Jeong-sa (丁巳) in Korean Saju: The Candle Beside the Furnace
Jeong-sa (丁巳) is Jeong, Yin Fire, sitting on Sa, the Fire Snake. It is the 54th pair in the sixty-day cycle (육십갑자 六十甲子, yuksip gapja), between Byeong-jin (丙辰) and Mu-o (戊午). Picture a workshop in early summer: a blacksmith's furnace roars in the corner, and on the bench beside it a single candle burns steadily, lighting the fine work. The candle is small next to the furnace, but it is the one that shows the detail. Jeong-sa is concentrated fire in a very hot room.
The image
Stem and branch are both Fire. The hidden stems (지장간 支藏干, jijanggan) of 巳 are Mu (戊) Yang Earth for 7 days, Gyeong (庚) Yang Metal for 7 days and Byeong (丙) Yang Fire for 16 days. For a Jeong Day Master (일간 日干, ilgan), Mu is the Hurting Officer, Gyeong is Direct Wealth and Byeong is Rob Wealth. Byeong is the main stem, so the branch reads as Rob Wealth.
That main stem tells the story. Byeong is the sun, and Jeong is the candle. Classical writers have a phrase for this: the sun stealing the candle's light (병탈정광 丙奪丁光, byeong-tal jeong-gwang). A Jeong-sa person often stands beside someone or something brighter, a sibling, a partner, a famous employer, and has to decide whether to compete or to do the precise work the bigger fire cannot.
The minor stems add range. The Hurting Officer gives sharp, expressive speech, and the Direct Wealth in 巳 is the Metal being worked in the furnace: steady income through skill.
On the twelve life stages (십이운성 十二運星, sibi-unseong), Jeong at 巳 is at Emperor (제왕 帝旺, jewang), peak strength in the reversed Yin cycle most Korean schools use. Together with all that Fire in the branch, Jeong-sa is usually read as a strong Day Master that benefits from Earth, Metal or Water to give it direction.
Character
Jeong-sa people tend to be intense, focused and quietly proud. The Snake's quality shows as patience before a decisive move. They notice detail, hold opinions firmly, and often have a talent that improves under pressure.
Blind spots: comparing themselves with the brighter fire next to them, which can turn into rivalry or resentment; a sharp tongue from the Hurting Officer; and difficulty asking for help once they have decided to manage alone. They do their best work when they stop competing with the sun.
Relationships
The day branch is the spouse palace (배우자궁 配偶者宮, baeujagung). Rob Wealth there traditionally pictures a partner who is a peer, sometimes a stronger, more public personality, and a relationship with a competitive edge. For a man, classical texts note that Rob Wealth contends with the Wealth star representing the wife, and recommend clear agreements about money. The Direct Wealth also sitting in the branch softens this: a stable, practical bond is well within reach.
Traditional notes: Im-sin (壬申) is the harmony pillar, with 丁 and 壬 combining and 巳 and 申 combining, called 천지합 (天地合, cheonjihap). Gye-hae (癸亥) is the clash pillar, with 癸 controlling 丁 and 亥 clashing 巳, called 천극지충 (天剋地沖, cheongeuk jichung).
Work and money
Jeong-sa suits skilled, high-concentration work: precision technical roles, engineering, jewellery and metalwork, software, performance, analysis, competitive fields. It also does well as the specialist inside a larger, louder organisation. Money comes through mastery, which the Direct Wealth supports, but Rob Wealth means joint ventures and loans to friends need firm terms.
How Jeong-sa differs from the other Jeong pillars
- Jeong-hae (丁亥) is its clash opposite: a lamp on night water at Conception, sitting on the Direct Officer. Jeong-sa is at Emperor on Fire, answering mostly to itself.
- Jeong-mi (丁未) is also strong but its branch is Earth with an Eating God main stem, so its strength flows into output. Jeong-sa's strength stays in the Fire.
- Jeong-yu (丁酉) sits on Wealth and faces the market. Jeong-sa sits on Rob Wealth and faces its rivals.
- Jeong-chuk (丁丑) is at Tomb and works patiently in the cold; Jeong-sa works in the heat.
Jeong-sa in 2026–2030
- 2026, Byeong-o (丙午): a Rob Wealth stem and Friend branch, adding still more Fire to a strong pillar. Ambition and competition run high; pace spending.
- 2027, Jeong-mi (丁未): a Friend stem and an Eating God branch. Strength flows into production.
- 2028, Mu-sin (戊申): a Hurting Officer stem and Direct Wealth branch, and 申 forms a branch harmony with 巳. Traditionally a year of binding agreements, in work or in partnership, with income through skill.
- 2029, Gi-yu (己酉): an Eating God stem and Indirect Wealth branch. Commercial openings.
- 2030, Gyeong-sul (庚戌): a Direct Wealth stem and Hurting Officer branch. Pay for expertise.
The Void branches (공망 空亡, gongmang) for Jeong-sa are Ja 子 Rat and Chuk 丑 Ox, both cooling branches; see Void. For more, read the Jeong Day Master and Snake pages, and check your chart with the day pillar calculator.
FAQ
Why is Jeong-sa considered strong?
Jeong is at the Emperor stage on 巳, and the branch's main hidden stem is Byeong Yang Fire. That gives the Day Master deep root, so readers look for Earth, Metal or Water to balance it.
What does "the sun stealing the candle's light" mean for Jeong-sa?
It is a classical image for Byeong outshining Jeong. Here Byeong is hidden in the day branch, which readers link to living or working beside a brighter, more public figure.
What happens for Jeong-sa in 2028?
The Mu-sin (戊申) year brings a branch harmony between 申 and the 巳 day branch, with Hurting Officer and Direct Wealth as its Ten Gods. Traditionally it favours agreements and income through skill.
Hidden stems in the branch
The Snake branch carries these stems inside it (지장간). Read from the Jeong Day Master, each takes a Ten God role.
| Hidden stem | Element | Share of the month | Ten God |
|---|---|---|---|
| 戊 Mu | Yang Earth | 7 days | Hurting Officer |
| 庚 Gyeong | Yang Metal | 7 days | Direct Wealth |
| 丙 Byeong | Yang Fire | 16 days | Rob Wealth |
Jeong-sa and the years 2026–2030
Each year has its own pillar. Its stem and branch take Ten God roles for this Day Master, and its branch may combine or clash with your day branch.
| Year | Year pillar | Stem as | Branch as | With your day pillar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 丙午 Byeong-o | Rob Wealth | Friend | — |
| 2027 | 丁未 Jeong-mi | Friend | Eating God | — |
| 2028 | 戊申 Mu-sin | Hurting Officer | Direct Wealth | branch harmony (六合) |
| 2029 | 己酉 Gi-yu | Eating God | Indirect Wealth | — |
| 2030 | 庚戌 Gyeong-sul | Direct Wealth | Hurting Officer | — |
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