Earthly Branch · 3 of 12
Tiger寅
Tiger is the third of the twelve Earthly Branches. It is yang Wood, east-north-east, and the double hour from 3 to 5 in the morning. Jia lodges on Tiger.
- 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 | 寅、功曹 |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | yín |
| Standard name | Tiger |
| First mention | Tiger (Yin 寅) |
| Order | 3 of 12 |
| Element | Wood |
| Yin or yang | yang |
|---|---|
| Double hour | 03:00 to 05:00 |
| Direction | east-north-east |
| As Monthly General | Sagittarius, from Minor Snow |
| Clashes with | Monkey 申 |
| Stems lodged here | Jia 甲 |
Etymology
In oracle-bone script 寅 is the character for arrow, 矢, with a mark added; the roof-like top of the modern form is a corruption of the arrowhead. One early sense is "reverence", the meaning it carries in the Book of Documents.
The Shuowen Jiezi, the Han dynasty dictionary, assigns it to the first month: "yang breath stirs, leaves the Yellow Springs and wants to rise, but yin is still strong", like something held down under a roof and unable to get out. Its zodiac animal is the tiger.
The Old Chinese pronunciation is reconstructed as *[ɢ](r)ər (Baxter and Sagart). Middle Chinese was yin.
Significations
- nature
- upright and responsible, able to lead, drive, forceful, impatient
- people
- a husband, a father, the head of a household, an elder, a leader, officials, Daoist priests, scholars
- matters
- driving force, starting things, pushing things ahead, spreading news, stirring up, appointment of officials, power, authority
- things
- timber, great trees, beams, wooden furniture, screens, essays, books, paper
- body
- the spine, the skeleton, the sinews, the liver and gall, the limbs, the joints, the nails, hair and beard
- animals
- the tiger, the leopard, the wild cat, the cat
- places
- temples, Daoist monasteries, places of sacrifice, mountains, forests, government offices, courts, state institutions
- direction and time
- east-north-east, the Tiger hour
- weather
- wind
As the Monthly General
Tiger is the Monthly General from Minor Snow 小雪, when the Sun enters Sagittarius, until the next solar term of the same kind. In the chart it is written as the Tiger general. Its classical name is 功曹, which the classical texts use far less often than the name of the branch itself.
Source text
In general, when Gongcao is the First Transmission it means wooden objects and documents. Gongcao is Tiger; Tiger is the spirit of Wood, and Gongcao is the spirit of memorials to the throne, so it governs documents.
大抵功曹為用，木器文書。○功曹寅也，寅乃木神，功曹乃奏書之神，故主文書。
Sources: 大六壬指南 卷一、卷二、卷三天时章; 六壬直指 甲戌日午将、甲午日寅将; 六壬课经 玄胎; 毕法赋 罡塞鬼户任谋为; 毕法赋注解 五十二; 类神释义表 功曹寅