The 12 Life Stages in Saju

The Twelve Life Stages (shi er chang sheng) describe how a Heavenly Stem’s energy is born, grows, peaks, fades and is born again as it moves through the twelve Earthly Branches, like a life from infancy to old age and back to a new beginning. In a Saju (Four Pillars, BaZi) chart each pillar carries one stage, which shows how strong or quiet that part of your life feels. A “weak” stage is never simply bad: each one has its own gift.

1. 1. Growth Chang Sheng
   A newborn baby: everything is ahead, and the world is full of things to learn.
2. 2. Bathing Mu Yu
   A child being washed and dressed, or a teenager discovering style and attention.
3. 3. Capping Guan Dai
   A young adult in a new suit on the first day of work, ready to be taken seriously.
4. 4. Prosperity Jian Lu
   An independent adult earning their own living and standing firmly on their own feet.
5. 5. Peak Di Wang
   A leader at the height of their power, the person everyone looks to.
6. 6. Decline Shuai
   A seasoned person past the peak, calm and experienced.
7. 7. Illness Bing
   A person whose vitality has dipped, tender and more aware of their limits.
8. 8. Death Si
   A person who has stepped back from activity to reflect and finish what remains.
9. 9. Tomb Mu
   A storehouse or vault where things are kept safe for later.
10. 10. Extinction Jue
    The moment of a clean break, when one chapter is cut off and a new one has not begun.
11. 11. Conception Tai
    A new life just conceived: invisible, but everything is already on its way.
12. 12. Nurture Yang
    A child growing in the womb or at home, supported and cared for.