1. Getting started

When you first open Daoly, you'll enter your name, birth date, birth time (optional but recommended), and birth city. This information is used to compute your BaZi chart — the foundation for everything in the app.

Your birth data stays on your device. It's only sent to our servers when you invite someone for a compatibility reading.

2. Your Day Master

Your Day Master is the core of your BaZi chart — think of it as a sun sign that went to grad school. It's one of ten archetypes, each tied to one of the five elements:

• Pine Tree (Yang Wood) — Slow to bend. Built to outlast you.
• Vine (Yin Wood) — Will find a way. Will not ask permission.
• Sun (Yang Fire) — Cannot be ignored. Has tried.
• Candle (Yin Fire) — Warm, until you waste it.
• Mountain (Yang Earth) — Has not moved since 1997.
• Garden (Yin Earth) — Grows other people. Forgets to grow self.
• Sword (Yang Metal) — Says the thing. Means it. Moves on.
• Jewel (Yin Metal) — Expensive taste, including in people.
• Ocean (Yang Water) — Goes deep. Goes far. Goes quiet.
• Rain (Yin Water) — Soft. Persistent. Erodes mountains.

You can find your Day Master on the Today tab and the Chart tab. Tap the ? button next to any section for a quick explanation of what you're looking at.

3. Today's Energy

Every day, the relationship between the current day's element and your birth element creates a unique energy dynamic. The Today tab shows you:

• Daily Energy headline — a short, specific read on how today's element interacts with yours
• Do / Don't advice — practical suggestions based on the five-element cycle
• Five Element Balance — how the five elements show up across your birth chart
• Today's Hexagram — the I Ching hexagram mapped to the current date

This updates automatically every day. You can also receive it as a morning notification — see the Notifications section below.

4. I Ching readings

The I Ching (Book of Changes) is a 3,000-year-old divination practice. In Daoly, you cast three virtual coins six times to generate a hexagram, then receive a personalized interpretation.

How to cast: Go to the I Ching tab, type a question (or pick one of the suggested prompts), then follow the coin-toss animation. After all six lines are cast, your reading is generated.

What to ask: Be specific. "Should I take the job?" works better than "What does my future hold?" The I Ching responds to focused intent, not fishing expeditions.

Free tier: One cast per day. Daoly+: Unlimited casts.

Asking the same question 14 times in a row isn't divination. It's a breakdown. Sit with the first answer.

5. Compatibility

The Match tab compares two BaZi charts across five dimensions: Energy, Communication, Growth, Friction, and Pace. It's based on how the five elements in each chart interact with each other.

How to use it: Enter the other person's birth information. You can also send them an invite link — they'll fill in their own details through the web, and nothing gets shared beyond the reading.

Their birth information never leaves your device unless they submit it themselves through an invite link.

Free tier: Two compatibility readings. Daoly+: Unlimited.

6. Your BaZi chart

The Chart tab shows your full BaZi chart, which is built from four "pillars" — year, month, day, and hour — each containing a Heavenly Stem and an Earthly Branch. Together, they form eight characters (hence "BaZi" — literally "eight characters").

• Four Pillars — tap any pillar to see its details
• Five Element Balance — the distribution of Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water in your chart
• Ten Gods — the relationships between elements in your chart
• Da Yun (Life Cycles) — the 10-year periods that shape different phases of your life (Daoly+)
• Full Report — a detailed 1,500-word breakdown of your chart (Daoly+)

7. Saved charts

You can save birth profiles for family and friends in the Profile tab. This lets you quickly switch between charts to check their daily energy, run compatibility readings, or view their Day Master.

Saved profiles are stored only on your device.

8. Notifications

Daoly can send you a daily notification with your energy reading. You choose the time — the default is 7:00 AM.

To manage notifications: Go to Profile → Notifications. You can toggle the master switch on or off, and choose which types of notifications you'd like to receive:

• Daily Energy — your morning energy headline
• One Move — a daily action suggestion
• Hexagram Whisper — today's I Ching hexagram insight

You can also adjust notification permissions in your iPhone's Settings app under Daoly.

9. Daoly+ subscription

Daoly+ unlocks the full experience:

• Unlimited I Ching readings
• Full 1,500-word Day Master report
• Full five-dimension compatibility readings
• Da Yun (decade cycle) deep dive
• 3-day free trial

Subscriptions are billed through your Apple ID. You can manage or cancel your subscription in iPhone Settings → [your name] → Subscriptions. Cancelling during the free trial means you won't be charged.

10. Editing your birth information

Your birth data determines your entire chart, so getting it right matters. To update it:

• Go to Profile → tap your birth info section
• Update your name, birth date, birth time, or birth city
• Your chart will recalculate automatically

If you skipped birth time during onboarding, adding it later will activate your Hour Pillar, which adds more detail to your chart.

11. Calendar modes

In Profile settings, you can toggle between Gregorian and Lunar calendar display. You can also choose whether to show lunar dates alongside Gregorian dates throughout the app.

12. Exporting your data

You can export your chart data from Profile → Data Export. This gives you a copy of your saved profiles and reading history.

13. Deleting your account

If you want to leave, you can delete your account from Profile → Delete Account. This is permanent and cannot be undone. It will remove:

• Your account from our server
• All saved charts and reading history from your device
• Your notification tokens
• Your analytics profile

No drama. No "are you sure?" guilt trip emails. Gone means gone.

14. Common questions

• "What if I don't know my birth time?" — That's fine. The Hour Pillar adds resolution, but the rest of your chart is still accurate based on your birth date and location alone. You can always add it later.
• "Is this just astrology?" — No. BaZi and the I Ching are Chinese divination traditions with their own framework, separate from Western astrology. Your sun sign is the tutorial level.
• "Why only one I Ching cast per day?" — The I Ching rewards focused intent. Asking the same question repeatedly dilutes the answer. One cast, one question, sit with it.
• "Do I have to believe in it?" — No. Think of it as a journaling prompt with better taste. The value is in the reflection, not the faith.
• "Why does my reading say 'For self-reflection, not prediction'?" — Because that's exactly what this is. Daoly is a tool for self-understanding, not a crystal ball.

15. Something else?

If your question isn't covered here, reach out:

[email protected]

We read every message. Response times vary, but we'll get back to you.