Reading the Self
Day Master Strength
An assessment of whether the Day Master is well supported or drained within the chart.
Wang Shuai
Day Master strength judges how strong or weak the self-element is, conventionally through three tests: 得令 support from the month and season, 得地 a root in the branches, and 得势 reinforcement from other stems and branches. A common rule of thumb treats meeting two or more of the three as strong and failing two or more as weak. Practitioners agree on the tests, but the exact weighting and cut-off are method- and school-dependent.