BaZi “Tong”: month-branch pair + year-stem stem — an appendix pillar
Tong is an old appendix pillar beside Tai Yuan, Embryonic Breath (Tai Xi) and Bian: pair the month branch (Yin↔Mao, Chen↔Si, Wu↔Wei, Shen↔You, Xu↔Hai, Zi↔Chou), then attach a stem from the birth year stem. It does not enter strength or Useful-god scoring.
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At a glance
| Item | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Formula match | 100% | vs site appendix |
| Stem is Useful | 18.5% | Favorable 34.0%, unfavorable 34.3% |
| Branch is Useful | 13.8% | Favorable 29.5%, unfavorable 44.4% |
| Either side favorable | 71.4% | Both unfavorable 16.2% |
| Brings a new element | 33 charts, 1.7% | Of those, new element favorable 69.7% |
| Same as Tai Yuan | 0 | — |
| Same as Tai Xi | 26, 1.4% | — |
| Same as Bian | 34, 1.8% | — |
- Tong
- Paired month branch, stemmed from year stem
- Tai Yuan
- Month stem +1, month branch +3
- Tai Xi
- Day stem Five Combination + day branch Six Combination
- Bian
- Hour stem Five Combination + hour branch Six Combination
- Paired months
- Yin-Mao, Chen-Si, Wu-Wei, Shen-You, Xu-Hai, Zi-Chou
How it is built
Pair the month branch first, then stem it with the year-stem month-stem sequence.
2000 / 2000 matched the appendix formula — one rule, no second engine.
Favorability: about seven in ten have a usable side
On 1898 non-special charts: stem favorable 34.0% / unfavorable 34.3%; branch favorable 29.5% / unfavorable 44.4%; either side Useful-or-favorable 71.4%; both unfavorable 16.2%.
Tong is not always lucky. It is one more pillar of clues; the natal support/suppress line still decides.
New elements are rare; collisions with the other appendix pillars are rarer
Only 33 charts (1.7%) gain an element absent from the natal chart; 69.7% of those new elements are favorable — high rate, tiny count.
Same pillar as Tai Yuan: 0. Same as Tai Xi 1.4%, Bian 1.8%. Four formulas almost never collide.
Where it belongs
Tradition keeps Tai Yuan / Breath / Bian / Tong secondary. This site lists them in the appendix and never lets them rewrite Useful gods.
Ask two questions, then stop: is each side favorable? Is there a new element?
Two real charts
乙亥 癸未 己未 己巳 (male, 1995-07-27 10:30 Beijing)
Tong is 壬午; the stem Water is Useful. True solar 10:09. Day Master Ji in a Wei month.
Wei pairs to Wu; year stem Yi stems it to Ren-Wu. Tai Yuan 甲戌, Tai Xi 甲午, Bian 甲申 — all different. Strong; Useful Water.
Appendix clue only — do not drop other favorable gods because Tong shows Ren.
庚申 己丑 辛卯 丙申 (female, 1981-01-13 15:45 Beijing)
Tong is 戊子 — read stem and branch separately. True solar 15:22. Day Master Xin, strong; Useful Fire, favors Wood/Water, avoids Metal/Earth.
Chou pairs to Zi; year Geng → Wu-Zi. Stem Earth leans avoid; branch Water leans favor.
One side help does not cancel the other side’s avoid list.
Numbers
Formula match 100% (2000). Non-special 1898: stem Useful/fav/unf 18.5 / 34.0 / 34.3; branch 13.8 / 29.5 / 44.4; either favorable 71.4%; both unf 16.2%.
**New element 1.7% (33); of those favorable 69.7%. Branch already in chart 22.7%; stem already in chart 26.9%.
Same as Tai Yuan 0; Tai Xi 1.4% (26); Bian 1.8% (34).
Simulated charts: our BaZi calculator generated 2,000 random birth times (birth years 1950–2010 uniformly random, random birth time, half male/half female, Beijing true solar time), cast each chart and judged strength and the Useful element by traditional rules, then counted the results. These are simulated results, not a survey of real people and not a measure of prediction accuracy. Tong pairs the month branch then stems from the year stem; favorability denominators exclude special patterns. Calculation version: our BaZi calculator after the Oct 15, 2026 update (the same rules the site uses now; rechecked with site version v73 on Oct 20, 2026), random seed 20261014. To reproduce: rerun the same version with the same seed and the results match exactly; you can check any single chart by entering the same birth time in our BaZi calculator.
Common view vs. our view
| Common view | Our view | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tong is a fourth Ming Gong | Appendix pillar, not Ming Gong | Ming Gong uses mid-qi palm rules |
| Tong fills missing elements | New element only 1.7% | High favor rate inside a tiny set |
| Tong often equals Tai Yuan | 0 collisions in sample | Four formulas stay separate |
| Judge Tong stem+branch as one omen | Split favorability, return to support/suppress | Either side favorable 71.4% |
Common mistakes
- Tong means a life “passage” or VIP road: it is an old label, not a coaching metaphor.
- Useful god on Tong → promote Tong: appendix only.
- Tong and Bian are interchangeable: different starts; same pillar 1.8%.
- No birth time → no Tong: Tong needs month branch + year stem; Yue Jiang needs the clock.
FAQ
How is Tong different from Tai Xi and Bian?
Tai Xi combines from the day pillar; Bian from the hour pillar; Tong pairs the month branch and stems from the year stem.
Why do some methods omit Tong?
It is a secondary appendix method. This site keeps it beside Tai Yuan / Tai Xi / Bian without raising its weight.
If Tong’s branch is already in the chart, is it useless?
About 22.7% already contain that branch. Repetition restates a topic; it does not add a second score.
Can Tong change the Useful god?
No. It is not part of strength or Useful scoring.