Korea has had no wild monkeys in all of recorded history (the last died out about 13,000 years ago), so the animal came into Korean culture through the zodiac, stories and art. It is read as clever, playful and inventive, and in the twelve guardian figures it holds weapons like the other animals, a reminder that the zodiac animals were protectors first.
In Saju the Monkey is the branch 申 Sin. It is metal, the first month of autumn, and the hours from 15:00 to 17:00. Its hidden stems hold earth, water and metal, so it is read as metal with water inside: sharp and adaptable.
Your animal is your year branch and one of eight characters. The Monkey also appears as a month branch (early August to early September) and in day and hour pillars. The Monkey year begins at Ipchun, around 4 February.
- Inventive
- Quick
- Playful
- Practical
The five Monkeys of the sixty year cycle
Every twelve years is a Monkey year, and each one wears the colour of its heavenly stem. The same colour comes back every sixty years. Each card opens the day pillar with the same two characters.
Harmonies
The Monkey's six harmony partner is the Snake 巳, read as turning toward water. Its three harmony partners are the Rat 子 and the Dragon 辰, the water trine.
Clash and wonjin
The Monkey clashes with the Tiger 寅 and joins the Tiger and Snake in a punishment. Its wonjin is the Rabbit 卯. These are read as tension to understand.
- Six harmony: Snake
- Three harmony: Rat and Dragon
- Clash: Tiger
- Wonjin: Rabbit
The Monkey with each animal
How the tradition reads the Monkey branch meeting each of the twelve, as it would in gunghap between two year or day branches. One pair of branches is a small part of two charts; compare the full charts for the whole picture.
| Rat 子 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Ox 丑 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Tiger 寅 ClashPunishment Branches from opposite points of the year, read as movement and contrast that ask for give and take. | |
| Rabbit 卯 Wonjin 원진 The resentment pair of Korean gunghap: read as irritation without an obvious cause, eased by talking it through. | |
| Dragon 辰 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Snake 巳 Six harmonyPunishment A pair of branches that bond easily, read as comfort and a natural fit. | |
| Horse 午 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Goat 未 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Monkey 申 Same animal The same branch twice, read as a familiar rhythm: easy to read each other, easy to get stuck in the same place. | |
| Rooster 酉 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Dog 戌 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Pig 亥 Harm A subtle mismatch, read as small misunderstandings that grow if nobody names them. |
Monkey years and when they start
Each Monkey year begins at Ipchun, shown here in Korea Standard Time. If you were born before the start time, your year pillar belongs to the previous animal.
| Year | Pillar | Color animal | Starts (KST) | Ends (KST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | 壬申 Im-sin | Black Monkey | 5 Feb 1932, 09:29 | 4 Feb 1933, 15:09 |
| 1944 | 甲申 Gap-sin | Blue Monkey | 5 Feb 1944, 07:22 | 4 Feb 1945, 13:19 |
| 1956 | 丙申 Byeong-sin | Red Monkey | 5 Feb 1956, 04:42 | 4 Feb 1957, 10:24 |
| 1968 | 戊申 Mu-sin | Yellow Monkey | 5 Feb 1968, 03:07 | 4 Feb 1969, 08:59 |
| 1980 | 庚申 Gyeong-sin | White Monkey | 5 Feb 1980, 01:09 | 4 Feb 1981, 06:55 |
| 1992 | 壬申 Im-sin | Black Monkey | 4 Feb 1992, 22:48 | 4 Feb 1993, 04:37 |
| 2004 | 甲申 Gap-sin | Blue Monkey | 4 Feb 2004, 20:56 | 4 Feb 2005, 02:43 |
| 2016 | 丙申 Byeong-sin | Red Monkey | 4 Feb 2016, 18:45 | 4 Feb 2017, 00:34 |
| 2028 | 戊申 Mu-sin | Yellow Monkey | 4 Feb 2028, 16:31 | 3 Feb 2029, 22:20 |