How the four weights work
One liang equals ten qian. Each of the four birth components carries a fixed number of qian, and the four are added. The 52 verses run from 2 liang 1 qian up to 7 liang 2 qian — which is why the method is sometimes described as “weighing the bones”: heavier totals were treated as better provisioned.
Year weight
Keyed to the lunar year’s Gan-Zhi. There are only 60 combinations, so this table is complete.
| Year | Qian | Year | Qian | Year | Qian | Year | Qian | Year | Qian | Year | Qian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲子 | 12 | 乙丑 | 9 | 丙寅 | 6 | 丁卯 | 7 | 戊辰 | 12 | 己巳 | 5 |
| 庚午 | 9 | 辛未 | 8 | 壬申 | 7 | 癸酉 | 8 | 甲戌 | 15 | 乙亥 | 9 |
| 丙子 | 16 | 丁丑 | 8 | 戊寅 | 8 | 己卯 | 19 | 庚辰 | 12 | 辛巳 | 6 |
| 壬午 | 8 | 癸未 | 7 | 甲申 | 5 | 乙酉 | 15 | 丙戌 | 6 | 丁亥 | 16 |
| 戊子 | 15 | 己丑 | 7 | 庚寅 | 9 | 辛卯 | 12 | 壬辰 | 10 | 癸巳 | 7 |
| 甲午 | 15 | 乙未 | 6 | 丙申 | 5 | 丁酉 | 14 | 戊戌 | 14 | 己亥 | 9 |
| 庚子 | 7 | 辛丑 | 7 | 壬寅 | 9 | 癸卯 | 12 | 甲辰 | 8 | 乙巳 | 7 |
| 丙午 | 13 | 丁未 | 5 | 戊申 | 14 | 己酉 | 5 | 庚戌 | 9 | 辛亥 | 17 |
| 壬子 | 5 | 癸丑 | 7 | 甲寅 | 12 | 乙卯 | 8 | 丙辰 | 8 | 丁巳 | 6 |
| 戊午 | 19 | 己未 | 6 | 庚申 | 8 | 辛酉 | 16 | 壬戌 | 10 | 癸亥 | 6 |
Month weight
| Lunar month | Qian |
|---|---|
| First (1) | 6 |
| Second (2) | 7 |
| Third (3) | 18 |
| Fourth (4) | 9 |
| Fifth (5) | 5 |
| Sixth (6) | 16 |
| Seventh (7) | 9 |
| Eighth (8) | 15 |
| Ninth (9) | 18 |
| Tenth (10) | 8 |
| Eleventh (11) | 9 |
| Twelfth (12) | 5 |
Day weight
| Day | Qian | Day | Qian | Day | Qian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 11 | 9 | 21 | 10 |
| 2 | 10 | 12 | 17 | 22 | 9 |
| 3 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 23 | 8 |
| 4 | 15 | 14 | 17 | 24 | 9 |
| 5 | 16 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 15 |
| 6 | 15 | 16 | 8 | 26 | 18 |
| 7 | 8 | 17 | 9 | 27 | 7 |
| 8 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 28 | 8 |
| 9 | 8 | 19 | 5 | 29 | 16 |
| 10 | 16 | 20 | 15 | 30 | 6 |
Hour weight
All 52 verses
The classical bone-weight verses are a genre of verdicts: high weights get praise, low weights get warnings. The Chinese text is reproduced as it appears in the tradition; the English is a paraphrase. Treat the whole table as cultural history rather than as advice.
| Weight | Verse (Chinese) | Plain English |
|---|---|---|
| 2 liang 1 qian | 短命非業謂大凶，平生災難事重重，兇禍頻臨限逆境，終世困苦事不成。 | The oldest reading in this system, and the harshest: a life described as short on support and heavy with setbacks. Traditional texts read it as a warning to build stability early, not as a fate. |
| 2 liang 2 qian | 身寒骨冷苦伶仃，此命推來行乞人，勞勞碌碌無度日，中年打拱過平生。 | A picture of isolation and thin resources — the classical image is someone with no cushion. The verse's own advice is to find a group rather than carry everything alone. |
| 2 liang 3 qian | 此命推來骨輕輕，求謀做事事難成，妻兒兄弟應難許，別處他鄉作散人。 | Light bone, light backing: plans meet resistance and family support is limited. The traditional reading points toward making a life away from where you started. |
| 2 liang 4 qian | 此命推來福祿無，門庭困苦總難榮，六親骨肉皆無靠，流到他鄉作老人。 | No inherited advantage and little help from relatives. Read as a chart that has to be built from scratch, in a place of one's own choosing. |
| 2 liang 5 qian | 此命推來祖業微，門庭營度似希奇，六親骨肉如水炭，一世勤勞自把持。 | A slim inheritance and relatives who pull in different directions. The one consistent theme is self-reliance through steady work. |
| 2 liang 6 qian | 平生一路苦中求，獨自營謀事不休，離祖出門宜早計，晚來衣祿自無憂。 | Effort from the beginning, mostly alone. Leaving home early is the classical advice; later years are described as settled rather than comfortable. |
| 2 liang 7 qian | 一生做事少商量，難靠祖宗作主張，獨馬單槍空作去，早年晚歲總無長。 | Acting without counsel and without a family base. The verse warns that going it alone without a plan leaves nothing accumulated. |
| 2 liang 8 qian | 一生作事似飄蓬，祖宗產業在夢中，若不過房並改姓，也當移徒二三通。 | Life as tumbleweed: the family estate is a rumour and movement is constant. Traditionally read as a chart that relocates more than once. |
| 2 liang 9 qian | 初年運限未曾亨，縱有功名在後成，須過四旬方可上，移居改姓使爲良。 | Early decades stall; achievement arrives after forty. The classical remedy is a change of place — and, in the old wording, a change of name. |
| 3 liang 0 qian | 勞勞碌碌苦中求，東走西奔何日休，若能終身勤與儉，老來稍可免憂愁。 | Constant running with little to show for it, until thrift turns the corner. Old age is described as free of worry rather than wealthy. |
| 3 liang 1 qian | 忙忙碌碌苦中求，何日雲開見日頭，難得祖基家可立，中年衣食漸無憂。 | Busy without a break, waiting for the weather to change. Around middle age the classical reading has food and clothing settled. |
| 3 liang 2 qian | 初年運錯事難謀，漸有財源如水流，到的中年衣食旺，那時名利一齊來。 | Early mistakes, then money begins to flow like water. By middle age, name and income are described as arriving together. |
| 3 liang 3 qian | 早年做事事難成，百計徒勞枉費心，半世自如流水去，後來運到始得金。 | Early plans fail and effort feels wasted; half a life passes. Then the turn comes late — the verse is a reminder that the timing is the point. |
| 3 liang 4 qian | 此命福氣果如何，僧道門中衣祿多，離祖出家方得妙，終朝拜佛念彌陀。 | A chart the old texts read as suited to a cloistered or scholarly life. In plain terms: a life that works better inside an institution than outside one. |
| 3 liang 5 qian | 生平福量不周全，祖業根基覺少傳，營事生涯宜守舊，時來衣食勝從前。 | Neither blessing nor foundation comes in full. The advice is conservative: keep what works, and wait for the season to change. |
| 3 liang 6 qian | 不須勞碌過平生，獨自成家福不輕，早有福星常照命，任君行去百般成。 | One of the calmer entries: without exhausting effort, a household forms and things generally work out. Read as steady rather than spectacular. |
| 3 liang 7 qian | 此命般般事不成，弟兄少力自孤成，雖然祖業須微有，來的明時去的暗。 | Little help from siblings, and money that arrives clearly and leaves quietly. The verse is about retention more than earning. |
| 3 liang 8 qian | 一生骨肉最清高，早入學門姓名標，待看年將三十六，藍衣脫去換紅袍。 | An educated, fastidious chart. Around thirty-six the classical image is a change of station — the blue robe swapped for the red one. |
| 3 liang 9 qian | 此命終身運不通，勞勞做事盡皆空，苦心竭力成家計，到得那時在夢中。 | Blunt: effort that does not convert, and a household built late. Traditionally read as a caution about over-committing early. |
| 4 liang 0 qian | 平生衣祿是綿長，件件心中自主張，前面風霜都受過，從來必定享安泰。 | A long, even line of provision, decided by one's own judgement. After early exposure, the classical reading settles into ease. |
| 4 liang 1 qian | 此命推來事不同，爲人能幹異凡庸，中年還有逍遙福，不比前年雲未通。 | Unusually capable, and read as different from the ordinary run. The middle years bring a freedom the earlier ones did not. |
| 4 liang 2 qian | 得寬懷處且寬懷，何用雙眉總不開，若使中年命運濟，那時名利一齊來。 | The verse's advice is its content: stop bracing. If the middle years turn, name and income arrive together. |
| 4 liang 3 qian | 爲人心性最聰明，做事軒昂近貴人，衣祿一生天數定，不須勞碌是豐亨。 | Quick-minded and drawn to influential company. Provision is described as settled without relentless effort. |
| 4 liang 4 qian | 來事由天莫苦求，須知福祿勝前途，當年財帛難如意，晚景欣然便不憂。 | Do not force the outcome: the classical line is that blessing exceeds ambition. Money is tight early, the later view is cheerful. |
| 4 liang 5 qian | 福中取貴格求真，明敏才華志自伸，福祿壽全家道吉，桂蘭毓秀晚榮臻。 | Talent that finds its own level, with household, health and standing all described as sound. Late life carries the honour. |
| 4 liang 6 qian | 東西南北盡皆通，出姓移名更覺隆，衣祿無虧天數定，中年晚景一般同。 | Works in any direction, and traditionally read as prospering after a move or a change of name. Provision holds steady from mid-life on. |
| 4 liang 7 qian | 此命推來旺末年，妻榮子貴自怡然，平生原有滔滔福，可有財源如水流。 | Strength arrives late: household and children do well, and money is described as flowing rather than hoarded. |
| 4 liang 8 qian | 幼年運道未曾享，苦是蹉跎再不興，兄弟六親皆無靠，一身事業晚年成。 | No ease in childhood and no help from relatives. Everything of substance is built in the later decades. |
| 4 liang 9 qian | 此命推來福不輕，自立自成顯門庭，從來富貴人親近，使婢差奴過一生。 | Self-made, and read as drawing prosperous company. The old wording about servants simply means a household that runs smoothly. |
| 5 liang 0 qian | 爲利爲名終日勞，中年福祿也多遭，老來是有財星照，不比前番目下高。 | A working life spent on name and money, with friction in the middle. Old age is described as better than anything before it. |
| 5 liang 1 qian | 一世榮華事事通，不須勞碌自亨通，兄弟叔侄皆如意，家業成時福祿宏。 | Smooth passage through most things, with relatives cooperative. The household, once built, is described as generous. |
| 5 liang 2 qian | 一世亨通事事能，不須勞思自然能，宗施欣然心皆好，家業豐亨自稱心。 | Capable without strain, and read as well liked. The classical image is a household that grows without drama. |
| 5 liang 3 qian | 此格推來氣象真，興家發達在其中，一生福祿安排定，卻是人間一富翁。 | A settled chart with real substance: the old text simply calls it a wealthy household, with provision pre-arranged. |
| 5 liang 4 qian | 此命推來厚且清，詩書滿腹看功成，豐衣足食自然穩，正是人間有福人 | Well read and well provided for. This is one of the few entries where the classical text is unambiguously content. |
| 5 liang 5 qian | 走馬揚鞭爭名利，少年做事廢籌論，一朝福祿源源至，富貴榮華顯六親。 | Restless ambition early, with plans discarded along the way. Then provision arrives in a rush and the family benefits. |
| 5 liang 6 qian | 此格推來禮儀通，一生福祿用無窮，甜酸苦辣皆嘗過，財源滾滾穩且豐。 | A courteous, well-connected chart. The line about sweet and bitter is the honest part: everything is tasted, then money settles. |
| 5 liang 7 qian | 福祿盈盈萬事全，一生榮耀顯雙親，名揚威震人欽敬，處世逍遙似遇春。 | Full provision and public standing, with ease in how it is carried. The classical image is spring weather. |
| 5 liang 8 qian | 平生福祿自然來，名利兼全福祿偕，雁塔提名爲貴客，紫袍金帶走金鞋。 | Everything arrives without forcing it: name, money, and the old image of having one's name posted at the examination tower. |
| 5 liang 9 qian | 細推此格妙且清，必定才高禮儀通，甲第之中應有分，揚鞭走馬顯威榮。 | High ability and clear manners, traditionally tied to examination success and visible rank. |
| 6 liang 0 qian | 一朝金榜快題名，顯祖榮宗立大功，衣食定然原欲足，田園財帛更豐盈。 | The examination-success entry: honour to the family line, with land and money described as more than sufficient. |
| 6 liang 1 qian | 不做朝中金榜客，定爲世上一財翁，聰明天賦經書熟，名顯高克自是榮。 | Not the court, but the counting house: gifted and well read, with standing that comes from competence rather than office. |
| 6 liang 2 qian | 此名生來福不窮，讀書必定顯親榮，紫衣金帶爲卿相，富貴榮華皆可同。 | Study turns into rank — the classical image is a minister's purple robe. Read as an establishment path. |
| 6 liang 3 qian | 命主爲官福祿長，得來富貴定非常，名題金塔傳金榜，定中高科天下揚。 | Office and long provision, with the highest examination honours in the old imagery. The strongest official-path entry. |
| 6 liang 4 qian | 此格權威不可當，紫袍金帶坐高堂，榮華富貴誰能及，積玉堆金滿儲倉。 | Authority that is hard to contest, and stores described as full. The old text's language is deliberately maximal. |
| 6 liang 5 qian | 細推此命福不輕，安國安邦極品人，文繡雕樑政富貴，威聲照耀四方聞。 | The highest civil framing in the set: a chart read as state-level responsibility, with a reputation that travels. |
| 6 liang 6 qian | 此格人間一福人，堆金積玉滿堂春，從來富貴由天定，正笏垂紳謁聖君。 | Wealth and ease at home, and the old image of holding the tablet at court. The verse itself says the outcome was never in doubt. |
| 6 liang 7 qian | 此名生來福自宏，田園家業最高隆，平生衣祿豐盈足，一世榮華萬事通 | Land, household and provision all described as large. One of the most uniformly positive entries. |
| 6 liang 8 qian | 富貴由天莫苦求，萬金家計不須謀，十年不比前番事，祖業根基水上舟 | A contradictory entry: provision without effort, but a foundation compared to a boat on water. Read as comfortable and unsteady. |
| 6 liang 9 qian | 君是人間衣祿星，一生福貴衆人欽，縱然福祿由天定，安享榮華過一生。 | The old text calls this person a star of provision — admired, provided for, and settled for life. |
| 7 liang 0 qian | 此命推來福不輕，不須愁慮苦勞心，一生天定衣與祿，富貴榮華過一生 | Provision without anxiety. The classical reading is untroubled — which, in this genre, is the point of the top weights. |
| 7 liang 1 qian | 此名生來大不同，公侯卿相在其中，一生自有逍遙福，富貴榮華極品隆。 | Rank and ease together: the image is a minister's household with no strain in it. |
| 7 liang 2 qian | 此格世界罕有生，十代積善產此人，天上紫微來照命，統治萬民樂太平。 | The rarest weight in the system. The old text attributes it to ten generations of good deeds — read as a compliment, not a forecast. |
Where the numbers come from
The weight tables and verses are reproduced from classical bone-weight sources and were cross-checked against
three independent online reproductions of the same table. Two entries differ between reproductions —
Yimao year (8 vs 19 qian) and Guihai year (6 vs 7 qian). This site uses the value given by the majority of the
sources, and the disagreement is recorded in ACCURACY.md rather than hidden.
The lunar date is not computed with the browser’s built-in Chinese calendar, because that implementation silently falls back to the Gregorian month for leap months. Instead this site ships a month-length table for 1850–2100, generated from an independent open-source lunar library and verified against it on 345 sampled dates plus all 251 Chinese New Year dates.
Want the actual Four Pillars? The bone-weight method is not a substitute for a BaZi chart. If you want the
Day Master, Ten Gods and luck cycles, use the calculator — they are separate systems and
are not meant to be read together.