In Korean folk belief a snake living under the house could be the eopsin (업신), a household guardian that looked after a family's stores. Harming it was bad manners toward the house itself. The Snake's reputation is wise, watchful and a little mysterious.
In Saju the Snake is the branch 巳 Sa. It is fire, the first month of summer, and the hours from 09:00 to 11:00, the late morning when the day warms. Its hidden stems hold fire, metal and earth, so it is read as heat with a steel core.
Your animal is your year branch and one of eight characters. The Snake also appears as a month branch (early May to early June) and in day and hour pillars. The Snake year begins at Ipchun, around 4 February.
- Perceptive
- Calm
- Strategic
- Private
The five Snakes of the sixty year cycle
Every twelve years is a Snake 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 Snake's six harmony partner is the Monkey 申, read as turning toward water. Its three harmony partners are the Rooster 酉 and the Ox 丑, the metal trine.
Clash and wonjin
The Snake clashes with the Pig 亥, fire against water. It forms a punishment with the Tiger and Monkey. Its wonjin is the Dog 戌. The tradition reads these as tension points to notice, never as fate.
- Six harmony: Monkey
- Three harmony: Rooster and Ox
- Clash: Pig
- Wonjin: Dog
The Snake with each animal
How the tradition reads the Snake 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 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Ox 丑 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Tiger 寅 HarmPunishment A subtle mismatch, read as small misunderstandings that grow if nobody names them. | |
| Rabbit 卯 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Dragon 辰 No named pattern A neutral pairing: nothing in the tradition pulls these two branches together or apart. | |
| Snake 巳 Same animal The same branch twice, read as a familiar rhythm: easy to read each other, easy to get stuck in the same place. | |
| 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 Six harmonyPunishment A pair of branches that bond easily, read as comfort and a natural fit. | |
| Rooster 酉 Three harmony Two branches from the same trine, read as shared purpose and working well as a team. | |
| Dog 戌 Wonjin 원진 The resentment pair of Korean gunghap: read as irritation without an obvious cause, eased by talking it through. | |
| Pig 亥 Clash Branches from opposite points of the year, read as movement and contrast that ask for give and take. |
Snake years and when they start
Each Snake 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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | 己巳 Gi-sa | Yellow Snake | 4 Feb 1929, 16:08 | 4 Feb 1930, 21:51 |
| 1941 | 辛巳 Sin-sa | White Snake | 4 Feb 1941, 13:50 | 4 Feb 1942, 19:48 |
| 1953 | 癸巳 Gye-sa | Black Snake | 4 Feb 1953, 11:46 | 4 Feb 1954, 17:30 |
| 1965 | 乙巳 Eul-sa | Blue Snake | 4 Feb 1965, 09:46 | 4 Feb 1966, 15:37 |
| 1977 | 丁巳 Jeong-sa | Red Snake | 4 Feb 1977, 07:33 | 4 Feb 1978, 13:26 |
| 1989 | 己巳 Gi-sa | Yellow Snake | 4 Feb 1989, 05:27 | 4 Feb 1990, 11:13 |
| 2001 | 辛巳 Sin-sa | White Snake | 4 Feb 2001, 03:29 | 4 Feb 2002, 09:24 |
| 2013 | 癸巳 Gye-sa | Black Snake | 4 Feb 2013, 01:13 | 4 Feb 2014, 07:03 |
| 2025 | 乙巳 Eul-sa | Blue Snake | 3 Feb 2025, 23:10 | 4 Feb 2026, 05:01 |