What to Wear for Your Day Master: Colours for All Ten Stems
Your Day Master is the Heavenly Stem of the day you were born. Each of the ten stems belongs to one element and has a classic image - the tall tree, the candle, the sea. This guide gives each stem its own colours, its supporting colours and the colours that carry its energy onward.
How to read the table
Three columns matter. 'Own colours' are the family of the Day Master's element: they express it. 'Supporting colours' belong to the element that feeds it in the generating cycle: they refill it. 'Outlet colours' belong to the element it feeds: they let it move.
Which of the three you need most depends on the rest of your chart, not on the Day Master alone. A Day Master with little support around it - what the tradition calls weak - is helped by its own and its supporting colours. One with plenty of support - strong - is helped by its outlet colours. The Day Master calculator tells you which you are; the Lucky outfit finder then adds what today brings.
One honest note on fabric. The classical texts give the elements colours, seasons and directions, not textiles. The fabric notes below simply follow the season each element belongs to, and they agree with the rule Daily Look uses for warm or cool constitutions.
| Day Master | Image | Own colours | Supporting colours | Outlet colours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jia Wood | the tall tree | green, teal | black, navy, blue | red, orange, pink |
| Yi Wood | the climbing vine | green, teal | black, navy, blue | red, orange, pink |
| Bing Fire | the sun | red, orange, pink, purple | green, teal | yellow, brown, beige |
| Ding Fire | the candle | red, orange, pink, purple | green, teal | yellow, brown, beige |
| Wu Earth | the mountain | yellow, brown, beige, khaki | red, orange, pink | white, grey, silver |
| Ji Earth | the field | yellow, brown, beige, khaki | red, orange, pink | white, grey, silver |
| Geng Metal | raw iron | white, grey, silver, gold | yellow, brown, beige | black, navy, blue |
| Xin Metal | the jewel | white, grey, silver, gold | yellow, brown, beige | black, navy, blue |
| Ren Water | the sea | black, charcoal, navy, blue | white, grey, silver | green, teal |
| Gui Water | the rain | black, charcoal, navy, blue | white, grey, silver | green, teal |
Jia Wood - the tall tree
Jia is yang Wood: a trunk that grows straight up. Its own colours are the greens. Water colours - navy, black, deep blue - are its support, the way rain feeds a tree, and Fire colours are its outlet, the tree in blossom. As a yang stem it suits colour in plain, generous blocks: a forest-green coat rather than a green pattern. Wood's season is spring, so light layers that can be opened as the day warms fit its character.
Yi Wood - the climbing vine
Yi is yin Wood: grass, vines and flowers, flexible where Jia is upright. The families are the same as Jia's - green to express, Water colours to support, Fire colours to release - but as a yin stem it is traditionally the gentler of the pair, so softer greens and smaller touches of colour follow its image: sage, mint, a scarf or a lining instead of a whole coat. Spring fabrics again: cotton and other light weaves.
Bing Fire - the sun
Bing is yang Fire, the sun that lights everything equally. Reds and oranges express it; greens support it, as wood feeds a fire; Earth colours - beige, brown, sand - are its outlet, the warm ground after a sunny day. Bing carries bright, clear colour well. Fire's season is summer, and summer dressing is airy: cotton, linen, anything that breathes.
Ding Fire - the candle
Ding is yin Fire: a candle, a lamp, the fire in a hearth. It shares Bing's families, but its image is a small steady light rather than a blaze, so warm colours in a quieter key suit it - wine, coral, dusty pink, a single red accent. Greens keep the flame fed. When Ding needs an outlet, soft Earth neutrals do the work without putting the light out.
Wu Earth - the mountain
Wu is yang Earth, the mountain or the city wall: broad and still. Its own colours are the soil tones - camel, brown, khaki, mustard. Fire colours support it, as the sun bakes clay hard; Metal colours - white, grey, silver - are its outlet, the ore inside the rock. Earth belongs to the turning points between seasons, so mid-weight, in-between fabrics that work in changeable weather are its natural territory.
Ji Earth - the field
Ji is yin Earth: garden soil, the field that grows things. Same families as Wu, in a softer register - oatmeal, sand, warm beige. A touch of red or pink is its support. White and pale grey are its outlet and make an easy pairing with beige, which is why a Ji wardrobe often looks effortless: its own colours and its outlet colours are both neutrals.
Geng Metal - raw iron
Geng is yang Metal: ore, an axe, a rock face. White, grey and silver express it. Earth colours support it, since metal is born in the ground; Water colours - black, navy - are its outlet, the cold gleam of a blade in water. Geng suits clean lines and strong contrast: white shirt, charcoal suit. Metal's season is autumn, the time of crisp air and crisper fabrics.
Xin Metal - the jewel
Xin is yin Metal: jewellery, a pearl, fine cut metal. It shares Geng's families, but its image is polish and detail. Here the metallics come into their own - a silver or gold accent, a white collar, a pale grey knit. Beige and brown support it quietly. Navy is the classic outlet for Xin: the tradition likes to say that a jewel shines best when washed by clear water.
Ren Water - the sea
Ren is yang Water: the sea and great rivers, always moving. Black, navy and deep blue express it. Metal colours support it - white and silver, like the spring that feeds the river - and Wood colours are its outlet, water turning into growth. Ren carries dark colour in large areas easily. Water's season is winter, the season of warmth worn close: wool and knits.
Gui Water - the rain
Gui is yin Water: rain, dew and mist. The families match Ren's, in a lighter key - soft blue, blue-grey, a black that is matte rather than glossy. White and silver are its support. Greens are its outlet and suit it well: rain on leaves is the image the tradition itself uses. As with Ren, winter fabrics are at home here.
After the table: check today
Everything above is the standing picture. Days move: a day that already brings plenty of your helpful element asks for the outlet colours instead, and a day that brings the element which checks yours asks for a bridge between the two. The Lucky outfit finder works that out from your birth date and today's date and gives three colours to wear and three to skip.
These are traditional readings for reflection and for fun with your wardrobe. They are not predictions, and they are not advice about health, money or relationships.
👗 Try the Lucky outfit finder Style it from your own closet → Daily Look
Traditional theory · for lifestyle reference. Not medical, financial or personal advice.