The report format
What a Longchang report looks like, before you ask for one.
This page shows how a report is organised before you commission one. It opens with a teaching example of the chart structure — the four pillars, the Five Phases and the relationships between them — then walks the six sections every report follows. The examples are fictional and illustrate structure only; no chart has been calculated for them. The PDF guide below lets you see the layout and keep a copy. Your own report is prepared for your agreed question and delivered through a private channel.
Download the format guide8-page PDF · A guide to the report's format and layout — not a calculated report or a personal reading.
Inside a BaZi reading
The chart, made visible.
A teaching example, not a client chart or a personal reading.
A BaZi chart begins with four pairs of characters: year, month, day and hour. In this example, the Day Master is 甲 Jia, Yang Wood. It is the reference point for understanding how the other elements relate to you.
The four pillars, read in relation
- 癸 Direct Resource 正印
- 甲 Companion 比肩
- 丙 Eating God 食神
- 戊 Indirect Wealth 偏财
- 戊 Indirect Wealth 偏财
- 乙 Rob Wealth 劫财
- 癸 Direct Resource 正印
- 庚 Seven Killings 七杀
- 壬 Indirect Resource 偏印
- 戊 Indirect Wealth 偏财
The upper character of the day pillar — 甲 here — is the reference point of the whole chart. Every stem, branch and hidden stem is then read as a relationship to it.
The Five Phases, where they occur
木 Wood
火 Fire
土 Earth
金 Metal
水 Water
All five phases appear here, but presence alone does not tell us their strength or whether they are helpful. That requires reading the season, each element’s position and the interactions across the chart.
Ten Gods · 十神 — five kinds of relationship
The Ten Gods, 十神, describe relationships to the Day Master. Each of the five groups has two forms, depending on whether a stem shares the Day Master’s yin or yang polarity. Their traditional names can sound dramatic in English; the themes below offer a way in. They are starting points for interpretation, not fixed personality types or conclusions about your life.
Peers — Wood 木 · 甲乙
Wood is the same phase as the Day Master. Its two stems read as:
- 比肩 Companion — self-direction and common ground with peers
- 劫财 Rob Wealth — a peer of opposite polarity — competing or shared resources, not literal theft
Expression — Fire 火 · 丙丁
Fire is what Wood produces. Its two stems read as:
- 食神 Eating God — expression, craft and enjoyment
- 伤官 Hurting Officer — expression, questioning and innovation
Wealth — Earth 土 · 戊己
Earth is what Wood controls. Its two stems read as:
- 偏财 Indirect Wealth — opportunity and the circulation of resources
- 正财 Direct Wealth — stewardship and regular commitments
Responsibility — Metal 金 · 庚辛
Metal is what controls Wood. Its two stems read as:
- 七杀 Seven Killings — pressure and challenge
- 正官 Direct Officer — structure and responsibility
Learning & support — Water 水 · 壬癸
Water is what nourishes Wood. Its two stems read as:
- 偏印 Indirect Resource — unconventional learning and support
- 正印 Direct Resource — established learning and support
From structure to judgment
A report connects these relationships with the whole chart, its seasonal context and relevant timing cycles. Your question determines which parts need closer examination. The reading then explains the judgment, the conditions that could change it and the practical steps worth considering — following the six sections below.
The six sections every report follows
1 · Your question & context
Every report opens with the question as you phrased it, restated in the words the report will answer. Beside it sit the facts the reading relies on — for a BaZi reading, the birth details you supplied and any uncertainty in them; for a home review, the plan, orientation and photographs received. If the scope was narrowed in discussion, the agreed wording appears here, so nothing silently expands or shrinks later.
Agreed question
“I have been offered a role in another city. Is this move right for me, and what should I weigh before deciding?”
- Theme agreed in the proposal: career — one person, one move.
- Materials received: birth date and city; birth time stated as “early morning, approximate”.
- Stated limit: the hour pillar is uncertain; conclusions that would depend on it are flagged.
2 · The basis
The second section records what the interpretation stands on: the method used, the elements of the chart or the home that carry the most weight for this question, and the assumptions made along the way. You should be able to see why the reading leans where it leans — and where a different school would lean otherwise.
Basis of this reading
- Record the supplied birth date, calendar convention, time and place before constructing the chart.
- Explain which chart relationships and timing layers matter to the agreed question, and why.
- If the birth hour is uncertain, compare plausible alternatives and identify which conclusions remain stable.
3 · The main judgment
The judgment is stated directly, in plain language, without hedging it into meaninglessness. If the reading is favourable, it says so. If it is difficult, it says that too — with the conditions and the response attached, never as a bare warning.
Main judgment
A completed report states whether the reading supports the proposed move, the principal reason, and the strongest reservation. It distinguishes an interpretation of timing from facts about the job. No chart has been calculated for this format guide, so no personal judgment is offered here.
4 · Supporting conditions
No judgment stands alone. This section lists what the conclusion depends on — the quality of the information, the reading of particular elements, the parts of your situation a chart cannot see — and what would change the answer. It is the section that keeps a report honest.
Conditions attached
- Any conclusion sensitive to the uncertain birth hour remains provisional until the relevant alternatives have been checked.
- The offer’s ordinary merits, including contract, team and finances, need independent examination.
- A material change in the question or the underlying information may change the interpretation; the report explains what must be reconsidered.
5 · Actions
A reading that ends in description is only half done. This section sets out the practical response: what to do first, what to prepare, what to watch. Actions are chosen to make sense on their own — useful even if you hold the interpretation lightly.
Suggested actions
- Take the interview; ask specifically about depth of responsibility, not only title.
- Before accepting, verify the ordinary facts — contract, costs of the move, support in the new city.
- If the decision is yes, compare any timing guidance with the notice period, moving logistics and agreed start date.
6 · Follow-up
An exchange within scope
Question: “You flagged the birth time. If my mother finds the record and it is an hour later, does the judgment change?”
Reply: “I would check whether the new time changes a pillar, compare the affected parts of the interpretation, and explain what remains stable. I cannot say whether the judgment changes before that check. If the new information calls for work beyond a clarification, I will explain the scope before proceeding; correcting my own error is always included.”
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Your next chapter
Judge the format, then the fit.
If this is the kind of document you would want to keep, the next step is a short inquiry describing your question.