Saju · the ten stems
The ten day masters: a reading for every heavenly stem
Your day master (日干) is the heavenly stem of the day you were born. Saju reads the other seven characters of a chart by how they relate to it, so every reading starts here.
There are ten stems, each with an element and a polarity: Gap-mok is yang Wood, Eul-mok yin Wood, and so on. The table lists all ten; each page adds a reading, the seasons and its six day pillars.
The ten day masters at a glance
| Day master | Polarity · element | Traditional image | Thriving months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲木Gap-mok | Yang · Wood | A tall tree | Spring (寅 卯) |
| 乙木Eul-mok | Yin · Wood | Vines and flowers | Spring (寅 卯) |
| 丙火Byeong-hwa | Yang · Fire | The sun | Summer (巳 午) |
| 丁火Jeong-hwa | Yin · Fire | A lamp, a candle | Summer (巳 午) |
| 戊土Mu-to | Yang · Earth | A mountain, a dyke | Between seasons (辰 未 戌 丑) |
| 己土Gi-to | Yin · Earth | Rich field soil | Between seasons (辰 未 戌 丑) |
| 庚金Gyeong-geum | Yang · Metal | Rock and raw iron | Autumn (申 酉) |
| 辛金Sin-geum | Yin · Metal | Jewels, a fine blade | Autumn (申 酉) |
| 壬水Im-su | Yang · Water | A great river, the sea | Winter (亥 子) |
| 癸水Gye-su | Yin · Water | Rain and dew | Winter (亥 子) |
Thriving months are computed: months whose element matches the day master. Earth day masters thrive in the Earth months that close each season.
How to read a day-master page
- Computed facts
- Polarity and element, the partner stem, the stem combination, the ten god of every stem, the seasonal strength table and the twelve stages of the six day pillars are all computed.
- The traditional image
- The tradition pictures the ten stems as scenes in nature — a tall tree, a lamp, a mountain, rain — and reads temperament from them.
- On to pillars and 2027
- Each page links its six day pillars and its section of the 2027 outlook: the day master is the trunk, the day pillar a branch.
Find your day master
Enter your date of birth in the free saju reading: the day master is the top character of the day column. It depends on the date only; some readers count births after 11 p.m. as the next day.
Questions about day masters
What is a day master?
A saju chart writes the year, month, day and hour of birth as four pillars of two characters. The day master is the top character of the day pillar, read as “you”; the other characters are read by how they relate to it.
How do I find mine?
Enter your date of birth in the free saju reading on mind.io. The day master follows a plain ten-day cycle, so lunar dates and solar terms do not change it.
Day master or day pillar?
The day master is one character, the stem; the day pillar adds the branch under it. Ten day masters split into sixty day pillars, six each.
What does a strong or weak day master mean?
It is an estimate of the day master’s strength from how many characters share its element or produce it, whether it has roots of its own element in the branches (通根), and whether the season of the birth month supports it. Readers use it not as good or bad but as the starting point for seeing which energies would balance the chart.
How do yang and yin day masters differ?
The ten stems split into five yang (甲, 丙, 戊, 庚, 壬) and five yin (乙, 丁, 己, 辛, 癸). Within one element, yang stems are pictured as upright and visible, like a tall tree or the sun, and yin stems as soft and pervading, like a vine or a lamp, which colors each reading.
This page introduces traditional readings of a day master and offers questions for reflection. Saju is a long-standing East Asian cultural tradition, not a scientifically validated personality test or a prediction. This page is for entertainment and reflection: one person in ten shares each day master, so a single day master cannot define a personality or a future. Base important decisions about health, money or relationships on facts and professional advice.
How to use this content
- This page is reference content for self-understanding and light interpretation, not a diagnostic or evaluative tool.
- It should not replace medical, legal, financial, or hiring decisions, and important choices need stronger evidence than a self-test.
- Use the result for reflection or entertainment only, and seek professional support first when distress or risk is involved.