Earthly Branch · 12 of 12
Pig亥
Pig is the last of the twelve Earthly Branches. It is yin Water, north-north-west, and the double hour from 9 to 11 at night. Ren lodges on Pig.
- 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 | 亥、登明 |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | hài |
| Standard name | Pig |
| First mention | Pig (Hai 亥) |
| Order | 12 of 12 |
| Element | Water |
| Yin or yang | yin |
|---|---|
| Double hour | 21:00 to 23:00 |
| Direction | north-north-west |
| As Monthly General | Pisces, from Rain Water |
| Clashes with | Snake 巳 |
| Stems lodged here | Ren 壬 |
Etymology
Where the form of 亥 comes from is unknown. One view sees roots underground, the original form of 荄; another sees an animal, related to 豕 "pig", and the two characters were so easily confused in copying that "亥 and 豕" became a byword for a scribal error.
The Shuowen Jiezi, the Han dynasty dictionary, assigns it to the tenth month: "root; in the tenth month the faint yang rises and meets the full yin", and quotes the Zuo commentary that "亥 has two heads and six bodies". The branches end with Pig, and after the Pig hour comes the Rat hour, where the day begins again. Its zodiac animal is the pig.
The Old Chinese pronunciation is reconstructed as *[ɡ]ˤəʔ (Baxter and Sagart). Middle Chinese was hojX.
Significations
- nature
- clever and deep, resourceful, discreet, perceptive, nimble in change, unfathomable
- people
- children, infants, the youngest child, descendants, robbers, thieves, spies, beggars
- matters
- hidden affairs, privacy, love affairs, secrets, codes, riddles, weeping, begging
- things
- running water, great rivers, rivers, the sea, rainwater, ink, books, boats
- body
- the head, the kidneys, the urinary system, the bladder, the birth canal, the intestines, blood, the feet
- animals
- the pig, the wild boar, the bear, soft water creatures such as fish and shrimp
- places
- palaces, inner rooms, towers, pavilions, stairs, toilets, camps, pigsties
- direction and time
- the north-west, the north, the Pig hour
- weather
- rain, heavy rain, thunderstorms
As the Monthly General
Pig is the Monthly General from Rain Water 雨水, when the Sun enters Pisces, until the next solar term of the same kind. In the chart it is written as the Pig general. Its classical name is 登明, which the classical texts use far less often than the name of the branch itself.
Source text
The Thief drains and wastes, and Pig is the gate of heaven, hence "beggars and spirits". A tiger crouching at the gates of the sun and moon: the eight hardships rise and the three disasters erupt. The Patron standing at the gate of heaven: the six spirits hide and the four banes vanish.
玄武脫耗，亥為天門，故云乞丐鬼神。虎踞二八之門，八難興而三災發。貴立天門之地，六神藏而四煞沒。
Sources: 大六壬指南 卷一、卷二、卷三迁移章与选举章与仕宦章与疾病章与行人章与出行章与天时章; 六壬直指 壬申日亥将、甲戌日亥将、丙寅日辰将、丙子日亥将; 六壬课经 德庆、间传; 毕法赋 魁度天门关隔定; 毕法赋注解 四、十二、四十八; 大六壬集应钤 甲子日丑将; 类神释义表 登明亥