Wu Earth is the fifth of the ten Heavenly Stems in Chinese style fortune telling. What are the Heavenly Stems and what do they show us? They don’t give any information about life or our circumstances—instead, they show us our ideas. Wu Earth is the fifth archetype in Chinese cosmology. It is the protector and old man. If you want to check to see if Wu Earth represents your personality in Chinese astrology, find a bazi chart calculator and look for your day stem. Your day stem is the anchor of your day and represents your personality.

(I titled this article “day master” because the day stem of your chart is often translated as “day master” and this is the most common search term related to the concept. However, you can call your day stem your day destiny, your chart ruler, or simply your day stem.)


Wu Earth is an old man. That’s how you hear it described over and over again. I like to think of it as an old gender neutral man. Just an elderly person. Whenever I think of Wu Earth, I actually think of the old real estate agent in Nana, the one who is helping Nana K.

In the story Nana, two girls both named Nana meet on the way to Tokyo. They are both twenty years old and totally lost. They become friends on the train but then lose touch until they are looking for cheap housing. Nana K and Nana O run into each other because they are both interested in the same apartment unit in an old building near the water.

Nana O’s real estate agent is a young guy. He wants his full commission so he tries to get her to fight over the apartment. Nana K’s real estate agent, however, is an old carefree man. He suggests that the Nanas share the unit. “You’ll be able to support each other,” he tells them. He doesn’t mind that he will earn half commission. He’s satisfied being able to earn a certain commission at all and doesn’t feel like feuding over money and losing out.

Before this article, our series went over wood and fire. Both wood and fire are considered to be yang. Wu Earth is not yin or yang—it’s both. Earth is ambiguous or gender neutral. Wu Earth is the yang version of earth. It is a big mountain.

Mountains are protectors. If you live behind a mountain, you are usually protected from big winds or big storms. If you build a home that leans on a big mountain, that home will last forever. Mountains are so protective they actually form little ecosystems in their valleys. They create a small and protected world inside of themselves.

Wu Earth people like to do this too. They like to make a little world inside of their homes—a mini society if you will. They call this mini society their family. They like to build little worlds inside their imaginations too. Most of all, Wu Earth likes to do what earth does best. Earth likes to moderate and to bring people together. The strong and protective arms of a mountain engulf their closest people and hug everyone together.

Nana K’s carefree old man real estate agent brought the two Nanas together. He wasn’t overly corny or anything. He just thought that the two girls needed each other. He also preferred to make certain money as Wu Earth, or older and more experienced people, tend to prefer. After he suggests that the Nanas live together, he suggests that they put locks on their doors. Togetherness and boundaries. These are words of pure wisdom coming out of the mouth of a carefree old man. Before the old man suggests that the Nanas lock their doors, both of them are still hesitant about rooming with a stranger. His suggestion about locks is what makes the Nanas decide to move in together.

I think that Wu Earth people are incredibly altruistic. However, they have very strong boundaries. Wu Earth people are actually quite similar to Bing Fire people because both Bing Fire and Wu Earth tend to make similar interactions with the same branches. However, there is a huge difference between the two! Bing Fire people like to share their things and opinions without being prompted. Wu Earth doesn’t. Wu Earth, just like Bing Fire, will share everything they have but you have to ask. If you ask, they will give you what you ask for.

But before you ask? Wu Earth is not sharing their opinion. They are just sitting there quiet and observant. They don’t share unless they think sharing is needed.

What constitutes asking for Wu Earth people? I’m not sure. I’ve seen Wu Earth people give even if they don’t receive a direct ask. They intuit what people need and make suggestions from there. One thing is certain—Wu Earth gives in accordance with the situation at hand. They give what is needed and not in surplus. If you ask directly for something you don’t need, they will not give it to you.

A mountain is a home. It’s a protective home full of earth that nurtures all kinds of flora and life. The reason why a mountain is a home is because it creates walls.

When Wu Earth isn’t prompted, it just sits there quietly. That’s why Wu Earth people can seem somewhat mysterious at first. However, they aren’t mysterious when you get to know them even just a little bit. When Wu Earth people are asked for their thoughts, they share what they are thinking with clarity. They don’t give vague responses. They don’t orchestrate hiding strategies using their words. They just share exactly what they are thinking.

That’s why Bing Fire and Wu Earth can read similarly. They are both a bit tactless. They have that tactlessness that comes out of being socially innocent.

A mountain has two sides. It has a light or dry side that the sun shines on. It also has a dark or moist side that eludes the sun. Wu Earth has both mystery and obviousness but they choose to articulate both sides of their personality with clarity. They bring something hidden into the light or they protect something exposed using privacy. A mountain makes sharp and clear shadows.

Basically, Wu Earth people don’t share their every thought out loud but they like to be predictable. Wu Earth people are the type to go to the same exact grocery store week after week. They take the same bike route and they notice when anything changes. They track the price of mangoes. They notice when they run into the same neighbors. They like to do things in their own peculiar way. You can count on them. If they plan to be somewhere at a chosen time, they will be there. If they make a promise to you, they will fulfill that promise. If they invest in you, they will expect that investment to pay off.

Plant a seed into a mountain and that seed will grow. Walk away from a mountain and come back? That mountain will still be there.

That’s why, even though Wu Earth doesn’t share most of the time, they don’t carry mystery that far. They are quiet but totally predictable. They are reliable. You’re not guessing with them so you don’t notice that they don’t share their every thought. They have boundaries but their boundaries are reliable too. You don’t get the sense that they are experimenting with their sense of self or with their dynamic with you. You get the sense that they just know themselves, that they have particular needs, and that they will consistently voice those needs no matter who they are around.

Wu Earth is the old man of the ten heavenly stems. A mountain is an old man. They are completely trustworthy, a bit opaque, but completely predictable. They bring people together using boundaries, using a suggestion about togetherness coupled with reliable locks.