Great Stream Water
Great Stream Water — One of the thirty NaYin of the sixty JiaZi, paired with JiaYin and YiMao — a current backed by its source, swelling as it runs east: the image of an enterprising life that starts small and widens with every mile.
On this page
Great Stream Water (dà xī shuǐ) is the NaYin of JiaYin and YiMao, taking its image from a stream that rises in the eastern quarter and gathers tributaries as it travels. Its defining qualities are source and direction: supply gives it sustained force, an eastward course gives it a path, and each ravine and spring enlarges the current along the way.
The classical imagery
The San Ming Tong Hui explains the water of JiaYin and YiMao:
“The qi issues forth at Yangming; the water's force trusts its source, pouring eastward in torrents, its power growing ever greater — hence it is called Great Stream Water.”
"The water's force trusts its source, pouring eastward in torrents" — trusting its source is the heart of it: this water's confidence rests not on how wide it is today but on a headspring that never fails. A small beginning matters little; with the direction right and the source alive, greatness is only a matter of time.
Matching GanZhi and birth years
| GanZhi | NaYin | Recent birth years | Next cycle | Zodiac |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Yin | Great Stream Water | 1914 · 1974 | 2034 | Tiger |
| Yi Mao | Great Stream Water | 1915 · 1975 | 2035 | Rabbit |
※ Year boundaries strictly follow LiChun (start of spring): anyone born before LiChun in early solar year belongs to the previous GanZhi year, and the NaYin changes accordingly. Table generated by the Guanyitang chart engine.
Among the moving waters, what sets Great Stream Water apart is its capacity to grow:
| NaYin | JiaZi pairs | Imagery in brief |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain-Stream Water | Bing Zi · Ding Chou | A trickling stream that nourishes in silence |
| Spring Water | Jia Shen · Yi You | Never exhausted by drawing — still water runs deep |
| Long-Flowing Water | Ren Chen · Gui Si | Filling each hollow before advancing — a ceaseless flow |
| Sky-River Water | Bing Wu · Ding Wei | Rain from the Sky River, blessing every quarter |
| Great Stream Water | Jia Yin · Yi Mao | Fed by its source, flowing east and gathering force |
| Ocean Water | Ren Xu · Gui Hai | Receiving a hundred rivers without overflowing |
Traditional reading of the temperament
Tradition describes the Great Stream Water life as forward-driving and expansive: born facing ahead, unattached to old ground, its trajectory typically reads "the farther from the source, the grander the scene" — leaving a small place to make its mark on a larger stage. It absorbs as it travels: insight, networks and opportunities are all folded into its growing volume.
The old books' warning concerns the "torrent" in the image: as the current swells it turns rash — in fair winds this life must beware of overreach and of the silt swept up along the way, for a clear stream that expands too fast runs muddy. As for the old texts on men and women — the male prospering far from home, the female bright and upward-striving — these are the idioms of another age, to be heard and half-forgotten.
Notable figures
The birth years of these public figures correspond to Great Stream Water(every entry verified against the LiChun boundary by the Guanyitang chart engine):
| Name | Birth year | Year pillar | Field |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhou Xun | 1974 | Jia Yin | Actress |
| Leonardo DiCaprio | 1974 | Jia Yin | Actor |
| Angelina Jolie | 1975 | Yi Mao | Actress |
※ This table only states the factual mapping between birth year and NaYin. It implies no judgement of anyone’s destiny; year boundaries follow LiChun.
Relations with other NaYin
In folk NaYin lore, Great Stream Water likes Metal at its source and fellow currents to merge with: Gold-Foil Gold, White Wax Gold and their kin are said to reinforce the headspring, while meeting Long-Flowing Water or Ocean Water is "rivers entering the sea," growing with every confluence. What a stream dreads most is a dam thrown up midway — the dry Earth NaYin are generally read as unfavorable in the old books. Such couplets sketch the temper of water; a human course must still be examined chart by chart.
FAQ
- How does Great Stream Water differ from Long-Flowing Water?
- Both take flowing as their image; the divide is the stage of the journey. Long-Flowing Water is about continuity — filling every hollow, prized for stamina. Great Stream Water is about growth — trusting its source and running east, gathering width as it goes. One is the endurance type, the other the growth type.
- Am I a Great Stream Water life if I was born in 1975?
- Yes — 1975 (YiMao) births take Great Stream Water as the NaYin of the year pillar. Since the BaZi year changes at LiChun (start of spring), a birth before LiChun on February 4, 1975 belongs to the previous year JiaYin — also Great Stream Water, so crossing the boundary leaves this NaYin unchanged.
- What development path suits a Great Stream Water life?
- Extending the imagery: a stream becomes great by absorbing tributaries along the way — tradition says this life belongs "on the road," gathering experience, connections and lessons, its growth curve steepening with everything it takes in. This is cultural association, not counsel; real career choices should rest on real-world grounds.
References
- Wan Minying (Ming dynasty), San Ming Tong Hui, vol. 1, “On NaYin Imagery”
- Attr. Xu Ziping (Song dynasty), Yuan Hai Zi Ping, “On the NaYin of the Sixty JiaZi”
- Guanyitang chart engine · sixty-JiaZi NaYin reference data