The Living Almanac

Wan Nian Li (万年历) — the Live BaZi Almanac

A Wan Nian Li — literally the “ten-thousand-year calendar” — is the Chinese perpetual almanac that turns any moment into its Four Pillars. This one is live: the pillars below are right now, and they tick forward as time moves.

Loading the almanac…

The twelve two-hour pillars (时辰 / shíchen)

BaZi splits the day into twelve double-hours, each ruled by one of the twelve Earthly Branches. The clock’s Hour Pillar lands in whichever block the current time falls into — and flips to the next one every two hours.

子 Rat
23:00–01:00 · Water
丑 Ox
01:00–03:00 · Earth
寅 Tiger
03:00–05:00 · Wood
卯 Rabbit
05:00–07:00 · Wood
辰 Dragon
07:00–09:00 · Earth
巳 Snake
09:00–11:00 · Fire
午 Horse
11:00–13:00 · Fire
未 Goat
13:00–15:00 · Earth
申 Monkey
15:00–17:00 · Metal
酉 Rooster
17:00–19:00 · Metal
戌 Dog
19:00–21:00 · Earth
亥 Pig
21:00–23:00 · Water

How the almanac is calculated

The four pillars come from the classical Chinese solar calendar — not the Gregorian date alone. The Year pillar turns over at 立春 (the “start of spring”), the Month pillar at each solar term, the Day pillar at 23:00 (when the new 子 / Rat hour begins), and the Hour pillar every two hours. It’s the same classical method a professional reading uses — applied to this exact second.

FAQ

What is a Wan Nian Li? The Chinese perpetual almanac (万年历) — a calendar that maps any date and time to its Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches.

Why does the Hour Pillar change every two hours? The Chinese day is divided into twelve double-hours (时辰), each two clock-hours long — so the time pillar advances every two hours.

Is this my BaZi chart? No — this is the almanac for this moment, shared by everyone. Your personal chart comes from your birth moment.

Want the pillars for your birth moment, not just now?

Get your free BaZi chart