BaZi glossary · Na Yin
What is Mulberry Wood (桑柘木)?
The Na Yin of 壬子 and 癸丑
Short answer
Mulberry Wood (Sang Zhe Mu, 桑柘木) is one of the thirty Na Yin of the sixty-pillar cycle. Its image is mulberry trees that feed silkworms; it belongs to the 壬子 (Ren Zi) and 癸丑 (Gui Chou) pillars, and its Na Yin element is Wood. People with either as their year pillar are often said to have a Mulberry Wood life.
At a glance
- Group
- Na Yin · Wood
- Pillars
- 壬子 Ren Zi, 癸丑 Gui Chou
- Image
- mulberry trees that feed silkworms
- Na Yin element
- Wood
- Other Wood Na Yin
- Forest Wood, Willow Wood, Pine and Cypress Wood, Flatland Wood, Pomegranate Wood
How to find the Mulberry Wood
The Na Yin pair up the sixty stem-branch pillars into thirty names; 壬子 and 癸丑 share Mulberry Wood. The Na Yin of the year pillar is often called one's life Na Yin, so people with a 壬子 or 癸丑 year pillar are said to have a Mulberry Wood life. BaZi years change at Lichun (around 4 February), so anyone born in January or early February uses the previous year's pillar.
| Pillar | Years (1900–2099) |
|---|---|
| 壬子 | 1912, 1972, 2032, 2092 |
| 癸丑 | 1913, 1973, 2033, 2093 |
The image and meaning of Mulberry Wood
Mulberry Wood is the mulberry whose leaves feed silkworms that spin silk: a truly productive crop. Traditionally it describes hard-working, practical people who know how to turn resources into value.
Mulberry leaves grow back after picking, so this Na Yin is often read as giving and resilient, suited to steady business and to building wealth through craft or labour.
How to read it in a chart
- Year pillar
- the year pillar's Na Yin is the “life” Na Yin, traditionally used for a person's general temperament and, in compatibility matching, for comparing two people's Na Yin.
- Day pillar
- the day pillar's Na Yin is seen as closer to the self; some schools use it to add detail on temperament.
- Other pillars
- the Na Yin of the month and hour pillars, luck pillars and years are usually read only as background, not as good or bad on their own.
Mulberry Wood and the regular Five Phases
- Na Yin element
- Mulberry Wood's Na Yin element is Wood, taken from the 壬子–癸丑 pair as a whole.
- 壬子 (Ren Zi)
- the stem 壬 is Water, the branch 子 is Water.
- 癸丑 (Gui Chou)
- the stem 癸 is Water, the branch 丑 is Earth.
Common misconceptions
- Na Yin cannot decide good or bad fortune on its own. BaZi analysis rests on the regular Five Phases and the Ten Gods; Na Yin is a supporting symbol.
- A Mulberry Wood life refers to the year pillar's Na Yin only; it does not make the whole chart Wood.
- Clashing Na Yin in compatibility matching does not mean a poor match; modern readings weigh how the two whole charts fit together.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have a Mulberry Wood life?
Look at your year pillar: if it is 壬子 or 癸丑, yes. You can use the years in the table, but if your birthday is before Lichun (around 4 February), use the previous year. The surest way is to check the year pillar's Na Yin in the free calculator.
Is Mulberry Wood's element just Wood?
Its Na Yin element is Wood, which is not the same as the regular Five Phases used in BaZi. Judging the Day Master's strength and useful god uses the regular elements of the stems and branches, not the Na Yin.
How important is Na Yin in BaZi?
Na Yin is an older supporting system, used for the “life” element of the year and in traditional compatibility matching. Modern BaZi analysis rests on the regular Five Phases, the Ten Gods and the chart's structure, so Na Yin is best read as a symbolic reference.
Find the Na Yin of your year pillar
The free calculator lists the Na Yin of every pillar and changes the year at Lichun, so your year pillar's Na Yin is always right.
For cultural learning, self-reflection, and entertainment. AI interpretations may be incomplete or inaccurate and are not professional advice.