15．The Eight Characters of a Horoscope

The Eight Characters of a Horoscope (生辰八字，or Bazi)is a Chinese conceptual term in Chinese astrology. It describes the four components creating a person's destiny or fate. These four components are the year, month, day, and hour when he or she was born. In Chinese each of these components is expressed by two characters, which are a combination of the Heavenly Stems (天干) and Earthly Branches (地支). All together there are eight characters. The fortuneteller can tell a person's qualities, relationships, potential for good career, and health risks according to his Eight Characters.

In ancient China, when parents looked for a wife or husband for their son or daughter, they had to consider a number of factors. One of the factors was to see if the would-be couple would be good enough based on their Eight Characters with the Chinese Almanac (老皇历). If the prediction was not good, the marriage would be called off.