---
type: Knowledge Base
title: "Damo Yi Zhang Jing Knowledge Base (達摩一掌經知識庫)"
description: "An Open Knowledge Format reference for Damo Yi Zhang Jing (the Palm Sutra): the twelve palm stars and the four pillars, and how a reading is cast."
resource: https://localpapa.com/tools/yizhang.html
tags: [yizhang, palm-sutra, damo-yi-zhang-jing, chinese-divination, okf]
timestamp: 2026-06-21T00:00:00Z
---

# Damo Yi Zhang Jing Knowledge Base · 達摩一掌經知識庫

**Damo Yi Zhang Jing** (達摩一掌經, "Bodhidharma’s Palm Sutra") is a traditional Chinese date-of-birth divination. Using the **lunar** birth date, the four pillars — **year, month, day and hour** — are counted in turn onto the twelve earthly branches laid out on the palm, each branch carrying one of **twelve palm stars**. The stars the four pillars land on describe a person’s innate foundation, character and fortune across life.

This is the **static knowledge layer** in [Open Knowledge Format](https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/data-analytics/how-the-open-knowledge-format-can-improve-data-sharing/): stable, human- and agent-readable definitions. The **dynamic layer** — casting an actual reading from a birth date — runs 100% in the browser at <https://localpapa.com/tools/yizhang.html>, with nothing uploaded.

## Navigate

- [The Twelve Palm Stars](./stars/index.md) — 掌中十二星
- [The Four Pillars](./pillars/index.md) — 四柱
- [The Six Realms](./realms/index.md) — 六道根性 (past-life nature)
- [The Five Elements](./elements/index.md) — 四柱五行 (element generation & restriction)
- [Four-pillar Interactions](./interactions.md) — 四柱交互 (clash, harmony, punishment, harm, destruction & named patterns)
- [Schools & Conventions](./schools/index.md) — 流派 (late-Zi & leap-month choices)
- [Annual Fortune](./annual.md) — 流年 (time dimension)
- [Decade Luck](./decades.md) — 大限 (ten-year periods)
- [Monthly Palm Star](./monthly.md) — 本月掌中星／流月 (the step between year and day)

- [Daily Palm Star](./daily.md) — 今日掌中星／流日 (the daily layer, and why it is not classical)

## How a reading is cast

1. Convert the Gregorian birth date to the **Chinese lunar** date.
2. **Year:** place the year pillar on the branch of the birth year.
3. **Month:** from the year branch as the 1st lunar month, count forward to the birth month.
4. **Day:** from the month branch as the 1st day, count forward to the lunar birth day.
5. **Hour:** from the day branch as the Zi (子) hour, count forward to the birth two-hour branch.
6. Read the **palm star** each of the four pillars lands on — the Year pillar (根基) first.

## Advanced reading

- **Six-realm nature (六道根性):** the **Year pillar** star points to one of the [six realms](./realms/index.md) one is said to have come from, colouring innate character.
- **Four-pillar interaction (四柱交互):** the earthly branches of the four pillars can **clash (沖)**, **harmonise (合)**, form a **trine (三合)**, **punish (刑)**, **harm (害)** or **break (破)** one another — and one pair can carry several of these at once. A palm star repeated across pillars is amplified, and certain star combinations form [named patterns](./interactions.md) — together these show how the areas of life pull on or reinforce each other.
- **Five-element generation & restriction (四柱五行生剋):** each pillar carries one of the [five elements](./elements/index.md); their balance (which is abundant or missing) and how they **generate (相生)** or **restrict (相剋)** between adjacent pillars adds a further layer.
- **Schools & conventions (流派):** schools differ on the **late-Zi day boundary** and **leap-month assignment** — see [schools](./schools/index.md); the tool lets you choose.
- **Annual fortune / time dimension (流年):** each year’s branch fixes a palm star, read against **all four** natal pillars to say which part of life the year lands on — see [annual fortune](./annual.md).
- **Decade luck (大限):** ten-year periods walked around the twelve palaces. Schools disagree on where they start, so the tool offers two documented methods — see [decade luck](./decades.md).

> For entertainment and cultural reference. The Palm Sutra is interpretive and schools differ on a few placement details; this base reflects a common mainstream method.

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*Part of the [LocalPapa knowledge pack](../index.md). Tool: [Palm Sutra reading](https://localpapa.com/tools/yizhang.html).*