甲

About

甲 (Jiǎ) is the 1st of the 10 Heavenly Stems (天干) in BaZi — Yang Wood. Season: Early Spring · Direction: East · TCM organ: Liver / Gallbladder. Combines with 己 (甲己合土 — whether it fully transforms depends on chart context). Produces 丙丁; controls 戊己.⁠‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​⁠

甲 is Yang Wood — pictured for centuries as the tall, straight tree: timber growing upward toward light, visible from a distance, slow to bend. First of the ten stems, it carries a sense of beginnings, uprightness and steady, patient growth. Traditional imagery makes it the pillar and the beam — the wood that holds structures up. Its combination partner among the stems is 己 (甲己合土).⁠‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​⁠

Key Attributes

Element

Wood

Polarity

Yang

Season

Early Spring

Direction

East

Organ (TCM)

Liver / Gallbladder

Combines with

己 Jǐ

In a chart, this means…

In a chart, 甲 is traditionally read as principled directness: advancing in straight lines, keeping one's word, preferring to grow rather than manoeuvre. Its classical caution is rigidity — the tall tree resists bending. How strongly any of this shows depends on the whole chart, never on one character alone.⁠‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​⁠

Related Entities