWARD movement (顺行):

  • 1st year of life = Hour Pillar.
  • 2nd year of life = The next pillar in the Jia Zi cycle.
  • 3rd year of life = The pillar following the previous one, and so on.

With BACKWARD movement (逆行):

  • 1st year of life = Hour Pillar.
  • 2nd year of life = The previous pillar in the Jia Zi cycle.
  • 3rd year of life = The pillar preceding the previous one, and so on.

Calculation Examples

Let’s look at two examples based on the same chart.

Initial Data (BaZi Chart):

  • Year (年): 甲子 (Yang Wood on Rat)
  • Month (月): 丙寅
  • Day (日): 癸巳
  • Hour (时): 庚申 (Yang Metal on Monkey)

Example 1: Male

  1. Determine the direction:

    • Gender: Male.
    • Year Heavenly Stem: 甲 (Yang).
    • Yang year + Male = FORWARD Movement (顺行).

  2. Calculate the Age Pillar:

    • 1st year: 庚申 (this is the hour pillar of the chart).
    • 2nd year: The next after 庚申 in the Jia Zi cycle is 辛酉.
    • 3rd year: The next after 辛酉 is 壬戌.
    • 4th year: The next after 壬戌 is 癸亥.
    • 5th year: The next after 癸亥 is 甲子.
    • …and so on for each year of life.

Example 2: Female (with the same birth date)

  1. Determine the direction:

    • Gender: Female.
    • Year Heavenly Stem: 甲 (Yang).
    • Yang year + Female = BACKWARD Movement (逆行).

  2. Calculate the Age Pillar:

    • 1st year: 庚申 (this is the hour pillar of the chart).
    • 2nd year: The one before 庚申 in the Jia Zi cycle is 己未.
    • 3rd year: The one before 己未 is 戊午.
    • 4th year: The one before 戊午 is 丁巳.
    • 5th year: The one before 丁巳 is 丙辰.
    • …and so on for each year of life.

To quickly calculate all these parameters, you can use the calculator below:

Birth hour earthly branch
Gender:

You can calculate Age Pillar for an arbitrary date