Data Saju › Five Elements
The Five Elements in Saju: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water
East Asian philosophy describes everything as five kinds of movement: Wood grows, Fire spreads, Earth holds, Metal gathers and Water sinks. Every one of the eight characters in a saju chart belongs to one of them, and how much of each you have is the starting point for reading temperament and timing.
The five at a glance
| Element | Movement | Season | Direction | Colour | Stems | Branches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wood 木 | Growing upward | Spring | East | Green, blue | 甲 乙 | 寅 卯 |
| Fire 火 | Spreading out | Summer | South | Red | 丙 丁 | 巳 午 |
| Earth 土 | Holding, balancing | Between seasons | Centre | Yellow | 戊 己 | 辰 戌 丑 未 |
| Metal 金 | Gathering in | Autumn | West | White, silver | 庚 辛 | 申 酉 |
| Water 水 | Sinking, storing | Winter | North | Black, navy | 壬 癸 | 亥 子 |
The generating cycle
Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth (ash), Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water (condensation), and Water nourishes Wood. In a chart, the element that generates your Day Master is your Resource (learning, support), and the element you generate is your Output (talent, expression).
The controlling cycle
Wood breaks Earth, Earth dams Water, Water puts out Fire, Fire melts Metal, and Metal cuts Wood. The element you control is your Wealth (money, results), and the element that controls you is your Officer (status, rules, pressure).
Too much, too little, and balance
A chart is rarely balanced. Saju readers count the elements — including the hidden stems inside each branch — and judge whether the Day Master is strong or weak. The element that best restores balance is called the useful element (yongsin in Korean, 用神). It guides advice on colours, directions, seasons and even careers.
The five elements and the 2027 Fire Goat
2027 (丁未) is Fire over Earth — hot and dry. People who need Fire or Earth tend to feel supported; people with already strong Fire may want to cool down with Water and Metal. See the 2027 zodiac forecast.