Earthly Branch · 8 of 12
Goat未
Goat is the eighth of the twelve Earthly Branches. It is yin Earth, south-south-west, and the double hour from 1 to 3 in the afternoon. Ding and Ji lodge on Goat.
- 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 | 未、小吉 |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | wèi |
| Standard name | Goat |
| First mention | Goat (Wei 未) |
| Order | 8 of 12 |
| Element | Earth |
| Yin or yang | yin |
|---|---|
| Double hour | 13:00 to 15:00 |
| Direction | south-south-west |
| As Monthly General | Cancer, from Summer Solstice |
| Clashes with | Ox 丑 |
| Stems lodged here | Ding 丁, Ji 己 |
Etymology
In oracle-bone script 未 pictures a tree with layer upon layer of leafy branches, the original form of 枚. The commonest everyday sense of 未, "not yet", is a borrowed use.
The Shuowen Jiezi, the Han dynasty dictionary, assigns it to the sixth month: "flavour; in the sixth month things have flavour; among the Five Elements, Wood grows old at 未; it pictures a tree with layered branches and leaves". The word 味 "taste" takes its sound from it. Its zodiac animal is the goat.
The Old Chinese pronunciation is reconstructed as *m[ə]t-s (Baxter and Sagart). Middle Chinese was mj+jH.
Significations
- nature
- gentle, warm, caring for the family
- people
- women, a mother, an old woman, a stepmother, an aunt, relatives, the old, tailors
- matters
- feasts, banquets, food and drink, celebration, social visits, wedding feasts, ancestral rites, market trade
- things
- clothes, caps and belts, bedding, bolts of cloth, seals, gifts, food, tea
- body
- the stomach, the spleen, the digestive system, indigestion, nausea and vomiting, choking, the spine
- animals
- the goat, the hawk
- places
- wells, courtyards, springs, front yards, kitchens, restaurants, gardens, graveyards
- direction and time
- the south-west, the Goat hour
- weather
- the Wind Lord
As the Monthly General
Goat is the Monthly General from Summer Solstice 夏至, when the Sun enters Cancer, until the next solar term of the same kind. In the chart it is written as the Goat general. Its classical name is 小吉, which the classical texts use far less often than the name of the branch itself.
Source text
Goat is clothing, banquets and guests. Xiaoji is the palace of the Steward, governing clothes, hats, goods and silks, feasts and guests.
未為衣物筵賓。○小吉乃太常之宮也，主衣冠物帛、筵會賓客。
Sources: 大六壬指南 卷一、卷二、卷三仕宦章与天时章; 六壬直指 乙丑日戌将、乙丑日未将、乙丑日午将、壬子日未将; 六壬课经 间传、侵害; 毕法赋注解 三、四、十二; 类神释义表 小吉未