Understanding the Heavenly Stems (天干) What is Heavenly Stems(Cheongan,天干)?

If you have a clear understanding of the Heavenly Stems (천간, Cheongan) and Earthly Branches (지지, Jiji), you are halfway done with your study of Saju Myeongri. Saju Myeongri is a type of semiotics, and you must first accurately understand its symbols to analyze your own destiny and that of others.

 

 

1. Ganji (干支) and Cheongan(天干)?

Ganji (干支) is a unit of the Chinese calendar that was used to represent the cyclical nature of time. While modern society perceives time as a linear progression, in the past, Eastern cultures understood time as a repeating cycle. This was possible because people had the understanding that everything in the world, including time, revolves and rotates just as the earth rotates and revolves. This cyclical concept of time was divided into 60 units, and the symbols for these units are called Ganji. For example, after the ‘Gapsa’ (갑자) year passes, the next ‘Gapsa’ year comes 59 years later.

The Ganji are divided into Gan (간) and Ji (지), which represent the energies of the sky and the earth. The term for the energy of the sky is the Heavenly Stems (天干, Cheongan). Conversely, the term for the functions of the earth is the Earthly Branches (地支, Jiji). The combination of the heavenly energy and the earthly function is called Ganji (干支), or Heavenly Stems (天干) and Earthly Branches (地支).

 

2. Using Ganji

The fundamental principle of I Ching / Yijing(역학) or Bazi / Four Pillars of Destiny(명리학) is to analyze a person’s nature and divine their destiny using combinations of these Ganji (干支). Philosophically, this was an attempt to understand human existence within the cycle of time.

Ganji can be considered the alphabet of Bazi(명리학). Among the Ganji, the Heavenly Stems, which correspond to the energy of the sky, are composed of ten elements. Therefore, the term “Ten Heavenly Stems” (십천간, Sipcheongan) is often used. The Earthly Branches, on the other hand, are called the Twelve Earthly Branches (십이지, Sibiji). The Twelve Earthly Branches are a familiar concept often seen in children’s cartoons and games, as they are associated with the twelve animals of the zodiac.

 

3. The Elements of the Heavenly Stems

The ten elements that make up the Heavenly Stems are as follows:

• Gap (甲)
• Eul (乙)
• Byeong (丙)
• Jeong (丁)
• Mu (戊)
• Gi (己)
• Gyeong (庚)
• Sin (辛)
• Im (壬)
• Gye (癸)

These ten characters of the Heavenly Stems have been used since ancient times to represent order instead of numbers. More recently, they are used for options in driver’s license exams, for characters in legal documents, for distinguishing parliamentary districts, and for representing anonymous or fictional individuals.

 

4. Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, and Ganji

Ancient sages, who observed the flow of seasons and changes in nature over a long period, eventually discovered that all things are composed of the interaction of Yin and Yang (음양) and the movement of the Five Elements (오행). This was the Eastern philosophy of Eumyangohaeng (陰陽五行). The Eumyangohaeng philosophy was an effort to understand the constantly changing nature of the world by capturing it within a human framework.

Based on the concept of Yin-Yang and the Five Elements, which was derived from observing nature, the ancients tried to understand all natural phenomena, objects, and humans. The philosophy began when humans, who had once bowed down to nature, began to look at nature from a human perspective and respond to it.

The philosophy of Eumyangohaeng was applied to daily life. The study of understanding geography through Eumyangohaeng is Feng Shui (풍수지리), the study of understanding the human body is traditional Korean medicine (한의학), and the study of understanding human destiny is Myeongrihak (명리학).

The relationship between seasons and Eumyangohaeng is summarized as follows:

Spring and Summer are Yang (陽).

Autumn and Winter are Yin (陰).

The Five Elements are Wood (木), Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金), and Water (水).

Spring corresponds to Wood (木).

Summer corresponds to Fire (火).

The period between summer and autumn corresponds to Earth (土).

Autumn corresponds to Metal (金).

Winter corresponds to Water (水).

Based on this philosophy, the sages created the Ganji, which can be thought of as the alphabet for fortune-tellers and diviners. The concept of Ganji (干支) is essentially the codification of the philosophical concepts of Eumyangohaeng that reflect natural phenomena and the order of the universe. Therefore, Ganji naturally contains elements of Eumyangohaeng and natural phenomena (seasons).

 

 

5. Detailed Understanding of Each Heavenly Stem

 

 

Gap (甲): In Yin-Yang, Gap is Yang (陽), and in the Five Elements, it is Wood (木). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘early spring’. In Myeongrihak, this is why Gap (甲) is called “Gapmok”.

Eul (乙): In Yin-Yang, Eul is Yin (陰), and in the Five Elements, it is Wood (木). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘full spring’. In Myeongrihak, Eul (乙) is called “Eulmok”.

Byeong (丙): In Yin-Yang, Byeong is Yang (陽), and in the Five Elements, it is Fire (火). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘early summer’. In Myeongrihak, Byeong (丙) is called “Byeonghwa”.

Jeong (丁): In Yin-Yang, Jeong is Yin (陰), and in the Five Elements, it is Fire (火). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘full summer’. In Myeongrihak, Jeong (丁) is called “Jeonghwa”.

Mu (戊): In Yin-Yang, Mu is Yang (陽), and in the Five Elements, it is Earth (土). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘late summer’. In Myeongrihak, Mu (戊) is called “Muto”.

Gi (己): In Yin-Yang, Gi is Yin (陰), and in the Five Elements, it is Earth (土). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘early autumn’. In Myeongrihak, Gi (己) is called “Gito”.

Gyeong (庚): In Yin-Yang, Gyeong is Yang (陽), and in the Five Elements, it is Metal (金). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘early autumn’. In Myeongrihak, Gyeong (庚) is called “Gyeonggeum”.

Sin (辛): In Yin-Yang, Sin is Yin (陰), and in the Five Elements, it is Metal (金). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘late autumn’. In Myeongrihak, Sin (辛) is called “Singeum”.

Im (壬): In Yin-Yang, Im is Yang (陽), and in the Five Elements, it is Water (水). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘early winter’. In Myeongrihak, Im (壬) is called “Imsu”.

Gye (癸): In Yin-Yang, Gye is Yin (陰), and in the Five Elements, it is Water (水). In terms of the natural seasons, it corresponds to ‘late winter’. In Myeongrihak, Gye (癸) is called “Gyesu”.

 

6. The Meaning of Heavenly Stems in Saju Interpretation

Every living being on Earth receives energy from both the sky and the earth and lives based on it. No human lives by floating in the sky without touching the ground, nor does anyone live solely buried underground like a mole. All living beings stand on the ground and are influenced by the weather and temperature under the sky.

If we assign meaning to the sky and the earth, or the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, we find that:

Heavenly Stems (천간) = Abstraction (추상성) vs. Earthly Branches (지지) = Concreteness (구체성)

Other comparisons are:

• Ideals vs. Reality
• Command vs. Execution
• Theory vs. Practice
• Thought vs. Action
• Desire vs. Conditions

The Heavenly Stems, therefore, signify abstract concepts like ideals, commands, theories, thoughts, and desires. The Heavenly Stems represent a strong, pure energy that is not something you can physically grasp. It is vast, pure, and infinite. Because of this, in Saju analysis, the Heavenly Stems are interpreted as the driving force and energy that moves a person in a certain direction.

Because the Heavenly Stems are not concrete, they do not have a direct, item-by-item impact on daily life. However, as they represent the energy that encompasses one’s entire life, they are used to deduce a person’s ultimate direction, fundamental nature, and overall strategy.

This post has covered the basics of the Heavenly Stems. If you are a beginner or just curious, you don’t need to memorize everything. Just reading it for fun is enough, because trying to memorize it will make it difficult and may cause you to give up:)