BaZi glossary · Na Yin
What is White Wax Metal (白蜡金)?
The Na Yin of 庚辰 and 辛巳
Short answer
White Wax Metal (Bai La Jin, 白蜡金) is one of the thirty Na Yin of the sixty-pillar cycle. Its image is soft, freshly formed metal like white wax; it belongs to the 庚辰 (Geng Chen) and 辛巳 (Xin Si) pillars, and its Na Yin element is Metal. People with either as their year pillar are often said to have a White Wax Metal life.
At a glance
- Group
- Na Yin · Metal
- Pillars
- 庚辰 Geng Chen, 辛巳 Xin Si
- Image
- soft, freshly formed metal like white wax
- Na Yin element
- Metal
- Other Metal Na Yin
- Metal in the Sea, Sword Edge Metal, Metal in the Sand, Gold Leaf Metal, Hairpin and Bracelet Metal
How to find the White Wax Metal
The Na Yin pair up the sixty stem-branch pillars into thirty names; 庚辰 and 辛巳 share White Wax Metal. The Na Yin of the year pillar is often called one's life Na Yin, so people with a 庚辰 or 辛巳 year pillar are said to have a White Wax Metal life. BaZi years change at Lichun (around 4 February), so anyone born in January or early February uses the previous year's pillar.
| Pillar | Years (1900–2099) |
|---|---|
| 庚辰 | 1940, 2000, 2060 |
| 辛巳 | 1941, 2001, 2061 |
The image and meaning of White Wax Metal
White Wax Metal is metal just smelted from ore: lustrous but still soft. Traditionally it describes refined, tasteful people with presence, polished outside and still growing inside.
It needs further working to become something useful, so it is often read as a life that benefits from study and refinement, showing its worth most in a good environment.
How to read it in a chart
- Year pillar
- the year pillar's Na Yin is the “life” Na Yin, traditionally used for a person's general temperament and, in compatibility matching, for comparing two people's Na Yin.
- Day pillar
- the day pillar's Na Yin is seen as closer to the self; some schools use it to add detail on temperament.
- Other pillars
- the Na Yin of the month and hour pillars, luck pillars and years are usually read only as background, not as good or bad on their own.
White Wax Metal and the regular Five Phases
- Na Yin element
- White Wax Metal's Na Yin element is Metal, taken from the 庚辰–辛巳 pair as a whole.
- 庚辰 (Geng Chen)
- the stem 庚 is Metal, the branch 辰 is Earth.
- 辛巳 (Xin Si)
- the stem 辛 is Metal, the branch 巳 is Fire.
Common misconceptions
- Na Yin cannot decide good or bad fortune on its own. BaZi analysis rests on the regular Five Phases and the Ten Gods; Na Yin is a supporting symbol.
- A White Wax Metal life refers to the year pillar's Na Yin only; it does not make the whole chart Metal.
- Clashing Na Yin in compatibility matching does not mean a poor match; modern readings weigh how the two whole charts fit together.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have a White Wax Metal life?
Look at your year pillar: if it is 庚辰 or 辛巳, yes. You can use the years in the table, but if your birthday is before Lichun (around 4 February), use the previous year. The surest way is to check the year pillar's Na Yin in the free calculator.
Is White Wax Metal's element just Metal?
Its Na Yin element is Metal, which is not the same as the regular Five Phases used in BaZi. Judging the Day Master's strength and useful god uses the regular elements of the stems and branches, not the Na Yin.
How important is Na Yin in BaZi?
Na Yin is an older supporting system, used for the “life” element of the year and in traditional compatibility matching. Modern BaZi analysis rests on the regular Five Phases, the Ten Gods and the chart's structure, so Na Yin is best read as a symbolic reference.
Find the Na Yin of your year pillar
The free calculator lists the Na Yin of every pillar and changes the year at Lichun, so your year pillar's Na Yin is always right.
For cultural learning, self-reflection, and entertainment. AI interpretations may be incomplete or inaccurate and are not professional advice.