How to Read Monthly Cycles (Liu Yue)? Breaking the Annual Cycle into Each Month to See Which Month Rises and Which Falls

Monthly Cycle (Liu Yue) is about cutting the Annual Cycle into twelve pieces to see clearly which month rises and which falls in a year. Many people, after arranging their BaZi and reading the Annual Cycle, think they can summarize "this year's fortune" in one sentence. In reality, the Annual Cycle only gives the general direction; what actually lands in your life is experienced month by month. In the same "Bing Wu Year," some people have smooth sailing from the first month, while others have to endure until the second half of the year to turn things around—the difference lies in the Monthly Cycles.

Monthly Cycles are not based on the lunar calendar from the 1st to the 30th; instead, they are divided by solar terms: from Start of Spring to Awakening of Insects is the first month, from Awakening of Insects to Clear and Bright is the second month... Each month is paired with a Stem-Branch (Gan Zhi), and when overlaid on your natal chart, Luck Cycle (Da Yun), and Annual Cycle (Liu Nian), you can see whether this month is for charging, holding, or avoiding the wind.

Annual Cycle vs. Monthly Cycle: First Understand Which Is Bigger

Many beginners mix up the Annual Cycle and Monthly Cycle, leading to confusion. Actually, they have an "inclusion relationship":

• Annual Cycle (Liu Nian) = the overall energy of the year (e.g., 2026 is Bing Wu Year). It governs "the general direction of this year."
• Monthly Cycle (Liu Yue) = cutting the year into twelve segments, each segment one month. It governs "what to do specifically this month."

As an analogy: the Annual Cycle is like a seasonal weather forecast, "this year tends to be hot with more rain"; the Monthly Cycle is the daily forecast, "this week is sunny, next week there's a typhoon." The Annual Cycle sets the tone, the Monthly Cycle determines the timing. If you want to know whether you should change jobs this year, look at the Annual Cycle; if you want to know which month to submit your resignation for the smoothest transition, look at the Monthly Cycle.

There is also an important principle: The good or bad fortune of a Monthly Cycle must always be judged within the context of the Annual Cycle. The Monthly Cycle itself does not have as much power as the Annual Cycle. A favorable month in an unfavorable year is at most "a breather in a bad year"; an unfavorable month in a good year is just "a small bump on a smooth road." Don't scare yourself by looking at a single month in isolation.

How to Divide Months for Monthly Cycles? The Key Is Solar Terms, Not the 1st of the Month

This is the most common mistake. In BaZi, a "month" never starts on the 1st of the lunar month; it is bounded by solar terms. Each month begins with a "node" (Jie):

So if you were born on February 1 in the Gregorian calendar, although the new year has passed, the Start of Spring has not yet occurred, so in BaZi terms, you are still in the 12th month of the previous year. On the day of Start of Spring each year, the Annual Cycle truly changes its energy. When calculating Monthly Cycles, be sure to use the solar term table to determine the month, not the lunar calendar's 1st day.

How to Derive the Month Stem? The Five Tiger Escape Formula (Year Stem Determines Month Stem)

Once you know which month it is, you also need to know which Heavenly Stem (Tian Gan) pairs with it. The Earthly Branch (Di Zhi) is fixed (the 1st month is always Yin, the 2nd month is always Mao...), but the Heavenly Stem is derived using the Five Tiger Escape formula, which uses the "year stem" to find the month stem of the first month of that year:

Jia or Ji year, Bing is the head; Yi or Geng year, Wu is the head; Bing or Xin year, Geng is sought; Ding or Ren year, Ren flows in order; Wu or Gui year, Jia Yin begins.

This means: look at which group the Heavenly Stem of the Annual Cycle belongs to, then the month stem of the first month starts from the corresponding character in the formula, and then one month at a time in order (Heavenly Stems in sequence, Earthly Branches in sequence).

Take 2026 Bing Wu Year as an example: the year stem is "Bing," which corresponds to the formula line "Bing or Xin year, Geng is sought"—so the month pillar of the first month is Geng Yin, followed by Xin Mao, Ren Chen, Gui Si... all in sequence. The entire year's Monthly Cycle Stem-Branches are thus derived:

If you can't remember the formula, don't worry—online BaZi tools can generate the entire year's Monthly Cycles with one click. Just understanding "how it comes about" is enough.

The Good or Bad Fortune of a Month Is the Overlay of Four Layers

Deriving the Monthly Cycle Stem-Branch is only the first step. To truly see whether a month is good or bad, you must place the Monthly Cycle back into the context of "natal chart + Luck Cycle + Annual Cycle" together. The four layers from inside to outside:

1. Natal Chart—your innate foundation, what you favor and what you avoid; this is the unchanging root.
2. Luck Cycle (Da Yun)—the macro environment that changes every ten years, setting the tone for this decade.
3. Annual Cycle (Liu Nian)—the overall energy of this year.
4. Monthly Cycle (Liu Yue)—the "guest" that knocks on your door this month.

Reading the Monthly Cycle is essentially about seeing "what Ten God this month's Stem-Branch represents for my Day Master, and whether it combines or clashes with the natal chart and Annual Cycle." The same Geng Yin month will have vastly different meanings for different charts: for a Jia Wood Day Master, it is a Warlord (七殺) pressure month; for a Xin Metal Day Master, it is a Rival (劫財) wealth-loss month. Therefore, the Monthly Cycle must always be calculated based on your own Day Master; you cannot apply a generic template.

Example: A Sample Chart's Monthly Ups and Downs in 2026

Theory alone is too abstract, so let's walk through a sample chart. (The following native is for demonstration purposes only, not a real person.)

Sample Chart (Female)

• Gregorian: June 15, 1990, Chen Hour (7-9 AM)
• Birthplace: Shanghai area
• Day Master: Xin Metal

This chart has Xin Metal born in the Wu month (Fire is strong), so the Self is slightly weak; currently in the Wu Yin Luck Cycle (Mentor (正印), 2023–2032), the Mentor generates the Self, making it a decade of seeking stability, relying on benefactors, and suitable for self-improvement.

General Direction of 2026 Bing Wu Year

The Annual Cycle is Bing Wu: Bing is Xin's Executive (正官) (and Bing and Xin combine), Wu hides Ding and Ji, bringing Warlord (七殺)—for this Xin Metal, it is a year where "Officer and Warlord arrive together": opportunities and pressure coexist in work; reputation, responsibility, and the attention of superiors will increase. The combination of the Executive indicates being "tied down" but also "being seen"—a year to take on responsibilities, but also easy to take on too much. With this tone set, let's look at each month:

Monthly Ten Gods and Fluctuations (Xin Metal Day Master)

See? In the same "heavy Officer and Warlord" Bing Wu year, this Xin Metal's highlights are in the 4th month (Talent), 5th month (Earner), and 7th month (Executive combining with Self)—money talks, producing work, and settling reputation all concentrate in mid-year; while the 1st, 8th, and 11th months are checkpoints for restraint (Rival wealth loss, Warlord pressure). This is the value of Monthly Cycles: it breaks down the vague "heavy Officer and Warlord this year" into a calendar of which months to charge and which months to hold.

Three Practical Tips for Reading Monthly Cycles

1. First determine the general direction of the Annual Cycle, then look at Monthly Cycles to find timing. Don't panic by staring at a single month; an unfavorable month in a good year is usually just a small bump.
2. Calculate the Ten Gods for the Monthly Cycle based on your own Day Master. Don't apply generic articles like "Zodiac fortune for Bing Wu Year" found online—the same month can have completely opposite meanings for different Day Masters.
3. Pay special attention to months with "Combinations (He)" and "Clashes (Chong)." Months where the Monthly Cycle's Heavenly Stem combines with the Day Master (like July's Bing Xin combination in the example), or where the Earthly Branch clashes with the natal chart, are often the most volatile points of the year and key moments to prepare in advance.

Conclusion: Live the Year with More Rhythm

Monthly Cycles are not meant to make you anxious calculating good and bad fortune every day, but to give you a sense of the rhythm: know which month to go all out, which month to stay put, and which month is suitable for rest and recovery. You may not be able to change the general direction of fate, but by grasping the rhythm and moving with the timing, you can play the same hand more calmly—this is exactly what Shunshi wants to help you do.