10-year cycles (Da Yun)
Luck Pillars divide life into decades, each like a season with a different theme.
We do not blame the rain for falling. We prepare an umbrella and use it to plant. A decade works the same way: it brings an atmosphere, not a decision.
How it is formed
- It starts from the Month Pillar.
- It runs forward if (Yang year and male) or (Yin year and female), otherwise backward.
- The starting age is counted from the distance between birth and the nearest solar term: 3 days equal 1 year.
- Each pillar lasts 10 years.
How to read it
Compare the element of the pillar's stem with the Day Master, then look at the theme:
| Relation to the Day Master | Decade theme |
|---|---|
| Companion (Friend, Rob Wealth) | Independence, peers, competition |
| Output (Eating God, Hurting Officer) | Creativity, learning to express yourself |
| Wealth (Direct and Indirect Wealth) | Results, resources, management |
| Authority (Direct Officer, Seven Killings) | Responsibility, rules, pressure, challenge |
| Resource (Direct and Indirect Resource) | Learning, support, protection |
The branch in each pillar can also relate to the branches in your chart (Harmony, Clash, and so on, as in chapter 4), which adds “color” to that decade.
The current year (流年 Liú Nián)
Besides decades, each year has its own pillar. The BaZi year changes around 4 February, and 2026 is 丙午 (Yang Fire Horse).
School variations
Some schools split a decade into the first five years influenced by the stem and the next five influenced by the branch. Other schools do not split it.
Reflection question
If the decade you are in were a season, is it a season for planting, tending, or harvesting? What do you want to do with it?
Original terms: 大運 · Dà Yùn · Luck Pillar; 流年 · Liú Nián · Annual Pillar