Duke Virtue Combo.Cooperation with the year’s virtue.
Duke Virtue Combo (歲德合) is the Yin Heavenly Stem that forms a Five Stem Combination with the year’s Duke Virtue stem. Traditionally favourable, it emphasises coordination, agreement and the relational side of constructive annual action.
Agreement becomes useful when it serves a sound direction.
Traditional date-selection language describes Duke Virtue as firm or outward-facing and Duke Virtue Combo as its softer, inward or cooperative counterpart. In contemporary application, the marker can direct attention toward negotiation, alliance, coordination and the people who help constructive work take form.
Its name describes derivation: first calculate Duke Virtue, then take the stem that combines with it. The result is always one of the five Yin stems—己 Ji, 乙 Yi, 辛 Xin, 丁 Ding or 癸 Gui.
A matching stem is not proof of harmony. Proximity, competition for combination, seasonal support, transformation conditions and the larger BaZi structure still determine how the contact behaves.
Ten years resolve into five combining stems.
Use the Year Stem from the layer being examined. The table shows Duke Virtue first, then the Yin stem that combines with it.
| Year Stem | Duke Virtue | Duke Virtue Combo | Five Stem Combination |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 Jia | 甲 Jia | 己 Ji | 甲–己 · Wood/Earth pair |
| 乙 Yi | 庚 Geng | 乙 Yi | 乙–庚 · Wood/Metal pair |
| 丙 Bing | 丙 Bing | 辛 Xin | 丙–辛 · Fire/Metal pair |
| 丁 Ding | 壬 Ren | 丁 Ding | 丁–壬 · Fire/Water pair |
| 戊 Wu | 戊 Wu | 癸 Gui | 戊–癸 · Earth/Water pair |
| 己 Ji | 甲 Jia | 己 Ji | 甲–己 · Wood/Earth pair |
| 庚 Geng | 庚 Geng | 乙 Yi | 乙–庚 · Wood/Metal pair |
| 辛 Xin | 丙 Bing | 辛 Xin | 丙–辛 · Fire/Metal pair |
| 壬 Ren | 壬 Ren | 丁 Ding | 丁–壬 · Fire/Water pair |
| 癸 Gui | 戊 Wu | 癸 Gui | 戊–癸 · Earth/Water pair |
Compact rule: 甲/己 year → 己; 乙/庚 → 乙; 丙/辛 → 辛; 丁/壬 → 丁; 戊/癸 → 癸.
Derive the virtue before deriving its partner.
Choose the year layer
Use either the birth Year Stem or a stated timing year. Do not mix them.
Find Duke Virtue
Map the Year Stem to its governing Yang virtue stem.
Find its partner
Take the Yin stem belonging to that virtue stem’s Five Stem Combination.
Locate the target
Check visible stems, then read placement and structural conditions.
The matching stem suggests where cooperation may enter.
Public alliances
Networks, institutions, social legitimacy and cooperation in the wider environment.
Professional coordination
Colleagues, managers, systems and agreements that support organised delivery.
Personal participation
The target is the Day Master; examine how the self enters agreement and compromise.
Execution partners
Projects, advisers, teams, children or future plans advanced through cooperation.
Direction and agreement should be read together—but not confused.
The governing Yang stem
Represents the more direct, initiating and outward expression of the year’s constructive quality.
- Five Yang-stem targets
- Associated with direction and initiative
- Calculated first
The combining Yin stem
Represents the cooperative, receptive and agreement-building counterpart to Duke Virtue.
- Five Yin-stem targets
- Associated with coordination and alliance
- Derived from the virtue stem
A Ji year gives Jia as Duke Virtue—and Ji as its Combo.
This example also shows why the annual anchor and the target can share the same stem.
From Year Stem to cooperative channel
A combination symbol is not automatic harmony or transformation.
No direct Year-Stem pairing
First calculate Duke Virtue. Duke Virtue Combo pairs with that derived stem, not always directly with the Year Stem.
No assumed transformation
A formal Jia–Ji or Bing–Xin pairing does not prove that the stems transform into a new phase.
No invisible substitution
This version scans visible Heavenly Stems; hidden stems require a separately stated convention.
No guaranteed agreement
Negotiation still depends on incentives, authority, terms, behaviour and evidence.
No isolated verdict
Read season, strength, Ten Gods and interactions before this auxiliary marker.
No mixed time layers
Keep the birth-year reference separate from a current or future year calculation.
Duke Virtue Combo identifies a possible channel of cooperation. It does not tell you that every alliance is wise, equal or sustainable.
Compare the virtue family.
Derived Stars Hub
Return to the complete searchable marker reference.
Duke Virtue
Calculate the governing Yang stem before its combination.
Dragon Virtue
Compare the separate twelve-position Year-Branch rotation.
BaZi Knowledge Hub
Read chart structure before auxiliary markers.
Keep the pair precise.
Is Duke Virtue Combo the same as Duke Virtue?
No. Duke Virtue is the Yang governing stem; Duke Virtue Combo is the Yin stem that forms a Five Stem Combination with it.
Why can the Combo equal the original Year Stem?
In Yin-stem years, the Year Stem is already the combining partner of the derived Yang Duke Virtue stem. For example, a Ji year produces Jia as Duke Virtue and Ji as Duke Virtue Combo.
Does “Combo” mean the two stems transform?
No. It establishes the formal pairing only. Transformation requires additional conditions and should never be assumed from the marker’s name.
Can this be used as a natal marker?
Yes, when the birth Year Stem is explicitly used as the anchor. Keep it separate from current-year applications.
What if the target is absent from the visible stems?
The marker is absent under this presence rule. Its stem may still arrive later through a Luck Pillar or timing cycle.