The Great Saju Dictionary — Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, Ten Gods, Twelve Stages & the Sexagenary Cycle
Saju-palja (四柱八字, the “Four Pillars, Eight Characters”) records the year, month, day, and hour of your birth as four Heavenly Stem characters (the energies of the sky) + four Earthly Branch characters (the seats of the earth) — eight characters in all. The language that reads the relationships between those eight characters is the Ten Gods (十神, Sipsin).
- Heavenly Stems (天干, Cheongan) — the visible archetypes of temperament and character. Your Day Stem (日干, Ilgan) in particular is “you yourself.”
- Earthly Branches (地支, Jiji) — time (season, hour), environment, and your zodiac animal. If the stems are the actors, the branches are the stage.
- Ten Gods (十神, Sipsin) — the language of relationship, read from the Day Stem. Wealth, honor, expression, and learning are all read here.
The Ten Heavenly Stems (十天干) — Archetypes of Character
| Character | Yin-Yang · Element | Natural Image | Key Traits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gap (甲) | Yang Wood | Great tree | Leadership, pioneering, uprightness |
| Eul (乙) | Yin Wood | Vine, flowering plant | Flexibility, adaptability, substance |
| Byeong (丙) | Yang Fire | Sun | Passion, brightness, expressiveness |
| Jeong (丁) | Yin Fire | Candle, moonlight | Delicate passion, devotion |
| Mu (戊) | Yang Earth | Great mountain | Trust, gravitas, magnanimity |
| Gi (己) | Yin Earth | Garden soil | Nurturing, practicality, attention to detail |
| Gyeong (庚) | Yang Metal | Raw ore, iron | Decisiveness, loyalty, reform |
| Sin (辛) | Yin Metal | Jewel, blade | Sharpness, perfectionism |
| Im (壬) | Yang Water | Ocean | Wisdom, magnanimity, scale |
| Gye (癸) | Yin Water | Drizzle, spring water | Purity, intuition, sensitivity |
The Twelve Earthly Branches (十二地支) — Timing and Environment
| Character | Animal | Element | Hours | Key Traits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ja (子) | Rat | Water | 23:00–01:00 | Wisdom, beginnings |
| Chuk (丑) | Ox | Earth | 01:00–03:00 | Patience, accumulation |
| In (寅) | Tiger | Wood | 03:00–05:00 | Bravery, drive |
| Myo (卯) | Rabbit | Wood | 05:00–07:00 | Gentleness, growth |
| Jin (辰) | Dragon | Earth | 07:00–09:00 | Ambition, change |
| Sa (巳) | Snake | Fire | 09:00–11:00 | Insight, refinement |
| O (午) | Horse | Fire | 11:00–13:00 | Passion, peak |
| Mi (未) | Goat | Earth | 13:00–15:00 | Gentleness, devotion |
| Sin (申) | Monkey | Metal | 15:00–17:00 | Talent, agility |
| Yu (酉) | Rooster | Metal | 17:00–19:00 | Precision, harvest |
| Sul (戌) | Dog | Earth | 19:00–21:00 | Loyalty, guardianship |
| Hae (亥) | Pig | Water | 21:00–23:00 | Abundance, purity |
The Ten Gods (十神) — The Language of Relationship
| Ten God | Definition (relative to the Day Stem) | Domain |
|---|---|---|
| Bigyeon (比肩) | Same element, same polarity | Self, peers, independence |
| Geopjae (劫財) | Same element, opposite polarity | Competition, ambition, wealth swings |
| Siksin (食神) | I generate it, same polarity | Expression, livelihood, talent |
| Sanggwan (傷官) | I generate it, opposite polarity | Eloquence, creativity, challenge |
| Pyeonjae (偏財) | I control it, same polarity | Business, fluid wealth |
| Jeongjae (正財) | I control it, opposite polarity | Fixed wealth, diligence |
| Pyeongwan (偏官) | It controls me, same polarity | Challenge, charisma |
| Jeonggwan (正官) | It controls me, opposite polarity | Honor, order, organization |
| Pyeonin (偏印) | It generates me, same polarity | Intuition, unconventional talent |
| Jeongin (正印) | It generates me, opposite polarity | Learning, receptivity, virtue |
The Twelve Stages (十二運星) — The Life Cycle of an Energy
A language that likens the life of a character’s energy — from birth to dissolution — to twelve stages of a human life. It is used together in reading the Day Branch and the Luck Pillars (Daeun).
| Stage | Life Phase | Key Traits |
|---|---|---|
| Jangsaeng (長生) | Birth | Beginning, growth, benefactors |
| Mokyok (沐浴) | Adolescence | Charm, trends, fluctuation |
| Gwandae (冠帶) | Coming of age | Vigor, honor, challenge |
| Geonrok (建祿) | Independence | Skill, diligence, self-made success |
| Jewang (帝旺) | Prime | Charisma, initiative |
| Soe (衰) | Maturity | Experience, prudence, substance |
| Byeong (病) | Rest | Empathy, sensitivity, reflection |
| Sa (死) | Stillness | Immersion, expertise, single-mindedness |
| Myo (墓) | Storing away | Storage, thrift, management |
| Jeol (絶) | Void | Transition, reset, comeback |
| Tae (胎) | Conception | Ideation, planning, potential |
| Yang (養) | Gestation | Preparation, nurturing, accumulation |
The Sexagenary Cycle (六十甲子) — A Dictionary of 60 Day Pillars
Sixty stem-branch pairs formed by combining the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches — the stem-branch of your birthday is your Day Pillar (日柱, Ilju), the “you yourself” of the chart. We have organized all 60 day pillars, from Gapja to Gyehae, together with their Twelve Stages, Ten Gods, and Sound-Element (Napeum).
→ Browse the dictionary of 60 day pillars
Learn More
- To cast your own saju directly: Saju Calculator (oiyo.net)
- To learn saju from the basics: The Complete Saju Guide (blog.oiyo.net)
- Curious about the Day Stem (Day Pillar) concept: The meaning of the Day Master
Myeongri is not a tool for fixing the future, but a language for understanding innate temperament and timing. Please use it from a place of self-understanding and enjoyment.
OIYO Research Team
Research TeamThe OIYO research team structures material from psychometric scales, statistics, and academic literature. We name both the popular framing and its scholarly limits, so each guide works as a tool for reflection rather than a verdict.