Saju glossary
The words you will see in any saju or bazi reading, each in a line or two. Korean terms first, with the Chinese characters alongside.
Heavenly stems (천간, 天干)
Ten stems, the top character of each pillar. They go in yang and yin pairs through the five elements.
| Char | Reading | Element |
|---|---|---|
| 甲 | Gap · jiǎ | Yang Wood |
| 乙 | Eul · yǐ | Yin Wood |
| 丙 | Byeong · bǐng | Yang Fire |
| 丁 | Jeong · dīng | Yin Fire |
| 戊 | Mu · wù | Yang Earth |
| 己 | Gi · jǐ | Yin Earth |
| 庚 | Gyeong · gēng | Yang Metal |
| 辛 | Sin · xīn | Yin Metal |
| 壬 | Im · rén | Yang Water |
| 癸 | Gye · guǐ | Yin Water |
Earthly branches (지지, 地支)
Twelve branches, the bottom character of each pillar. Each has an animal, an element and a two-hour block of the day.
| Char | Reading | Animal | Element | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 子 | Ja · zǐ | Rat | Water | 23:00–01:00 |
| 丑 | Chuk · chǒu | Ox | Earth | 01:00–03:00 |
| 寅 | In · yín | Tiger | Wood | 03:00–05:00 |
| 卯 | Myo · mǎo | Rabbit | Wood | 05:00–07:00 |
| 辰 | Jin · chén | Dragon | Earth | 07:00–09:00 |
| 巳 | Sa · sì | Snake | Fire | 09:00–11:00 |
| 午 | O · wǔ | Horse | Fire | 11:00–13:00 |
| 未 | Mi · wèi | Goat | Earth | 13:00–15:00 |
| 申 | Sin · shēn | Monkey | Metal | 15:00–17:00 |
| 酉 | Yu · yǒu | Rooster | Metal | 17:00–19:00 |
| 戌 | Sul · xū | Dog | Earth | 19:00–21:00 |
| 亥 | Hae · hài | Pig | Water | 21:00–23:00 |
Five elements (오행, 五行)
Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each stem and branch belongs to one. A reading looks at which are strong, which are scarce, and how they feed or check each other.
Day master (일간, 日干)
The stem of your day pillar. Most readings treat it as “you” and describe everything else by how it relates to this one character.
Ten gods (십신, 十神)
Ten names for how each other character relates to your day master, by element and by yin or yang. They are labels for roles in your life, not good or bad luck.
Daeun (대운, 大運)
Ten-year luck pillars. They step forward or backward through the 60 cycle from your month pillar, depending on your year stem and gender. The starting age comes from how far your birth is from the nearest solar term.
Seun (세운, 歲運)
The pillar of each year, such as 丁未 for 2027. A yearly reading compares it with your chart and your current ten-year pillar.
Ipchun (입춘, 立春)
“Start of spring,” the solar term when the sun reaches 315° on its yearly path, around February 3 to 5. Saju years and zodiac animals change here, not on January 1 or Lunar New Year. In 2027 it falls on February 4, 2027, 10:46 Korea time.
Jasi, the 子 hour (자시, 子時)
The first of the twelve hours, 23:00 to 01:00 local time. Schools differ on whether a birth between 23:00 and midnight takes the next day’s pillar. SajuBunny uses the next day by default and lets you switch.
How the elements connect
Feeding cycle
Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood
Checking cycle
Wood → Earth → Water → Fire → Metal → Wood
The ten gods
- Same element as you
- Same-team friend (peer star) · peers & independence
- Friendly rival (peer star) · competition & boldness
- What you produce
- Easygoing creativity (output star) · expression & enjoyment
- Bold self-expression (output star) · new ideas & speaking up
- What you control
- Windfall chances (wealth star) · opportunity & sociability
- Steady earnings (wealth star) · regular pay & planning
- What controls you
- Tough challenge (officer star) · pressure & courage
- Doing things right (officer star) · order & responsibility
- What produces you
- Offbeat insight (resource star) · intuition & unique thinking
- Helping hands (resource star) · support & learning
Questions
What is the difference between a stem and a branch?
Stems are the 10 top characters of each pillar and carry one element with a yin or yang side. Branches are the 12 bottom characters, each tied to an animal, a month and a two-hour block.
What does “day master” mean?
It is the stem of your day pillar. Most readings treat it as you and read the other seven characters in relation to it.
See your own eight characters
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