子
Aquarius in BaZi and the Day Pillars
The rat at midnight
The sign that changes the game with a different idea. In the table of twelve stations it pairs with the Rat (子), the very heart of the Water Three Harmony (申子辰).
In this article
Aquarius at a glance
| Dates | Jan 20 to Feb 17 (2027 dates in UTC; can shift by a day with the year and your time zone) |
|---|---|
| Sun longitude | 300° ~ 330° |
| Western element | Air (same element: Gemini, Libra) |
| Chinese station and branch | Baoping 寶瓶宮 = 玄枵 = 子 (Rat) |
| Three Harmony frame | Water frame 申子辰 (Monkey, Rat, Dragon) |
Aquarius personality
Aquarius begins at Major Cold, 300° of solar longitude. The West calls it an air sign; in BaZi terms it is the Rat branch, midnight water. Independent and full of ideas, you look for ways everyone can do better. Like a rat you are clever and good at finding the gaps others miss.
Aquarius in love
You like love that feels like friendship, with room for both of you to be free. You tend to share thoughts before feelings, so now and then show your heart as it is.
Aquarius at work
Technology, research, planning and social causes suit you: work that tries new ways of doing things.
What Aquarius should watch
Always choosing the other road can get lonely. The Rat branch is midnight water and thinking can run cold, so spend time with warm people often.
Aquarius: Day Pillars sitting on 子 (Rat) (5)
The day branch is the same branch this sign is paired with, so both traditions point to the same animal.
Gap-ja Day PillarWood Rat
Byeong-ja Day PillarFire Rat
Mu-ja Day PillarEarth Rat
Gyeong-ja Day PillarMetal Rat
Im-ja Day PillarWater Rat
Aquarius: Day Pillars in the same Three Harmony (10)
The day branch belongs to the same Three Harmony as Aquarius: Water frame 申子辰 (Monkey, Rat, Dragon). They face the same direction.
Mu-jin Day PillarEarth Dragon
Im-sin Day PillarWater Monkey
Gyeong-jin Day PillarMetal Dragon
Gap-sin Day PillarWood Monkey
Im-jin Day PillarWater Dragon
Byeong-sin Day PillarFire Monkey
Gap-jin Day PillarWood Dragon
Mu-sin Day PillarEarth Monkey
Byeong-jin Day PillarFire Dragon
Gyeong-sin Day PillarMetal Monkey
Aquarius: Day Pillars in Six Harmony (5)
The day branch forms a Six Harmony with 子. Each fills in what the other lacks.
Eul-chuk Day PillarWood Ox
Jeong-chuk Day PillarFire Ox
Gi-chuk Day PillarEarth Ox
Sin-chuk Day PillarMetal Ox
Gye-chuk Day PillarWater Ox
Aquarius: Day Pillars in Clash (5)
The day branch clashes with 子, sitting directly opposite it. Outer style and inner pace pull in different directions.
Gyeong-o Day PillarMetal Horse
Im-o Day PillarWater Horse
Gap-o Day PillarWood Horse
Byeong-o Day PillarFire Horse
Mu-o Day PillarEarth Horse
Your sign is set by the 30° stretch of ecliptic longitude the Sun was crossing at your birth. The cusps (the mid-month solar terms such as the spring equinox) shift by about a day from year to year, so if you were born on a cusp day, add your birth time too. The sign-to-branch pairing follows the names in the traditional Chinese table of twelve stations, whose boundaries sit about 15° off the Western signs. Read it for fun.