The Sixty Jiazi: The Sixty Combinations of Stems and Branches

Gold in the Sea: a treasure of the dragon's palace, a pearl conceived in the sea-serpent's chamber.

Gold that lies deep beneath the sea, its brilliance not yet surfaced — this speaks of wealth and talent kept out of sight. These people have deep roots and a large capacity. Their early years often look ordinary, and their weight shows more with age: a nature that stores first and rises later.

Sword-Edge Metal: the White Emperor holds its power, its strength drawn from a hundred temperings.

A blade forged by a hundred temperings, keen and commanding. Full of nerve, able to cut cleanly and decide fast. Sharp as it is, it must learn restraint — used with measure, it wounds neither others nor itself.

White Wax Metal: a shard of jade from Kunlun, gold left behind on the banks of the Luo.

Metal still being refined, soft and not yet hardened — tender but not yet strong. Its potential waits to be worked; the early years call for grinding and the right surroundings, and once formed it carries its own sheen.

Gold in the Sand: hard form scattered across the ground, precious substance hidden in the grit.

Grains of gold mixed into the sand — real in substance, yet needing to be panned before they show. Talent here is often buried in the ordinary; only after a round of sifting and grinding is its worth seen.

Gold Foil: gilding cups and plates, adding lustre to palace halls.

A thin sheet of gold foil that, laid over an object, fills a whole room with light. It has an eye for beauty and can add lustre to people and matters alike — a gift for adornment; its foundation could stand to be thicker.

Hairpin and Bracelet Metal: adorning the face as jewellery, adding lustre against the skin.

Gold worked into hairpins and bracelets, delicate and elegant, glinting close to the body. Fine and tasteful, mindful of mood and image, with its own sense of measure beneath a soft manner.

Great Forest Wood: its trunk shakes the wind, its branches prop up the moon.

A vast forest, tall and dense, able to hold up wind and moon alike. Broad in scope, able to embrace many and stand on its own — well suited to paths that call for scale and long cultivation.

Willow Wood: swaying by the Sui dyke, lissome in the Han gardens.

A willow that sways in the wind, soft, light, graceful in form. Full of feeling and quick to sense others, with a supple temperament — while it bends with the wind, it must remember to keep its own roots.

Pine and Cypress Wood: braving snow and frost, towering to the sky and covering the ground.

The pine and cypress that defy snow and frost, green through all four seasons, enduring the bitter cold. Principled and steadfast, able to bear hardship — a timber that only stands taller under pressure.

Level-Ground Wood: sprouts newly born, branches just beginning to unfurl.

A sapling newly risen from level ground, just putting out shoots and leaves, full of life. Rich in both potential and resilience, willing to root from the start — its prospects open up gradually with the years.

Mulberry Wood: the loom's foundation for coloured silks, the very root of fine brocade.

The mulberry that silk-rearing and weaving depend on — plain to look at, yet the root of all fine brocade. Practical and hardworking, glad to help others succeed; its worth often shows in the support it gives.

Pomegranate Wood: pungent by nature as ginger, its blossoms red as fire.

The pomegranate, red-flowered and sour-fruited, with a pungent streak to its nature and a tree ablaze with red in bloom. Distinct in character and unwilling to be ordinary, all edges and angles — the more it matures, the more its flavour shows.

Ravine Water: fine ripples ringing the hills, snowmelt surging in the rapids.

A slender mountain stream, clear and unhurried, welling up at a rock and turning at a bend. This is a nimble, adaptable nature that reads opportunity in small things — those who move with the current gain the most from it.

Spring Water: a cold spring, clear and sweet, nourishing without end.

A clear spring welling up from underground, cold and sweet, never running dry. Its inner nourishment is endless; still water running deep is its true colour, and the calmer it grows the more its depth shows.

Long-Flowing Water: rolling on without limit, surging on without cease.

The unbroken flow of a great river, never resting day or night, bound for far places. Patient and able to go the distance, its achievements gather drop by drop over a long, steady course.

Heavenly River Water: scattering over the six wilds, soaking the thousand fields.

The rain formed from the heavenly river, falling across all the land and blessing every direction. Broad in scope and open in heart, it gives freely and does not much reckon its own gains and losses.

Great Stream Water: fierce waves beating the bank, breakers rising to the sky.

A rushing great stream, waves striking the bank and surging skyward, flowing with force. Full of drive and brisk by nature, bold to charge ahead; amid the rapids, it should keep a measure of calm.

Great Sea Water: taking in the hundred rivers, a boundless expanse of ocean.

The vast ocean that gathers in the hundred rivers, deep and wide beyond bound, holding all things. Great in breadth and capacity, able to store and to contain — a nature built to carry the larger picture.

Fire in the Furnace: heaven and earth are its furnace, yin and yang its charcoal.

Furnace fire, fed by heaven and earth and fanned by yin and yang, burns fiercely. Ardent and driven, once set on something they want to make it big. But a fire this strong needs restraint — only with the right heat does it burn long.

Fire on the Mountain Peak: a wildfire on the moor, its blaze stretching to the horizon.

A wildfire on the summit, a wall of red seen from afar — striking, yet hung high and far from people. High-minded and outwardly brilliant, it should bring its heat back down to solid ground, so it does not burn bright but empty.

Thunderbolt Fire: a single thread of dazzling light, a command from the ninth heaven.

The fire of lightning, striking all at once, swift and fierce. It joins explosive force with decisiveness and can startle the world at a crucial moment; its swings are wide too, so it should find a rhythm between motion and stillness.

Fire at the Mountain's Foot: glimmering among the grass, glowing within the flowers.

The scattered fireflies among the grass and flowers at a mountain's foot, warm and unglaring, close and approachable. A gentle, warming nature — its light is not fierce, but it shines a long while.

Sheltered Lamp Fire: light held in a golden cup, brilliance breathed from a jade stand.

The small flame sheltered within a lamp, steady and bright, lighting the way by night. Warm and finely attuned, it can guide people through the dark; what matters is keeping this lamp from being troubled by the wind.

Fire in the Sky: warming the mountains and seas, its radiance lighting the universe.

The fire of the sun hung high in the sky, lighting the mountains and seas, its brilliance spanning the heavens. Large in bearing and able to light the way for many — pair steadfastness with this heat, and the light reaches far and lasts long.

Roadside Earth: the great ground stretching along the road, ten thousand acres of level field.

The soil beside the great roads and across the wide fields, bearing all who pass and feeding the crops. Practical and willing to give, content to pave the way and carry the load — its achievements build quietly.

City Wall Earth: ramparts of jade for the heavenly capital, a golden fortress for the imperial city.

The earth packed into a city wall, solid and defensible, guarding all within. Steady and dependable, principled and mindful of limits, it can shoulder responsibility and give others a sense of safety.

Rooftop Earth: clay shaped into a grove, water and fire brought into accord.

The tiled earth laid over a roof, keeping out wind and rain and making a home. It values family and gladly shelters, willing to hold up a patch of steady sky for the people it loves.

Wall Earth: leaning on ridgepole and beam, raising up gate and household.

The plaster set on a wall, leaning on ridgepole and beam to make a household. Good at borrowing strength, it thrives where it finds the right support; choosing the right beams and surroundings is its key.

Highway Earth: a grand and open road, a level and even path.

The roadbed earth of the great thoroughfares, reaching in all directions and bearing the traffic north and south. Broad and well-connected, skilled at linking people and affairs, it meets its chances on the move.

Sand Earth: heaped where the waves recede, formed along the shoals.

A sandbar heaped up where the waves draw back — loose to look at, yet able to gather much from little. Low-key and quietly deep, able to endure solitude, its achievements pile up bit by bit.