Master the Five Rat Escape Method in 3 Steps: Beginners Can Accurately Calculate the Hour Pillar in BaZi

Preface: The Five Rat Escape Method is the core technique for BaZi Hour Pillar calculation. This guide breaks down its 3-step process, complete with examples, tips and term explanations—perfect for beginners to master quickly.

I. Introduction: What Is the Five Rat Escape Method?

It’s the key to figuring out the Heavenly Stem of the Hour Pillar in BaZi (converting the birth time into the Year Pillar, Month Pillar, Day Pillar and Hour Pillar; each pillar consists of 1 Heavenly Stem and 1 Earthly Branch, and the combination of the Four Pillars is BaZi, which is the basis of traditional numerology analysis). Master it, and you’ll never get stuck on BaZi casting.

Year Pillar, Month Pillar and Day Pillar are easy to find (check the almanac or solar terms). But the Heavenly Stem of the Hour Pillar? That’s the tricky part for beginners.

Worst of all: Zi Shi crosses two days, making it super easy to make mistakes! We’ll cover basics, mnemonics, tables, steps, and common mistakes to avoid, so you’ll nail Hour Pillar calculation in no time.

II. Core: Five Rat Escape Mnemonic

The mnemonic is your secret weapon for accurate Hour Pillar calculation. Here’s the full version with simple explanations!

1. Chinese Mnemonic (with Translation)

Jia Ji Hai Jia Jia → For Jia/Ji Day, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is Jia

Yi Geng Bing Zuo Chu → For Yi/Geng Day, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is Bing

Bing Xin Cong Wu Qi → For Bing/Xin Day, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is Wu

Ding Ren Geng Zi Ju → For Ding/Ren Day, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is Geng

Wu Gui He Fang Fa, Ren Zi Shi Zhen Tu → For Wu/Gui Day, start with Ren Zi—the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi is Ren Zi!

2. Core Logic

It’s all about “Determine the Hour Stem based on the Day Stem”: Use the Day Stem to find the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi, then deduce the Hour Pillars of other times according to the Heavenly Stem cycle and fixed Earthly Branches.

Why is it called “Five Rat Escape Method”? Because Zi Shi corresponds to the Rat in the Chinese zodiac, and the calculation starts from Zi Shi! The Ten Heavenly Stems cycle repeatedly (Jia→Yi→…→Gui→Jia), and the Twelve Earthly Branches follow a fixed order (Zi→Chou→…→Hai).

As long as you find the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi corresponding to the Day Stem through the mnemonic, you can quickly get all Hour Pillars by following the rule of “Heavenly Stems cycle in order, Earthly Branches remain fixed”—no extra complicated calculations needed!

Authoritative Reference: The classic Qing Dynasty numerology book San Ming Tong Hui clearly records: “To determine the Hour Stem based on the Day Stem, take the Day Stem as the main basis. For Jia/Ji Day, the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi is Jia Zi; for Yi/Geng Day, the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi is Bing Zi”, which is completely consistent with the Five Rat Escape Mnemonic, confirming its authority in BaZi Hour Pillar calculation.

III. Quick Query: Day Stem → Hour Stem Table

No need to memorize the mnemonic! This printable Day Stem → Hour Stem Table allows beginners to find the Hour Pillar in seconds—it saves time and reduces mistakes.

1. How to Use

The horizontal direction of the table is common time periods, and the vertical direction is the Ten Heavenly Stems. Find your Day Stem and birth time, and you can directly lock the Hour Pillar!

IV. Practical Tutorial: Calculate Hour Pillar in 3 Steps

After mastering the mnemonic and the comparison table, this section will teach beginners how to calculate the Hour Pillar using the Five Rat Escape Method through step-by-step operation and case demonstration, helping you progress from “knowing how to check” to “knowing how to calculate” and firmly master the core skills of the Five Rat Escape Method.

1. Core Principles

The core principle of calculating the Hour Pillar with the Five Rat Escape Method is “Determine the Hour Stem of Zi Shi based on the Day Stem, then deduce the rest”. Follow these two rules consistently to ensure accurate Hour Pillar calculation, aligning with the core logic of the Five Rat Escape Method.

1. Heavenly Stem Rule: The Ten Heavenly Stems cycle in order (Jia→Yi→…→Gui→Jia)—no skipping or omitting;

2. Earthly Branch Rule: The Twelve Earthly Branches follow a fixed order (Zi→Chou→…→Hai), corresponding to the time periods and not changing with the Day Stem.

2. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Determine the Day Stem

Core Action: Check the Day Pillar of your birth date through the almanac and extract the Heavenly Stem (Day Stem) from the Day Pillar. This is the core premise of calculating the Hour Pillar with the Five Rat Escape Method and the first step to avoid mistakes in Hour Pillar calculation.

Example: If the Day Pillar on your birth date is “Jia Wu”, the Day Stem is “Jia”; if the Day Pillar is “Yi You”, the Day Stem is “Yi”. When extracting, you need to distinguish accurately and not confuse the Heavenly Stems of the Year Pillar and Month Pillar.

Step 2: Find the Starting Point (Zi Shi)

Core Action: Refer to the Five Rat Escape Mnemonic, find the Heavenly Stem corresponding to Zi Shi according to the determined Day Stem, and combine it with the Earthly Branch “Zi” to get the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi.

Example: If the Day Stem is “Jia”, refer to the mnemonic “Jia Ji Hai Jia Jia”, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is “Jia”, so the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi is “Jia Zi”.

If the Day Stem is “Yi”, refer to the mnemonic “Yi Geng Bing Zuo Chu”, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is “Bing”, so the Hour Pillar is “Bing Zi”.

Step 3: Deduce the Target Hour Pillar

Core Action: Take the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi as the starting point, and deduce it to your birth time according to the rule of “Heavenly Stems cycle in order, Earthly Branches remain fixed” to get the final Hour Pillar and complete the Hour Pillar calculation with the Five Rat Escape Method.

Key Reminder: When deducing the Heavenly Stems, if you encounter “Gui”, the next Heavenly Stem should cycle back to “Jia”. Avoid omitting the Heavenly Stem cycle rule—this is a common mistake in Hour Pillar calculation with the Five Rat Escape Method.

3. Practical Case

Scenario: A beginner with no practical experience in the Five Rat Escape Method needs to calculate the Hour Pillar for “Day Pillar Jia Wu (Day Stem Jia) and birth time Chen Shi (07:00-09:00)”, worrying about making mistakes.

Solution: Strictly follow the 3-step calculation of the Five Rat Escape Method: ① Determine the Day Stem: Day Pillar is Jia Wu, so the Day Stem is “Jia”; ② Find the starting point (Zi Shi): Refer to the mnemonic “Jia Ji Hai Jia Jia”, the Heavenly Stem of Zi Shi is “Jia”, so the Hour Pillar of Zi Shi is “Jia Zi”; ③ Deduce to Chen Shi: Zi (Zi Shi, Jia Zi) → Chou (Chou Shi, Yi Chou) → Yin (Yin Shi, Bing Yin) → Mao (Mao Shi, Ding Mao) → Chen (Chen Shi, Wu Chen).

Result: The Hour Pillar corresponding to Chen Shi is “Wu Chen”. Combined with the Year Pillar, Month Pillar and Day Pillar, you can complete the full BaZi casting. The calculation result is accurate after checking with the comparison table.

Shortcoming: When deducing manually, beginners are prone to omitting the Heavenly Stem cycle (e.g., forgetting to cycle back to “Jia” after “Gui”), leading to deviations in Hour Pillar calculation;

Suggestion: When deducing, you can mark the order of the Ten Heavenly Stems on draft paper, check against the mark when deducing, avoid omissions, and verify with the comparison table to further improve the accuracy of Hour Pillar calculation with the Five Rat Escape Method.

V. Common Mistake Analysis: Zi Shi Casting

Zi Shi crosses two days, making it a common mistake point in Hour Pillar calculation with the Five Rat Escape Method. The core problem lies in its cross-day characteristic, which directly affects the determination of the Day Stem and the calculation of the Hour Pillar and needs to be avoided emphatically.

1. Core Controversy

Core Controversy: If you are born between 23:00-00:00, should the Day Pillar be calculated according to the current day or the next day? This question directly affects the determination of the Day Stem in the Five Rat Escape Method, leading to mistakes in Hour Pillar calculation, and it is also the most confusing point for beginners.

2. Mainstream Casting Methods

Method 1 (Traditional Ganzhi Calendar, Recommended): After 23:00, it enters the next day. The Day Pillar is calculated according to the next day, the Day Stem adopts the Heavenly Stem of the next day, and then the Hour Pillar is calculated with the Five Rat Escape Method. This method is consistent with the traditional casting specifications recorded in San Ming Tong Hui.

Method 2 (Software-Friendly Method): Divide into Early Zi Shi (00:00-01:00) and Late Zi Shi (23:00-00:00). Late Zi Shi still uses the Day Pillar of the current day, the Day Stem adopts the Heavenly Stem of the current day, and only the Hour Pillar is calculated with the Five Rat Escape Method. At present, most casting software adopts this method.

VI. Pitfall Avoidance: Common Mistakes in the Five Rat Escape Method

Combined with the common mistakes of beginners in practical operation of the Five Rat Escape Method, we have summarized 3 core pitfall avoidance points with specific solutions to help beginners reduce mistakes in Hour Pillar calculation and improve the accuracy of using the Five Rat Escape Method.

1. Mistake 1: Confusing the Day Stem (using the Heavenly Stem of the Year Pillar or Month Pillar instead of the Day Stem) → Solution: Remember the core of the Five Rat Escape Method “Determine the Hour Stem based on the Day Stem”, and only extract the Day Stem when calculating, without confusing the Heavenly Stems of the Four Pillars.

2. Mistake 2: Not changing the Day Stem when Zi Shi crosses days → Solution: If you are born after 23:00, you need to change the Day Pillar first (calculate according to the next day), then extract the Day Stem, and calculate the Hour Pillar with the Five Rat Escape Method to avoid Day Stem errors.

3. Mistake 3: Ignoring True Solar Time → Solution: If you are born overseas or in Xinjiang, Tibet and other regions, you need to convert the local time to Beijing Time first, then calculate with the Five Rat Escape Method to avoid time deviation caused by time zone differences.

VII. Summary & Auxiliary Tools

Mastering the Five Rat Escape Method is the key for beginners to break through the difficulty of Hour Pillar calculation in BaZi. The core is to remember the mnemonic, follow the principle of “Determine the Hour Stem of Zi Shi based on the Day Stem, then deduce the rest”, and combine the comparison table and case practice to get started quickly.

In short, the core logic of calculating the Hour Pillar with the Five Rat Escape Method is: there is no need to memorize all Hour Pillars by heart. As long as you master “Determine the Hour Stem of Zi Shi based on the Day Stem, then deduce the rest”, you can accurately complete the Hour Pillar calculation, which is suitable for all BaZi casting scenarios.

Casting Self-Check List: ① Confirm that the Day Stem is extracted correctly (only the Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar); ② Check whether the birth time crosses Zi Shi (23:00-01:00); ③ Confirm that the True Solar Time conversion is correct; ④ Verify the Hour Pillar calculation result with the comparison table.

VIII. Glossary

1. BaZi Casting: Converting the birth time into the Year Pillar, Month Pillar, Day Pillar and Hour Pillar; each pillar consists of 1 Heavenly Stem and 1 Earthly Branch, and the combination of the Four Pillars is BaZi, which is the basis of traditional numerology analysis.

2. Day Stem: The Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar, which is the core basis for calculating the Hour Pillar with the Five Rat Escape Method.

3. Hour Pillar: One of the Four Pillars of BaZi, consisting of a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch, corresponding to the specific birth time.

4. True Solar Time: The local time calculated according to the actual position of the sun, which is different from Beijing Time and needs to be converted when casting overseas and in western China.

5. Heavenly Stems: A general term for the Ten Heavenly Stems in traditional numerology (Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding, Wu, Ji, Geng, Xin, Ren, Gui), used cyclically.

6. Earthly Branches: A general term for the Twelve Earthly Branches in traditional numerology (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai), corresponding to the Twelve Time Periods and remaining fixed.