Does something big always happen in the year a Luck Pillar changes?

The transition period (a year on either side) is a time when the environment changes easily, but the size of events depends on the yearly luck and its combinations and clashes with the natal chart.

If a Luck Pillar is bad, is the whole decade bad?

The Luck Pillar is the background, and the yearly luck changes on top of it every year. There are good years within a hard Luck Pillar, and years to be careful within a good one.

Luck Cycles

What are the 10-year Luck Pillars, and how is the starting age calculated?

As of 2026-10-24 · Edited by Sajunyang · about 2700 characters

One-line answer

The 10-year Luck Pillars (大運) are the major currents of life that change every decade. They start from the Month Pillar and move one step at a time through the sexagenary cycle, either forward or in reverse. Men born in a yang year and women born in a yin year move forward; men born in a yin year and women born in a yang year move in reverse. The age at which the first Luck Pillar begins (the starting age) is found by dividing by 3 the number of days from the birthday to the next solar term (forward) or the previous solar term (reverse).

How is the starting age calculated?

① Look at the polarity of the Year Stem. Gap, Byeong, Mu, Gyeong and Im years are yang years; Eul, Jeong, Gi, Sin and Gye years are yin years. ② Men born in a yang year and women born in a yin year go forward; men born in a yin year and women born in a yang year go in reverse. ③ If forward, count the days from the birthday to the next solar term (the moment it begins); if reverse, from the previous solar term to the birthday. ④ The quotient of those days divided by 3 is the starting age (the age at which the first Luck Pillar begins). Since one day corresponds to four months, the remainder gives the number of months.

For example, if there are 17 days from the birthday to the next solar term, the starting age is 5 (17 ÷ 3 = 5.67, remainder 2 days ≈ 8 months), and the Luck Pillars change at ages 5, 15, 25 and so on. Calculating the solar term time to the minute can change the day count by 1 and the starting age by 1, which is why the starting age differs between almanacs.

How are the Luck Pillars read?

The theme of a decade is read from the Ten God of the Luck Pillar's stem and branch. A Wealth Luck Pillar means money and practical matters; an Officer Luck Pillar means career, promotion and responsibility; a Resource Luck Pillar means study, credentials and protection; an Output Luck Pillar means expression, entrepreneurship and children; a Companion Luck Pillar means independence and competition. For a weak Day Master, a Resource or Companion Luck Pillar is a good period when strength builds; for a strong Day Master, Output, Wealth and Officer Luck Pillars are the periods when results come.

You also look at whether the Luck Pillar's branch combines or clashes with the branches of the natal chart. A Luck Pillar that clashes with the Month Branch brings major changes of workplace or residence, and one that combines with the Day Branch brings binding events like marriage or partnership. Some read the first 5 years of a Luck Pillar as influenced mainly by its stem and the last 5 by its branch.

How do I know which Luck Pillar I am in now?

Rather than your calendar age, look at the 'age ranges cut into decades from the starting age'. If the starting age is 5, ages 5–14 are the first Luck Pillar and ages 15–24 the second. The 'Flow of the Luck Pillars' chapter in the Sajunyang report draws the Luck Pillar table, marks the one you are passing through now, and overlays a score for each Luck Pillar on your life graph to point out 'your best decade ahead'.

FAQ

Does something big always happen in the year a Luck Pillar changes?: The transition period (a year on either side) is a time when the environment changes easily, but the size of events depends on the yearly luck and its combinations and clashes with the natal chart.
If a Luck Pillar is bad, is the whole decade bad?: The Luck Pillar is the background, and the yearly luck changes on top of it every year. There are good years within a hard Luck Pillar, and years to be careful within a good one.

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This article is reference material summarizing traditional Saju theory and does not replace medical, legal or investment judgment. Our calculation standards are published at About Sajunyang.