Saju glossary
Every label that appears on a SajuPaste chart, in one page. Each entry gives the English name we use, the Chinese characters, the Korean name and what a reader means by it.
The chart
The pieces every Saju chart is built from.
- Four Pillars四柱사주
- The year, month, day and hour of birth, each written as a Heavenly Stem over an Earthly Branch. Eight characters in total, which is why Koreans say sajupalja, “four pillars, eight characters”.
- Heavenly Stem天干천간
- The upper character of a pillar. There are ten: five elements, each in a yang and a yin form (甲 Gap, 乙 Eul, 丙 Byeong, 丁 Jeong, 戊 Mu, 己 Gi, 庚 Gyeong, 辛 Sin, 壬 Im, 癸 Gye).
- Earthly Branch地支지지
- The lower character of a pillar. There are twelve, each with an animal name (子 Rat through 亥 Pig) and an element. Branches also contain hidden stems.
- Day Master日主일간
- The Heavenly Stem of the Day pillar. It represents the person; every other character is read by its relationship to the Day Master. Each of the ten stems has its own page on this site.
- Five Elements五行오행
- Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. Each produces the next (Wood feeds Fire) and controls the one after that (Wood controls Earth). The balance of the five across the eight characters is the first thing a reader looks at.
- Yin and Yang陰陽음양
- The polarity of each stem and branch. Yang is outward, active and large (the sun, the mountain); yin is inward, receptive and fine (the candle, the field). Same element, different character.
- Void空亡공망
- Two Earthly Branches that are “empty” for a given Day pillar, derived from the sixty-day cycle. A pillar whose branch is void is read as weakened or unstable in the area it governs.
- Useful God用神용신
- The element the chart most needs to reach balance: the one that strengthens a weak Day Master or drains an overly strong one, adjusted for the season. Readers use it to advise on colours, directions, careers and timing.
- Chart structure格局격국
- A classification of the chart by which ten god dominates the Month pillar (Wealth structure, Officer structure and so on). It describes the chart’s overall shape and typical path.
- Luck Pillar大運대운
- Ten-year periods that each add a stem and branch to the natal chart, running forward or backward from the Month pillar depending on gender and year polarity. The SajuPaste text includes only the current one.
- True solar time진태양시
- Clock time corrected so that noon is when the sun is highest at the birthplace: an offset for longitude plus the small seasonal “equation of time”. SajuPaste uses it for the Day and Hour pillars.
- Solar terms節氣절기
- The twenty-four points of the solar year. The twelve major ones mark the boundaries of the Saju months; the year itself begins at Ipchun (立春), around February 4.
Ten gods
Every character is named by its relationship to the Day Master. Same element, or one that produces, is produced by, controls or is controlled by it, each in a yin or yang version.
- Friend比肩비견
- Same element and same polarity as the Day Master. Peers, siblings, colleagues, self-reliance. Many Friends make a strong, independent chart that shares wealth reluctantly.
- Rob Wealth劫財겁재
- Same element, opposite polarity. Competitors and rivals, but also boldness and drive. In excess it is read as money slipping away through others.
- Eating God食神식신
- The element the Day Master produces, same polarity. Talent expressed easily: food, creativity, enjoyment, children. Gentle output; a chart with a good Eating God is considered comfortable.
- Hurting Officer傷官상관
- The element the Day Master produces, opposite polarity. Sharp expression: wit, rebellion, performance, criticism. Brilliant and troublesome; it “hurts” the Officer, meaning authority and rules.
- Direct Wealth正財정재
- The element the Day Master controls, opposite polarity. Earned money, steady income, the spouse (for a male chart). Read as diligence and reliability.
- Indirect Wealth偏財편재
- The element the Day Master controls, same polarity. Windfalls, business, investments, the father, and a sociable, generous streak. Money that moves.
- Direct Officer正官정관
- The element that controls the Day Master, opposite polarity. Authority, position, discipline, the husband (for a female chart). A well-placed Officer is respectability.
- Seven Killings七殺편관
- The element that controls the Day Master, same polarity. Pressure, power and danger: the general, the surgeon, the crisis. Also called Indirect Officer (편관). Strong charts turn it into achievement; weak ones feel it as stress.
- Direct Resource正印정인
- The element that produces the Day Master, opposite polarity. Support, learning, the mother, protection. A chart with Resource is nurtured and studious.
- Indirect Resource偏印편인
- The element that produces the Day Master, same polarity. Unconventional knowledge, intuition, solitude, specialised skill. Read as originality, sometimes as isolation.
Twelve life stages
Each Day Master passes through twelve phases across the twelve branches, like a life from conception to burial. Also called the twelve qi phases (십이운성).
- Birth長生장생
- Growth stage: fresh energy, support, new beginnings. A favourable phase.
- Bath沐浴목욕
- The infant is washed: exposure, charm, instability. Associated with attraction and with youthful mistakes.
- Youth冠帶관대
- Coming of age, putting on the cap and sash: ambition, dressing up, entering society.
- Prosperity建祿건록
- The official’s salary: the Day Master in its own element at full strength. Independence and earning power.
- Peak帝旺제왕
- The emperor’s height: maximum strength. Powerful, sometimes overbearing; the phase before decline.
- Decline衰쇠
- Energy begins to fade. Experience without force; a settled, cautious phase.
- Sickness病병
- Weakness and vulnerability. Read literally in health matters and figuratively as loss of momentum.
- Death死사
- Stillness. Not literal death but the end of activity; introspection and endings.
- Grave墓묘
- Storage, the tomb: things put away, collected, hidden. Associated with saving and with secrets.
- Extinction絕절
- The lowest point, where the old cycle is cut off before the new one forms. Rootlessness and total change.
- Conception胎태
- New life forming: potential, plans, things not yet visible.
- Nurture養양
- Gestation: being cared for, preparing, growing quietly toward Birth.
Symbolic stars
Named patterns found by comparing branches and stems across the chart (신살). Korean practice uses them freely; where an English name is standard we use it, otherwise the Korean name with a gloss.
- Nobleman天乙貴人천을귀인
- The most valued star: help arrives from others, dangers are softened. Found by the Day Master’s stem.
- Peach Blossom桃花도화
- Attraction and charm; romance, popularity, artistic appeal. Also read as distraction. The year-branch version is listed as Peach Blossom (year).
- Travelling Horse驛馬역마
- Movement: travel, relocation, change of job, restlessness. A career abroad often shows here.
- Canopy Star華蓋화개
- The imperial canopy: art, religion, solitude, scholarship. Creative and spiritual, sometimes lonely.
- General Star將星장성
- Leadership and command. Authority that others accept.
- Academic Star文昌貴人문창귀인
- Learning and writing come easily; success in study and examinations.
- Literacy Star學堂貴人학당귀인
- The schoolhouse: aptitude for study and teaching, similar to the Academic Star.
- Heavenly Doctor天醫천의성
- Healing: aptitude for medicine, care and recovery, one’s own or others’.
- Heavenly Virtue天德貴人천덕귀인
- Protective star: misfortune is lessened, kindness is returned.
- Monthly Virtue月德貴人월덕귀인
- Like Heavenly Virtue, found from the month branch. Read as a benevolent, forgiving nature.
- Golden Carriage金輿금여
- The gilded carriage: comfort, good marriage, support from a spouse’s family.
- Red Peach Blossom紅艶홍염
- A stronger, more glamorous Peach Blossom: allure and romantic entanglement.
- Yang Blade羊刃양인
- The blade of excess strength: decisiveness, courage, surgery, and a warning about accidents and temper.
- White Tiger白虎백호
- A pillar of intense energy, traditionally associated with sudden events and strong will. Modern readers treat it as drive that needs an outlet.
- Kui Gang魁罡괴강
- Four specific pillars of concentrated power. Bold, capable, uncompromising personalities; hard on themselves and others.
- Seven Killings star七殺칠살
- As a star: a branch whose main hidden stem is the Day Master’s Seven Killings. Pressure and challenge in that pillar.
- Robbing Star劫殺겁살
- One of the twelve year-branch stars: loss, competition, things taken. Also read as an urge to win.
- Jaesal (disaster)災殺재살
- Year-branch star: sudden trouble, entanglements with authority. Read with caution rather than fear.
- Cheonsal (heaven)天殺천살
- Year-branch star: events beyond one’s control; also pride and aspiration.
- Jisal (earth)地殺지살
- Year-branch star: moving house, changing base; a milder Travelling Horse.
- Wolsal (month)月殺월살
- Year-branch star: dryness and obstruction; effort that is slow to bear fruit.
- Mangsin (disgrace)亡神망신
- Year-branch star: exposure, embarrassment, secrets coming out; also strategic cleverness.
- Banan (saddle)攀鞍반안
- Year-branch star: the saddle beside the General: promotion, comfort, steady advancement.
- Yukhae (six harms)六害육해
- Year-branch star: quiet friction and illness in the household; also persistence.
- Hyeonchim (hanging needle)懸針현침
- Characters with a vertical stroke (甲 辛 卯 午 申): sharpness, precision, surgery, needles; a sharp tongue.
- Tanghwa (scalding fire)湯火탕화
- Day branches 丑, 寅 or 午: traditionally a caution about burns and heat, read today as fiery temperament.
- Goran (lonely spouse)孤鸞고란
- Specific day pillars associated with solitude in marriage. Modern readers treat it as independence in relationships.
- Ganyeojidong (twin pillar)干與支同간여지동
- Stem and branch of the same element in one pillar: strong self-will and a stubborn, self-contained energy in that area of life.
- Amnok (hidden prosperity)暗祿암록
- Support that is not visible: help and income from unexpected sources.
- Bokseong (blessing noble)福星貴人복성귀인
- Good fortune and comfort; a life that finds its needs met.
- Ildeok (day virtue)日德일덕
- Specific day pillars read as benevolent and protected.
Interactions
Pairs and groups of characters that react to each other (합충형파해). These are where the action in a chart is.
- Stem Combination合천간합
- Five pairs of Heavenly Stems that attract and may transform into another element (甲 with 己 into Earth, 乙 with 庚 into Metal, and so on). Read as bonds, partnership, sometimes distraction.
- Six Combination六合육합
- Six pairs of branches that bind together (子 with 丑, 寅 with 亥…). Harmony, attachment, cooperation.
- Triangular Combination三合삼합
- Three branches that form a complete element frame (寅 午 戌 make Fire). A powerful alliance that shifts the whole chart toward that element.
- Half Triangular Combination半合반합
- Two of the three branches of a triangular combination. A partial, weaker version of the same pull.
- Directional Combination方合방합
- Three branches of one season together (寅 卯 辰 for spring). The strongest seasonal concentration of an element.
- Clash沖충
- Two branches directly opposed (子 against 午). Conflict, movement, breaking: the most commented interaction in any reading.
- Punishment刑형
- Groups of branches that strain each other (寅 巳 申; 丑 戌 未; and others). Read as friction, legal trouble, self-inflicted difficulty.
- Destruction破파
- Pairs that break each other quietly. Milder than a clash; plans that come apart.
- Harm害해
- Pairs that undermine each other. Hidden hurt, betrayal by those close, health nagging.
- Wonjin (resentment)怨嗔원진
- A Korean-practice pair of branches read as mutual resentment: attraction mixed with irritation, common in relationship readings.
- Gwimun (ghost gate)鬼門귀문
- A Korean-practice pair of branches associated with sensitivity, intuition and psychological intensity.