Earthly Branch · 2 of 12
Ox丑
Ox is the second of the twelve Earthly Branches. It is yin Earth, north-north-east, and the double hour from 1 to 3 in the morning. Gui lodges on Ox.
- 子Rat23–1
- 丑Ox1–3
- 寅Tiger3–5
- 卯Rabbit5–7
- 辰Dragon7–9
- 巳Snake9–11
- 午Horse11–13
- 未Goat13–15
- 申Monkey15–17
- 酉Rooster17–19
- 戌Dog19–21
- 亥Pig21–23
Term details
| Chinese | 丑、大吉 |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | chǒu |
| Standard name | Ox |
| First mention | Ox (Chou 丑) |
| Order | 2 of 12 |
| Element | Earth |
| Yin or yang | yin |
|---|---|
| Double hour | 01:00 to 03:00 |
| Direction | north-north-east |
| As Monthly General | Capricorn, from Winter Solstice |
| Clashes with | Goat 未 |
| Stems lodged here | Gui 癸 |
Etymology
In oracle-bone script 丑 pictures a hand with the nails or claws drawn out, and its first sense is tied to 扭 and 紐, "to twist, to tie". The branch 丑 and the word for "ugly" were two different characters in older Chinese, the latter written 醜; only the simplified script merged them.
The Shuowen Jiezi, the Han dynasty dictionary, assigns it to the twelfth month: "all things stir and set to work; it pictures a hand; at the Ox hour one also raises the hand". This is the hour when people rise.
The Old Chinese pronunciation is reconstructed as *[n̥]ruʔ (Baxter and Sagart). Middle Chinese was trhjuwX.
Significations
- nature
- honest and hard-working, stubborn, slow to react, stillness, closure, slowness, storing up, reluctance to move
- people
- the Patron, officials, those who take part in government, elders, the old, a mother, nuns, herdsmen
- matters
- sacrifice, temple offerings, ceremony, weddings, betrothal gifts, markets and trade, timekeeping, measuring
- things
- warehouses, safes, treasuries, locks, keys, measuring tools, clocks, fields
- body
- the belly, the spleen and stomach, the digestive system
- animals
- the ox, the tortoise, turtles, crabs, snails, centipedes
- places
- dwellings, back courts, gardens, kitchens, altars, borderlands, mountains, graves
- direction and time
- north-north-east, the night, the Ox hour
- weather
- the Rain Master
As the Monthly General
Ox is the Monthly General from Winter Solstice 冬至, when the Sun enters Capricorn, until the next solar term of the same kind. In the chart it is written as the Ox general. Its classical name is 大吉, which the classical texts use far less often than the name of the branch itself.
Source text
Its proper title is fields, houses, gardens and parks. Daji is the Earth spirit, and governs the affairs of fields, houses, gardens and parks.
正號田宅園囿。○大吉土神，主田宅園囿之事。
Sources: 大六壬指南 卷一、卷二; 六壬直指 癸酉日午将、丙寅日午将; 六壬课经 三奇; 毕法赋注解 三、四; 大六壬集应钤 甲子日丑将、乙丑日卯将; 类神释义表 大吉丑