Your birth-year movement pattern is the specific combination of grand movement (大运, Dayun), sufficient-or-deficient state, and Sitian-Zaiquan qi pair that characterised the climate of the year you were born. Understanding this pattern gives you a personalised entry point into WuYun-LiuQi — not a personality reading, but a climatic context for your starting point in the world.
Three layers of the birth-year pattern
The pattern is built from three computed layers. First, the grand movement: the heavenly stem of your birth year maps to one of the five elements — Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, or Water — which describes the dominant climatic movement of that year. Second, the sufficient-or-deficient state: a yang stem produces a sufficient (太过) movement with stronger climatic expression, while a yin stem produces a deficient (不及) movement with milder expression. Third, the Sitian-Zaiquan pair: the earthly branch of your birth year determines which of the six qi governed the upper and lower halves of the year. 《素问·六元正纪大论》 catalogues all sixty possible combinations in detail.
Movement tendencies in classical wellness theory
Each movement carries characteristic wellness tendencies in classical theory. A Wood-year pattern suggests a climate of wind and growth, with classical guidance favouring gentle expansion and emotional smoothness. A Fire-year pattern suggests heat and intensity, with guidance toward moderation and cooling practices. An Earth-year pattern brings dampness and stability, favouring regular routines and spleen-supportive foods. A Metal-year pattern brings dryness and contraction, encouraging lung-supportive habits. A Water-year pattern brings cold and storage, with guidance for warmth and conservation. These are seasonal-climate correspondences, not constitutional diagnoses.
How TianJi computes and cites the pattern
TianJi computes your birth-year pattern deterministically from the year you enter. It resolves the grand movement from the heavenly stem, evaluates the sufficient-or-deficient state from the stem's yin-yang polarity, and identifies the Sitian and Zaiquan qi from the earthly branch. The result is presented as an educational snapshot with classical citations — you can see exactly which Suwen passage describes your year's climatic character and what lifestyle guidance the classical tradition associates with it.
A starting reference, not a fixed health label
The birth-year movement pattern is best understood as a starting reference, not a fixed label. Classical theory does not claim that your birth year determines your health any more than the weather on your birthday determines your life. The pattern is a lens — a way to see how the climate of your origin year fits into the larger WuYun-LiuQi framework. For any actual health question, the answer comes from a qualified practitioner, not from a calendar calculation.