Conception (胎) in the 12 stages of Ba Zi
Conception is new life just begun: no visible shape yet, but full of plans and possibilities.
On this page
What Conception means
Conception is life just taking form in the womb, not yet born but already growing. The Day Master's strength is small here, but its direction is being set, standing for new ideas and new beginnings in the making.
Where it falls for each Day Master
Jia Wood in You, Yi Wood in Shen, Bing Fire in Zi, Ding Fire in Hai, Wu Earth in Zi, Ji Earth in Hai, Geng Metal in Mao, Xin Metal in Yin, Ren Water in Wu, Gui Water in Si.
Conception on your Day branch
With the Day Master sitting on Conception, people often describe you as curious and full of ideas, with plenty of imagination about the future and a love of planning and incubating new things. You come across as gentle and a little innocent, and others tend to look after you. The thing to watch is having many ideas but turning them into reality slowly, so they stay at the planning stage; pick one idea and take its smallest first step.
On the Year, Month and Hour pillars
On the Year pillar, it is often read as a family in transition or just starting out, so you lived through new beginnings alongside them. On the Month pillar, work tends to suit planning, research and development, or new ventures, anything grown from zero. On the Hour pillar, it is traditionally read as still making new plans in later years, with close attention to how the next generation grows.
A tip
Conception's strength is possibility. Give each new idea a deadline so it gets the chance to be born.
FAQ
Is Conception a strong or weak stage?
Conception is a low-strength stage, and on its own that branch does not count as a root. But it is the starting point of a new cycle, standing for incubation and possibility; the Day Master's actual strength still depends on the whole chart.
Which Day pillars sit on Conception?
Six of the sixty pillars do: Bing Zi, Wu Zi, Ren Wu, Ding Hai, Ji Hai and Gui Si. Jia, Yi, Geng and Xin day pillars never sit on Conception.
Is the Conception stage the same as the Conception Pillar?
No. The Conception Pillar is an extra pillar derived from the birth month pillar to estimate the month of conception, while the Conception stage is the Day Master's energy phase in a given branch. The names are close, but the method and meaning are different.
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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