Earthly Branch · 10 of 12
Rooster酉
Rooster is the tenth of the twelve Earthly Branches. It is yin Metal, due west, and the double hour from 5 to 7 in the evening, when the sun sets.
- 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 | 酉、从魁 |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | yǒu |
| Standard name | Rooster |
| First mention | Rooster (You 酉) |
| Order | 10 of 12 |
| Element | Metal |
| Yin or yang | yin |
|---|---|
| Double hour | 17:00 to 19:00 |
| Direction | west |
| As Monthly General | Taurus, from Grain Rain |
| Clashes with | Rabbit 卯 |
| Stems lodged here | None |
Etymology
In oracle-bone script 酉 pictures a wine jar with a pointed base, the original form of 酒 "wine"; characters written with it mostly concern drink, such as those for drunk, brew, vinegar and sauce. It looks like 西 "west" but is unrelated to it.
The Shuowen Jiezi, the Han dynasty dictionary, assigns it to the eighth month: "ripeness; in the eighth month the millet is ripe and can be brewed into wine". The Rooster hour is sunset, the mirror of the Rabbit hour at dawn. Its zodiac animal is the rooster.
The Old Chinese pronunciation is reconstructed as *N-ruʔ (Baxter and Sagart). Middle Chinese was yuwX.
Significations
- nature
- showy, decorated, brightly coloured
- people
- a girl, a young wife, a concubine, maids, nannies, a lover, envoys, those who live by speech
- matters
- speech, expression, discussion, rumour, quarrels, news, privacy, harvest
- things
- gold, silver, gold and silver jewellery, gems, coins, scissors, mirrors, wine
- body
- the lungs, the airways, the mouth, the tongue, the throat, the teeth, the bones, the female organs
- animals
- the rooster, the pheasant, the duck, birds, the crow
- places
- private doors, back doors, side doors, windows, secret channels, lanes, banks, storehouses
- direction and time
- the west, the Rooster hour, sunset
- weather
- rain, overcast rain, rain and snow, frost
As the Monthly General
Rooster is the Monthly General from Grain Rain 谷雨, when the Sun enters Taurus, until the next solar term of the same kind. In the chart it is written as the Rooster general. Its classical name is 从魁, which the classical texts use far less often than the name of the branch itself.
Source text
Congkui or Hekui with the Go-Between on it means a servant running away. Rooster governs maids and Dog governs menservants; the Go-Between is the private door, hence the image of a servant's escape.
從魁河魁乘六合，為奴僕之逃亡。○酉主婢、戌主奴，六合為私門，乃奴僕逃亡之象。
Sources: 大六壬指南 卷一、卷二、卷三阴地章与天时章; 六壬直指 乙丑日酉将、甲戌日酉将、丙寅日酉将、己巳日酉将; 六壬课经 三交、淫泆、龙战、斫轮、昴星; 毕法赋注解 四; 类神释义表 从魁酉