The Rooster (酉, Yu) in Korean Saju: Metal Branch and Rooster Years
Yu (유 酉) is the tenth Earthly Branch (지지 地支 jiji) of Korean Saju (사주), and its animal is the Rooster. It is Yin Metal in the middle of autumn, the season of harvest, cutting and clear air. Think of a finished blade or a piece of jewellery more than raw ore. Rooster years include 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 and 2029.
The branch behind the animal
Yu is Metal with Yin polarity. Its month starts at Baengno (백로 白露, White Dew) around September 8 and runs to about October 7, the eighth month of the Saju year. Its hour is 17:00 to 19:00, sunset, when the light turns metallic and the day's work is put away.
Its hidden stems (지장간 支藏干 jijanggan) are two Metals:
- Gyeong (庚) Yang Metal, 10 days
- Sin (辛) Yin Metal, 20 days, the main qi
With no other element inside, Yu is one of the four pure mid-season branches, together with the Rat, Rabbit and Horse. It is the peak of the Metal triple frame and the strongest single source of Metal in the branch system. When a reader counts how much Metal a chart has, a Yu branch weighs heavily. Metal's classical associations are precision, judgement and the virtue of righteousness, as covered in the Five Elements guide.
As your year branch, and as your day branch
When Koreans talk about their tti (띠), they mean the animal of the year branch. In a reading that branch describes the outer ring of life: ancestry and family, the setting you grew up in, and your public image. The Rooster year has a traditional image of neatness, high standards and a certain pride in appearance. That image belongs to everyone born in the same Saju year.
The day branch (일지 日支 ilji) under your Day Master is the spouse palace (배우자궁 配偶者宮). It is read for marriage, partnership and the person you are behind closed doors. A Yu day branch gives the self a refined, exacting base. Readers sometimes say people with this day branch keep a tidy inner life and hold partners to a clear standard. For Sin Metal it is a firm root, for Gap Wood it is Direct Officer, and for Jeong Fire it is Indirect Wealth.
Harmony, triple frame and clash
The Rooster's traditional relationships are below. They describe how branches act on each other inside a chart and are not a guide to who you should marry.
| Relationship | With | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Six harmony (육합 六合 yukhap) | Jin 辰 Dragon | Earth producing Metal; usually read as a productive bond |
| Triple frame (삼합 三合 samhap) | Sa 巳 Snake, Yu 酉 Rooster, Chuk 丑 Ox | The Metal frame, with Yu at its centre |
| Clash (충 沖 chung) | Myo 卯 Rabbit | Pure Yin Metal against pure Yin Wood |
Because both Yu and Myo are pure branches with no buffering stems inside, their clash is read as a sharp, direct one. Classical readers associate it with changes in close relationships and surroundings. A sharp clash in a chart is still one factor among many.
Why your Saju year may differ from your zodiac year
The Saju year starts at Ipchun (입춘 立春), around February 4. The popular zodiac starts at Lunar New Year, which in 2017 fell on January 28.
So a baby born on January 30, 2017 would be welcomed as a Rooster by the family calendar. In Saju, Ipchun had not yet come, and the year pillar is still Byeong-sin (丙申), the Monkey year of 2016. The Jeong-yu (丁酉) Rooster year begins only at Ipchun in early February 2017. Families who check a child's sign against a Saju chart run into this regularly.
The five Rooster day pillars
Yu is Yin and pairs with the five Yin stems: Eul-yu (乙酉), Jeong-yu (丁酉), Gi-yu (己酉), Sin-yu (辛酉) and Gye-yu (癸酉). Sin-yu doubles Yin Metal, while Eul-yu puts a Wood stem directly on top of the branch that controls it.
FAQ
What element is the Rooster in Saju?
Yu is Yin Metal. Its two hidden stems are Gyeong (庚) and Sin (辛), so it is pure Metal.
Which years are Rooster years?
Rooster years include 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 and 2017, with 2029 next. Each starts at Ipchun, not at Lunar New Year.
Are the Rooster and Rabbit incompatible?
Yu and Myo form a traditional clash, which points to friction and change in the chart. The Rooster's harmony partner is the Dragon, but a real compatibility reading compares both full charts.
Hidden stems
| Stem | Element | Share of the month |
|---|---|---|
| 庚 Gyeong | Yang Metal | 10 days |
| 辛 Sin | Yin Metal | 20 days |
Rooster years
Years whose pillar carries this branch. A Saju year starts at Ipchun, around February 4, so anyone born before that in January or early February belongs to the previous year.
| Year (from ~Feb 4) | Year pillar |
|---|---|
| 1933 | 癸酉 Gye-yu · Yin Water Rooster |
| 1945 | 乙酉 Eul-yu · Yin Wood Rooster |
| 1957 | 丁酉 Jeong-yu · Yin Fire Rooster |
| 1969 | 己酉 Gi-yu · Yin Earth Rooster |
| 1981 | 辛酉 Sin-yu · Yin Metal Rooster |
| 1993 | 癸酉 Gye-yu · Yin Water Rooster |
| 2005 | 乙酉 Eul-yu · Yin Wood Rooster |
| 2017 | 丁酉 Jeong-yu · Yin Fire Rooster |
| 2029 | 己酉 Gi-yu · Yin Earth Rooster |
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