Ch3. The 12 Earthly Branches and Animal Symbols — From Ja (子) to Hae (亥)
What Are the Earthly Branches?
The Earthly Branches classify earth energy into 12 categories. Positioned at the bottom of the four pillars, they represent environmental, material, and subconscious energy.
If the Heavenly Stems represent consciousness and psychology, the Earthly Branches symbolize the actual environment of life, the body, and unconscious behavioral patterns.
| Aspect | Heavenly Stems | Earthly Branches |
|---|---|---|
| Position | Top of the pillars | Bottom of the pillars |
| Energy | Conscious, psychological | Environmental, material |
| Level | Mind | Body, feet |
| Feature | Pure Five Element | Contains hidden stems (Jijanggan) |
Complete Analysis of the 12 Earthly Branches
子 Ja — Rat 🐭
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Water (水) · Yang (陽) |
| Season | Winter (Lunar 11th month) |
| Hour | 23:00–01:00 |
| Direction | North |
Characteristics: Ja-Water is a concentrated pure Water energy. Wise and sharp with excellent adaptability. Like a rat finding its way in the dark, has outstanding crisis response.
Strengths: Strategy, agility, adaptability, wit Watch out for: Overly calculating tendency, anxiety
Hidden stems (Jijanggan): Im/Gye Water (Im 20 days, Gye 10 days)
丑 Chuk — Ox 🐂
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Earth (土) · Yin (陰) |
| Season | Late winter (Lunar 12th month) |
| Hour | 01:00–03:00 |
Characteristics: Chuk-Earth is frozen earth in the cold of winter. Like an ox, works silently and persistently moves toward goals. Slow but certain; once decided, sees it through.
Strengths: Patience, diligence, reliability, steadiness Watch out for: Resistance to change, stubbornness, slow pace
Hidden stems: Gye/Sin/Gi (Gye 9 days, Sin 3 days, Gi 18 days)
寅 In — Tiger 🐯
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Wood (木) · Yang (陽) |
| Season | Early spring (Lunar 1st month) |
| Hour | 03:00–05:00 |
Characteristics: In-Wood is the energy of spring’s beginning and the dawn. Confident and vibrant like a tiger, with the power to awaken the dawn. Strong leadership and drive; independent.
Strengths: Leadership, drive, courage, independence Watch out for: Impulsiveness, rashness, poor follow-through
Hidden stems: Mu/Byeong/Gab (Mu 7 days, Byeong 7 days, Gab 16 days)
卯 Myo — Rabbit 🐰
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Wood (木) · Yin (陰) |
| Season | Mid-spring (Lunar 2nd month) |
| Hour | 05:00–07:00 |
Characteristics: Myo-Wood is the energy of spring in full bloom — sprouts and flowers. Agile, clever, and charming like a rabbit. Rich artistic sensibility; well-liked.
Strengths: Artistry, sociability, agility, charm Watch out for: Indecisiveness, fickleness, dependency
Hidden stems: Gab/Eul (Gab 10 days, Eul 20 days)
辰 Jin — Dragon 🐲
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Earth (土) · Yang (陽) |
| Season | Late spring (Lunar 3rd month) |
| Hour | 07:00–09:00 |
Characteristics: Jin-Earth is fertile soil soaked in spring rain. Mysterious and charismatic like a dragon. As the only mythical animal among the 12 branches, it carries a special energy.
Strengths: Charisma, creativity, insight, special presence Watch out for: Stubbornness, lack of practical sense
Hidden stems: Eul/Gye/Mu (Eul 9 days, Gye 3 days, Mu 18 days) Special: Storage of Water energy — holds Water Qi
巳 Sa — Snake 🐍
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Fire (火) · Yin (陰) |
| Season | Early summer (Lunar 4th month) |
| Hour | 09:00–11:00 |
Characteristics: Sa-Fire is the intense fire of summer’s beginning. Wise and cautious like a snake. Sa-Fire contains Byeong-Fire and Gyeong-Metal as hidden stems, holding both the passion of Fire and the decisiveness of Metal simultaneously.
Strengths: Wisdom, prudence, focus, analytical ability Watch out for: Suspicion, overthinking, occasionally sharp words that wound
Hidden stems: Mu/Gyeong/Byeong (Mu 7 days, Gyeong 7 days, Byeong 16 days)
午 O — Horse 🐴
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Fire (火) · Yang (陽) |
| Season | Midsummer (Lunar 5th month) |
| Hour | 11:00–13:00 |
Characteristics: O-Fire is the noon sun of midsummer — the most intense fire. Free and passionate like a horse. Overflowing with energy; active and candid in emotional expression.
Strengths: Passion, freedom, intuition, activity Watch out for: Impulsiveness, emotional fluctuation, poor endurance
Hidden stems: Byeong/Gi/Jeong (Byeong 10 days, Gi 10 days, Jeong 10 days) Special: Clashes strongly with Ja (子) in the Ja-O clash (子午沖)
未 Mi — Goat 🐑
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Earth (土) · Yin (陰) |
| Season | Late summer (Lunar 6th month) |
| Hour | 13:00–15:00 |
Characteristics: Mi-Earth is dry earth at summer’s end. Gentle and artistically sensitive like a goat. Sensitive and delicate with an emotional temperament.
Strengths: Artistry, patience, gentleness, sensitivity Watch out for: Indecisiveness, excessive worry, difficulty self-expressing
Hidden stems: Jeong/Eul/Gi (Jeong 9 days, Eul 3 days, Gi 18 days) Special: Storage of Fire energy — holds Fire Qi
申 Sin — Monkey 🐵
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Metal (金) · Yang (陽) |
| Season | Early autumn (Lunar 7th month) |
| Hour | 15:00–17:00 |
Characteristics: Sin-Metal is metal under autumn frost. Clever with excellent improvisation like a monkey. Strong strategy and adaptability; multi-talented.
Strengths: Strategy, adaptability, improvisation, talent Watch out for: Fickleness, impulsiveness, overconfidence
Hidden stems: Mu/Im/Gyeong (Mu 7 days, Im 7 days, Gyeong 16 days)
酉 Yu — Rooster 🐓
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Metal (金) · Yin (陰) |
| Season | Mid-autumn (Lunar 8th month) |
| Hour | 17:00–19:00 |
Characteristics: Yu-Metal is the autumn harvest — refined, pure metal. Precise and punctual like a rooster; strong perfectionist tendencies. Sharp and meticulous.
Strengths: Precision, perfectionism, sharp judgment, time management Watch out for: Oversensitivity, critical tendency, excessive perfectionism
Hidden stems: Gyeong/Sin (Gyeong 10 days, Sin 20 days)
戌 Sul — Dog 🐕
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Earth (土) · Yang (陽) |
| Season | Late autumn (Lunar 9th month) |
| Hour | 19:00–21:00 |
Characteristics: Sul-Earth is autumn loess — earth holding Fire energy. Loyal and faithful like a dog. Carries both Fire and Metal energy, creating a complex Qi.
Strengths: Loyalty, faithfulness, independence, drive Watch out for: Stubbornness, unpredictable temperament
Hidden stems: Sin/Jeong/Mu (Sin 9 days, Jeong 3 days, Mu 18 days) Special: Storage of Metal energy — holds Metal Qi
亥 Hae — Pig 🐷
| Item | Content |
|---|---|
| Element | Water (水) · Yin (陰) |
| Season | Early winter (Lunar 10th month) |
| Hour | 21:00–23:00 |
Characteristics: Hae-Water is winter’s beginning — a great river. Auspicious and generous like a pig. Carrying the powerful energy of Im-Water, it is highly strategic and loves freedom.
Strengths: Generosity, strategy, freedom, abundant blessings Watch out for: Laziness, greed, tendency toward overindulgence
Hidden stems: Mu/Gab/Im (Mu 7 days, Gab 7 days, Im 16 days)
Major Combinations (合) and Clashes (沖)
Six Combinations (六合) — mutually harmonizing pairs
| Combination | Elemental change |
|---|---|
| Ja-Chuk (子丑) | Water·Earth → Earth |
| In-Hae (寅亥) | Wood·Water → Wood |
| Myo-Sul (卯戌) | Wood·Earth → Fire |
| Jin-Yu (辰酉) | Earth·Metal → Metal |
| Sa-Sin (巳申) | Fire·Metal → Water |
| O-Mi (午未) | Fire·Earth → Fire·Earth |
Three Combinations (三合) — powerful elemental unions
| Three-way combo | Resulting element |
|---|---|
| In-O-Sul (寅午戌) | Fire |
| Sin-Ja-Jin (申子辰) | Water |
| Sa-Yu-Chuk (巳酉丑) | Metal |
| Hae-Myo-Mi (亥卯未) | Wood |
Six Clashes (六沖) — mutually conflicting pairs
| Clash | Influence |
|---|---|
| Ja-O (子午) | Relocation, job change, conflict |
| Chuk-Mi (丑未) | Relationship change, instability |
| In-Sin (寅申) | Accidents, collision, movement |
| Myo-Yu (卯酉) | Conflict, separation |
| Jin-Sul (辰戌) | Change, turmoil |
| Sa-Hae (巳亥) | Career change, relocation |
Understanding clashes: A clash is not always negative. It is also an energy that sets stagnant things in motion. Sometimes a clash can dissolve something harmful.
OIYO Editorial
Editorial DeskThe OIYO editorial desk researches money, law, lifestyle, and self-understanding topics against primary sources and public statistics. Every piece carries source notes and is reviewed on a regular cycle for accuracy and usefulness.