Sickness (病) in the 12 stages of Ba Zi
Sickness is someone who has worked hard for years and finally slows down: less force, but a finer, more attentive mind.
On this page
What Sickness means
First, to be clear: Sickness is the traditional name for a phase of energy, not a literal illness. It is like growing older, when stamina drops and you start to look after yourself; the Day Master's strength is weaker and more inward here, while sensitivity and empathy sharpen.
Where it falls for each Day Master
Jia Wood in Si, Yi Wood in Zi, Bing Fire in Shen, Ding Fire in Mao, Wu Earth in Shen, Ji Earth in Mao, Geng Metal in Hai, Xin Metal in Wu, Ren Water in Yin, Gui Water in You.
Sickness on your Day branch
With the Day Master sitting on Sickness, people often describe you as attentive, considerate and imaginative, quick to sense what others are going through and often the friend people confide in. You work through observation and feel rather than brute force. The thing to watch is worrying and taking on other people's problems until you wear yourself out; building in regular rest keeps you going steadily.
On the Year, Month and Hour pillars
On the Year pillar, it is often read as a household that needed your understanding or help, so you learned early how to care for others. On the Month pillar, work tends to suit fields that need care and empathy, such as counselling, teaching, design or research. On the Hour pillar, it is traditionally read as valuing rest and a quiet life in later years, with a tender bond with children.
A tip
Sickness's sensitivity lets you see what others miss. Look after yourself first, and that care for others will last.
FAQ
Does the Sickness stage mean I will get ill?
No. Sickness, Death, Tomb and Extinction are all traditional names for phases in the cycle, borrowing a human lifetime to describe how strength rises and falls. Sickness only means the Day Master's strength is lower and more inward in that branch; it says nothing direct about your health.
Which Day pillars sit on Sickness?
Six of the sixty pillars do: Bing Shen, Wu Shen, Ren Yin, Ding Mao, Ji Mao and Gui You. In Ding Mao and Gui You the branch is the Day Master's Resource element, so even without much strength there is a supportive side.
What kind of work suits a Day Master on Sickness?
People with the Day Master on Sickness are good at noticing and understanding, which suits work that rewards patience, detail and empathy, such as counselling, teaching, research or creative work. The key is a pace that lets you go deep over time without running on stamina alone.
The 12 stages
Ba Zi centres on the Day Master and Ten Gods; Zi Wei Dou Shu on your Life Palace star. Draw your Zi Wei chart to compare.
This is the general reading. On your own chart it shifts with the stars' brightness, the San Fang Si Zheng and the year you are in.
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