Quick answer
Your birth hour sets your hour pillar, which is two of the eight characters in your chart. It affects your element balance, your later life and the start of your luck cycles. If you don't know it, a reading can still be done with three pillars, just with less detail.
The 12 Chinese hours
The day is split into 12 two-hour blocks, each linked to an earthly branch. For example, the Rat hour runs from 11pm to 1am.
Time zones and daylight saving
Charts use the local time where you were born. Daylight saving and your exact longitude can shift the hour, so always give your city of birth.
Don't know your birth time?
- Check your birth certificate, hospital records or baby book.
- Ask family. Even "early morning" helps.
- A three-pillar reading still shows your Day Master, your elements and your luck pillars, approximately.
Questions
Born near midnight?
Tell us the exact time. It can change your day pillar, and so your Day Master.
See your own chart
Start with your Four Pillars.
See your chart, then read it in full in The Comprehensive BaZi Report.