The rooster's crow ends the night, and in Korean folk belief it sent spirits of the dark back where they came from. Silla's founding story places a white rooster crowing in the forest where a golden box held the infant ancestor of the Gyeongju Kim clan. The Rooster is read as alert, precise and proud.
In Saju the Rooster is the branch 酉 Yu. It is pure metal, the middle of autumn, and the hours from 17:00 to 19:00, dusk. It is read as refined metal: the harvest sickle, the jewel, the clean line.
Your animal is your year branch and one of eight characters. The Rooster also appears as a month branch (early September to early October) and in day and hour pillars. The Rooster year begins at Ipchun, around 4 February.
- Precise
- Confident
- Hardworking
- Honest
Harmonies
The Rooster's six harmony partner is the Dragon 辰, read as turning toward metal. Its three harmony partners are the Snake 巳 and the Ox 丑, the metal trine.
Clash and wonjin
The Rooster clashes with the Rabbit 卯. It is a self punishment branch. Its wonjin is the Tiger 寅. The tradition reads these as sources of friction to understand.
Rooster years and when they start
Each Rooster 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 | 癸酉 Gye-yu | Black Rooster | 4 Feb 1933, 15:09 | 4 Feb 1934, 21:03 |
| 1945 | 乙酉 Eul-yu | Blue Rooster | 4 Feb 1945, 13:19 | 4 Feb 1946, 19:03 |
| 1957 | 丁酉 Jeong-yu | Red Rooster | 4 Feb 1957, 10:24 | 4 Feb 1958, 16:19 |
| 1969 | 己酉 Gi-yu | Yellow Rooster | 4 Feb 1969, 08:59 | 4 Feb 1970, 14:45 |
| 1981 | 辛酉 Sin-yu | White Rooster | 4 Feb 1981, 06:55 | 4 Feb 1982, 12:45 |
| 1993 | 癸酉 Gye-yu | Black Rooster | 4 Feb 1993, 04:37 | 4 Feb 1994, 10:30 |
| 2005 | 乙酉 Eul-yu | Blue Rooster | 4 Feb 2005, 02:43 | 4 Feb 2006, 08:27 |
| 2017 | 丁酉 Jeong-yu | Red Rooster | 4 Feb 2017, 00:34 | 4 Feb 2018, 06:28 |
| 2029 | 己酉 Gi-yu | Yellow Rooster | 3 Feb 2029, 22:20 | 4 Feb 2030, 04:08 |