What Do Bazi Four Pillars Represent?

The Four Pillars of Destiny is an important component of Chinese fortune telling. The four stages of life are governed by the 'four pillars' which are year, month, day and hour pillars respectively.

Year Pillar governs one’s fortune from the age of 1 to 16；
Month Pillar governs one’s fortune from the age of 17 to 32; 
Day Pillar governs one’s fortune from the age of 33 to 48; 
Hour Pillar governs one’s fortune from the age of 49 to late year.

Each pillar governs for 16 years. To be specific, the heavenly stem of year pillar governs age 1 to 8 and the earthly branch of year pillar governs age 9 to 16; the heavenly stem of month pillar governs age 17 to 24 and the earthly branch of month pillar governs age 25 to 32; the heavenly stem of day pillar governs age 33 to 40 and the earthly branch of day pillar governs age 41 to 48; the heavenly stem of hour pillar governs age 49 to 56 and the earthly branch of hour pillar governs age 57 to 64.

Year Pillar is the root, just like that of flowers and trees.
It represents Parents Palace and Grandparents Palace
It means a person's weal and woe weal and woe in childhood and the ups and downs of his parents.
It represents the fortune from age 1 to 16.
In terms of body, it means head and face.

The stem and branch of year pillar represent ancestors. If the stem and branch of year pillar is restricted during the period, then the person may lose his grandparents or parents before the age of 16; if a person's year pillar is remedy, it means his ancestors are prestigious and he will be blessed and loved by the relatives and have all the wishes come true from birth to age 16. If a person's year pillar belongs to an element against him, he may not get the love of ancestors but live an unsmooth childhood and early youth due to poverty or poor environment, or even suffer from unforeseen disasters in family.

Month Pillar is seedling, just like that of flowers and trees.
It represents Siblings Palace as well as Parents Palace rather than Marriage Palace.
It means a person's career in youth and help from siblings.
It represents the fortune from age 17 to 32.
In body, it means chest and back.

Month Pillar represents a person's Siblings Palace, as well as his parents and siblings in the original family. Generally, it means a person's fortune from age 16 to 32. If the month pillar is remedy, it symbolizes the original family is well-off and his parents are successful in career. But if the month pillar belongs to an element against him, it means his parents are average or can only offer limited help.

Day Pillar is flower, just like that in the nature.
Day Stem represent self while Day Branch means partner.
It represents the gains and losses in middle age and the ups and downs of marriage
It represents the fortune from age 33 to 48.
In body, it means waist and abdomen.

Day Pillar represents self or partner and governs from age 32 to 48. If the day stem or branch is restricted or in conflict, the person may part for ever with his partner - especially when the month branch is also in conflict. If it is self punishment, the person will suffer from misfortunes, mostly casualty and danger. When the month branch is remedy, it means the partner will be helpful and from a well-off family and the two can enjoy a happy marriage; also, the person will be quite blissed and successful in career from age 32 to 48. If the day branch belongs to an element against him, it means a less satisfactory partner, a poorly off family or an unhappy marriage and things will go contrary to his wishes.

Hour Pillar is fruit, just like the fruit of flowers and trees.
It represents Children Palace.
It means a person's honor and disgrace in old age and the wisdom of his children.
It represents the fortune from age 48 to 60.
In body, it means legs and feet.

The stem and branch of hour pillar represents children and the old age after 48. If the hour stem or branch is restricted or in conflict, it suggests the person or his children will suffer from harmful things; if it is self punishment, the person will suffer from misfortune and casualty. When the hour pillar is remedy, it represents filial children, successful career and peaceful later years; if the hour pillar belongs to an element against him, it suggests the unfilial children who may go against him, not to mention the peace in later years.

Each of the Four Pillars represents a different aspect of life and it is pretty hard to tell which is more important, because every pillar is equally important. Depending on the doubt of a person, however, different pillars are focused on. To learn about future partner, day pillar shall be chosen to analyze; to learn about the luck in old age, the right approach is to start from hour pillar. A comprehensive consideration is needed to see which pillar is the most important. Similarly, a person's eight characters shall be evaluated comprehensively to determine whether it is good or bad.