\t <\/p>\n
\tEven today, when people talk about Chinese Astrology, it is a common misconception that the animals assigned by year are the only signs of the zodiac. Many western descriptions of Chinese astrology draw solely on this system. In fact, there are also animal signs assigned by month (called inner animals) and hours of the day (called secret animals).<\/span> \t\u65f6\u8fb0\u516b\u5b57 \t \t• Fu, \u798f (fortune) signifying luck;
\t
\tFour Pillars of Destiny is a Chinese term that comprises of four elements of a person’s destiny or fate. The four components are taken from the moment of birth. They are the <\/span><\/span>year, <\/span><\/span>month,<\/span> <\/span>day, and time <\/span><\/span>(hour). Each of these elements are important in Chinese astrology, the zodiac and fortune telling.<\/span>
\t
\tThe term Four Pillars of Destiny come from the Chinese:<\/span>
\t
\t<\/span><\/p>\n
\tshíchen b\u0101zì
\tHour of the Eight characters
\t
\t\u56db\u67f1\u547d\u7406\u5b66
\tsì zhù mìngl\u01d0xué
\tThe Four Pillars Life-ology
\t
\t\u5b50\u5e73\u547d\u7406
\tz\u01d0 píng mìng l\u01d0
\tThe Four Pillars of Life<\/span><\/p>\n
\tCommonly referred to by the shortened names of "Four Pillars" or "b\u0101 zì" these charts include both the element (Ten Heavenly Stems) and zodiac animal (Twelve Earthly Branches) of the year, month, day, and hour of birth, giving eight characters.<\/span>
\t
\tTen Heavenly Stems are the yin and yang components of the Five Elements: Yang Wood, Yin Wood, Yang Fire, Yin Fire , Yang Earth, Yin Earth, Yang Metal, Yin Metal, Yang Water, Yin Water.<\/span>
\t
\tThe Twelve Earthly Branches are more popularly represented by the twelve animals of the Zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.<\/span>
\t
\tThe culture of Chinese Fortune Telling (\u4e2d\u534e\u5409\u7965\u6587\u5316 Zh\u014dnghuá jíxiáng wénhuà) is based on five principles that to the skilled can be judged from the balance found in the Eight Characters determined by the Ten Heavenly Stems and the Twelve Earthly Branches that are associated with the time and date of your birth. The five principles are:<\/span>
\t<\/span><\/p>\n
\t• Lu, \u7984 (affluence) for fame and recognition;
\t• Shou, \u5bff (longevity) for health;
\t• Xi, \u559c (happiness) for joy;
\t• Cai, \u8d22 (wealth) for abundance and riches.<\/span><\/p>\n