Structure
What is the Day Master, and what is the character of each of the 10 Heavenly Stems?
As of · Edited by Sajunyang · about 2200 characters
One-line answer
The Day Master (日干) is the upper character of your birth-day pillar, the reference point among the eight characters that means 'you yourself'. It is one of the ten Heavenly Stems, Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong, Mu, Gi, Gyeong, Sin, Im and Gye, and whether each of the other seven characters means wealth, career or study (the Ten Gods) is decided entirely by its relationship to this Day Master.
How do you find the Day Master?
When a chart is constructed, four pillars appear, and the second from the left (or third, depending on the layout) is the Day Pillar. The upper character of the Day Pillar is the Day Master. For example, if the Day Pillar is Gapja (甲子), the Day Master is Gap (甲), that is, Gap Wood. On Sajunyang's result screen it is shown directly in the card labeled 'The character that represents you · Day Master'.
The Day Master has nothing to do with your lunar birthday or your zodiac animal. Because the sexagenary cycle advances one step per day, people born under the same zodiac animal in the same month can have any of the ten Day Masters.
What does each of the 10 Heavenly Stems mean?
The Heavenly Stems are the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) each split into yang and yin, making ten characters. Gap (甲) is yang Wood, a great tree; Eul (乙) is yin Wood, flowering plants and vines; Byeong (丙) is the sun; Jeong (丁) is a candle or lamp; Mu (戊) is a great mountain; Gi (己) is the soil of farmland; Gyeong (庚) is rock and raw ore; Sin (辛) is a jewel or a blade; Im (壬) is the sea and rivers; Gye (癸) is rain and spring water.
Within the same element, a yang stem reveals itself outward and pushes forward, while a yin stem consolidates inward and adapts. The table below gives the one-line character of each of the ten Day Masters as used in Sajunyang's reports.
Do people with the same Day Master have the same personality?
The basic grain is similar, but not the same. The Day Master is only the material of the vessel called 'you'. How it actually shows depends greatly on which season (Month Branch) the vessel sits in, whether the surrounding seven characters support or suppress you (strong or weak Day Master), and which Ten Gods are plentiful. Even among Gap Wood people, a Gap Wood born in winter (Ja month) and one born in summer (O month) need different things.
So sorting people into ten types by Day Master alone is no better than personality-by-blood-type. The Day Master is the starting point; the reading is done with all eight characters.
The 10 Heavenly Stems at a glance
| Stem | Element | Yin/Yang | One-line character | Keywords |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gap (甲) | Wood (木) | Yang (+) | The person who grows straight and tall like a great tree | Straightforward · Front-runner · Growth |
| Eul (乙) | Wood (木) | Yin (−) | The person like a flower or vine that sways in the wind but never breaks | Flexibility · Practicality · Detours |
| Byeong (丙) | Fire (火) | Yang (+) | The person like the sun that lights up the world | Brightness · Passion · Candor |
| Jeong (丁) | Fire (火) | Yin (−) | The person like a candle glowing softly in the dark | Focus · Craftsmanship · Warmth |
| Mu (戊) | Earth (土) | Yang (+) | The person like a great mountain that embraces everything | Dependability · Credibility · Mediation |
| Gi (己) | Earth (土) | Yin (−) | The person like fertile farmland that raises life | Substance · Management · Nurturing |
| Gyeong (庚) | Metal (金) | Yang (+) | The person like raw ore and steel waiting to be forged hard | Decisiveness · Loyalty · Competitive grit |
| Sin (辛) | Metal (金) | Yin (−) | The person who shines like a finely cut jewel | Precision · Perfectionism · Refinement |
| Im (壬) | Water (水) | Yang (+) | The person like a great river and sea flowing wide and deep | Scale · Strategy · Freedom |
| Gye (癸) | Water (水) | Yin (−) | The person like rain and dew that moistens all things | Intuition · Imagination · Behind the scenes |
FAQ
- Which matters more, the Day Master or the zodiac animal?
- In Saju theory, the Day Master. The zodiac animal (Year Branch) is just one of the eight characters, and the reference for every Ten Gods judgment is the Day Master.
- Is a weak Day Master a bad chart?
- No. A weak-Day-Master chart receives help from others well and is strong in collaboration. It is not a matter of good or bad, only of which environment brings out your strength.
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- What is the Day Pillar, and why is the Day Branch called the spouse palace?
- What are the Ten Gods, and what does each of the ten mean?
- What are strong and weak Day Masters, and how is the Useful God (complementary element) determined?
- What are the Five Elements, and why does their balance matter in Saju?
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.