Spouse Palace: Your Day Branch in Bazi and Saju
The spouse palace is the branch under your Day Master — the bottom half of your day pillar. Korean readers call it 배우자궁 (baeuja-gung) and look at it first when the talk turns to love and partnership. Enter your birth date to find yours.
How does the spouse palace work?
In Bazi and Korean Saju, the spouse palace (配偶宮) is the Earthly Branch of your day pillar. Korean readers call it ilji, the day branch, or baeuja-gung, the spouse palace. Of the eight characters in a birth chart, this one is set aside as the seat of close partnership. It describes how you tend to behave once a relationship turns serious, what makes you feel at home with someone and what you quietly hope a partner will bring. It is a portrait of you in partnership, not a sketch of a particular person you are bound to meet.
Why the day branch? The day pillar has two halves. The Heavenly Stem on top is the Day Master, the character that stands for you. The branch underneath is the ground you stand on, the closest seat in the chart and the one you live with every day. Classical texts compared it to the person sleeping in the next pillow, so it became the natural place to read marriage and long partnership. Its hidden stems add detail, because each one shows a different side of what you bring home and what you look for.
In practice, readers never take the spouse palace alone. They compare its element with the Day Master, check whether a spouse star appears in the chart, and note whether other branches combine with it or clash against it. Luck pillars and yearly branches that touch the palace are read as seasons of change in close relationships. All of this describes tendencies and timing themes, not fixed outcomes. Two people with the same day branch can live very different love stories, and your own choices always carry more weight than any single character.
What is the spouse star?
Alongside the palace, classical Bazi uses a spouse star (配偶星, baeuja-seong in Korean). The traditional rule was written for heterosexual marriage in a very different era: for men, the Wealth stars, Direct Wealth (正財, jeongjae) and Indirect Wealth (偏財, pyeonjae), stood for the wife; for women, the Officer stars, Direct Officer (正官, jeonggwan) and Seven Killings (七殺, chilsal, also called 偏官 pyeongwan), stood for the husband. Many modern readers treat this as a historical convention. They look at both the Wealth and Officer stars for everyone, whatever their gender or the gender of their partner, and read them as styles of attraction and commitment.
What if your chart has no spouse star at all? This is very common, since eight characters cannot hold every one of the Ten Gods, and it is not read as a sign that love is missing. Readers simply shift attention to the spouse palace itself, to the hidden stems inside the branches, and to the luck pillars and years that bring the missing element in. Many people with no visible spouse star have long, happy partnerships. The star describes one channel through which partnership shows up in a chart, not whether it will happen.
Can Bazi tell what my partner looks like?
Can Bazi tell what your spouse looks like? Old manuals tried. They linked each element with a body type and manner: Wood with a tall, slender frame, Fire with a bright face and expressive eyes, Earth with a solid, rounded build, Metal with clear features and a pale complexion, Water with a soft, curving figure and a calm gaze. Fortune tellers still enjoy them, but they are folklore rather than something a chart can measure. At SajuHub we read the spouse palace as a picture of what you value and how you connect, not a description of a person's face.
What happens when the spouse palace combines or clashes?
When another branch in your chart forms a six harmony (六合) with it, readers traditionally see a pull toward closeness, a tie that holds the palace in place. When a branch clashes (沖) with it, they see movement: a relationship that keeps changing shape, plenty of travel, or a need for space inside closeness. The same reading applies when a luck pillar or a calendar year carries one of these branches. A harmony year often brings new meetings or deeper commitment; a clash year often brings moves, renegotiations and fresh starts. None of this predicts a breakup.
See every combination and clash in your own chart with the clash and combination checker.
What does each spouse palace mean?
Jump to yours: Rat 子 · Ox 丑 · Tiger 寅 · Rabbit 卯 · Dragon 辰 · Snake 巳 · Horse 午 · Goat 未 · Monkey 申 · Rooster 酉 · Dog 戌 · Pig 亥
Rat spouse palace · 子 자 (ja, Zi) — a still well at midnight
A 子 day branch puts deep winter Water in your spouse palace. Its hidden stems are 壬 and 癸, Yang and Yin Water, so the seat of partnership is made of one element through and through. Korean readers often picture a well at midnight: quiet on the surface, cold and clear below. In close relationships you tend to feel a great deal and show only part of it. You notice tone, pauses and small changes long before you mention them, and you prefer to understand someone fully before you let them all the way in.
Once you do commit, you are perceptive, adaptable and surprisingly tender. Water fits the shape of whatever holds it, so you often adjust to a partner's rhythm without being asked. The risk is that you adjust so smoothly that your own needs go unspoken, and later you wonder why nobody guessed them. Midnight is also the hour when one day ends and another begins, which is why many readers link this branch with emotional depth and fresh starts. Partnership works best with someone who is patient, curious about your inner world and happy to talk late into the night.
- Room to open slowly — trust that builds at your own pace instead of on someone else's schedule.
- A good listener — a partner who hears what sits under your words, not only the words themselves.
- Steady warmth — a reliable fire that keeps cold Water from freezing over in hard seasons.
Ox spouse palace · 丑 축 (chuk, Chou) — frozen field holding seeds
丑 is wet Earth in the coldest stretch of winter, a field frozen hard while seeds rest underneath. Its hidden stems are 癸 Water, 辛 Metal and the main stem 己 Earth, which gives the spouse palace a layered, private quality. People with this day branch rarely rush. In partnership you tend to show love through deeds rather than declarations: fixing what is broken, remembering obligations, saving for the household. You may come across as reserved at first, but you are building something meant to last, and you take that work seriously.
Because 丑 is also traditionally called a storehouse of Metal, Korean readers often say this branch holds things, including feelings, savings and old memories. That gives you loyalty and staying power, though it can also mean holding onto a grievance far longer than needed. You value a partner who keeps promises, shares practical goals and does not mistake your quiet for coldness. Partnership blossoms when the relationship has a clear plan and a little warmth to thaw the ground, so that what you have stored up can finally grow.
- Proven reliability — words matched by actions over months, not grand gestures in the first week.
- Shared plans — a common project, budget or home that gives love something solid to stand on.
- Gentle thaw — a partner who coaxes feelings out kindly instead of demanding them all at once.
Tiger spouse palace · 寅 인 (in, Yin) — first green of a spring forest
寅 opens spring. It is Yang Wood with hidden 戊 Earth, 丙 Fire and the main stem 甲 Wood, the image of a forest waking up while the air is still cold. With this spouse palace you tend to approach partnership with energy and a sense of adventure. You like a relationship that is going somewhere: a shared trip, a move, a project, a dream you can chase side by side. Korean readers often describe people with a Tiger day branch as warm-hearted protectors who stand up for the people they love.
The hidden Fire inside 寅 adds generosity and enthusiasm, while the Earth adds a wish to build a real base. Where this branch needs care is pace. You can move faster than a partner is ready for, or feel boxed in when the relationship settles into routine. A healthy partnership gives you both freedom and loyalty, and a partner who has their own direction rather than simply following yours. When growth is shared, Tiger day branch people tend to be devoted, encouraging companions who make the other person braver.
- Shared direction — a relationship with goals and plans, not only comfort and routine.
- Breathing space — trust that lets each of you roam and come back without suspicion.
- An equal — someone with their own strength who meets your energy instead of trailing it.
Rabbit spouse palace · 卯 묘 (myo, Mao) — a flowering garden in mid-spring
卯 is mid-spring and pure Wood. Its hidden stems are 甲 and the main stem 乙, Yin Wood, the soft and flexible plant that bends without breaking. Picture a garden in full flower, tended rather than wild. With this spouse palace you tend to bring gentleness, taste and a strong sense of home into partnership. You notice the small comforts, a tidy room, a shared meal, the right music, and you use them to show care. Korean readers often see a Rabbit day branch as graceful, sociable and quietly romantic.
Yin Wood grows by finding its way around obstacles, so you often prefer diplomacy to confrontation. That makes you easy to be with, but it can also mean you let a disagreement grow in the shade instead of naming it. You are at your best with a partner who is kind, appreciates beauty and gives you emotional reassurance in words as well as actions. Because 卯 sits in the busiest part of spring, many readers also link it with a lively social life, so a partner who enjoys your friends usually makes things easier.
- Kind words — regular reassurance said out loud, not only implied by staying around.
- A shared nest — a home you shape together, with room for your taste and theirs.
- Gentle honesty — a safe way to raise problems early before they quietly take root.
Dragon spouse palace · 辰 진 (jin, Chen) — a spring reservoir after rain
辰 is damp Earth in late spring, the reservoir that fills after the rains. Its hidden stems are 乙 Wood, 癸 Water and the main stem 戊 Earth, and it is traditionally called the storehouse of Water. With this spouse palace you tend to carry a lot inside: plans, moods, memories and ambitions that a partner may not see at first. People with a Dragon day branch are often described as capable and big-hearted, the person who handles a crisis calmly and then quietly wants someone to look after them afterward.
Because three elements live in this branch, your needs in partnership can shift. Some days you want adventure and vision; other days you want a calm, ordinary evening at home. You value a partner who can follow those changes without taking them personally. Korean readers often say Dragon day branches look for someone with depth, a person who has a story and an inner life of their own. The growth point is sharing what is stored up before the reservoir overflows, so your partner gets to help rather than guess.
- Depth — a partner with real substance and inner life, someone worth getting to know slowly.
- Flexibility — understanding that your moods move with the weather and come back again.
- A place to unload — someone who looks after the capable one once the crisis is handled.
Snake spouse palace · 巳 사 (sa, Si) — morning sun on warm stones
巳 is the first branch of summer, Fire rising as the days grow long. Its hidden stems are 戊 Earth, 庚 Metal and the main stem 丙, Yang Fire, so the spouse palace holds sunlight, but also a hidden line of Metal that keeps it sharp. With a Snake day branch you tend to be warm, attentive and quietly intense in love. You read people well and you like a partner with a quick mind, someone who can keep up with your thinking and enjoys a good conversation as much as a good date.
The Metal hidden under the Fire gives you high standards. You notice when something is off, and you often prefer to watch and assess before you commit. Korean readers sometimes describe this branch as charming on the outside and careful on the inside. Once you trust someone, you are loyal and generous with your time and attention. Partnership works well when there is honesty, a shared sense of ambition and enough playfulness to keep summer from becoming too serious or too intense.
- Clever company — a partner whose conversation still surprises you after many years.
- Clear honesty — no games, so your careful mind can finally relax and stop scanning.
- Lightness — fun and play that let a warm heart enjoy itself instead of overthinking.
Horse spouse palace · 午 오 (o, Wu) — midsummer sun at noon
午 is midsummer, the hour of noon. Its hidden stems are 丙 Fire, 己 Earth and the main stem 丁, Yin Fire, the steady flame of a lamp. This makes the spouse palace openly warm and expressive. People with a Horse day branch tend to love wholeheartedly and say so. You like a partner who shows up, celebrates small wins and is not shy about affection. Korean readers often picture this branch as the sun at its peak, bright and generous and hard to ignore when it walks into a room.
Fire needs fuel and air, which in partnership means passion and freedom. You may feel restless if a relationship becomes too predictable or too controlling, and you tend to recover quickly from arguments, sometimes faster than your partner does. The hidden Earth in 午 adds a wish for something lasting under all the brightness. You do best with someone who matches your warmth, gives you room to move and also offers a calm, cooling presence when your emotions run high on a hot day.
- Open affection — love that is shown and spoken, not kept quiet or rationed out.
- Freedom to move — a partner who trusts you to wander a little and always come home.
- A cool head — someone steady enough to ground you when feelings run hot.
Goat spouse palace · 未 미 (mi, Wei) — a sunlit field before harvest
未 is late summer, warm dry Earth just before harvest. Its hidden stems are 丁 Fire, 乙 Wood and the main stem 己, Yin Earth, the soil of a garden plot. It is traditionally called the storehouse of Wood. With this spouse palace you tend to be nurturing and considerate in love, someone who remembers birthdays, cooks for people and makes a partner's family feel welcome. Korean readers often describe the Goat day branch as gentle on the surface, with a firm streak of independence underneath that people sometimes underestimate.
Because the field is warm and full, you often give more than you take, then feel quietly let down when care is not returned in the same way. You value a partner who notices your effort and gives back without being reminded. Artistic and sensitive, you also need beauty and calm in daily life, and you can find conflict draining. Partnership thrives with gentle routines, shared meals and a partner who is reliable through every season, so your care has somewhere to land and keeps growing.
- Returned care — a partner who notices what you do and answers it with care of their own.
- A calm home — peace and beauty in daily life rather than constant drama.
- Respect for your quiet strength — not mistaking gentleness for a lack of opinions.
Monkey spouse palace · 申 신 (sin, Shen) — an autumn blade catching light
申 opens autumn, the season of harvest and cutting. Its hidden stems are 戊 Earth, 壬 Water and the main stem 庚, Yang Metal, the raw ore and the axe. With this spouse palace you tend to be capable, direct and quick on your feet in relationships. You like solving problems together and you show love by making things happen: booking the trip, fixing the car, finding the better deal. Korean readers often see the Monkey day branch as clever, restless and full of ideas, rarely bored and rarely boring.
The hidden Water inside 申 adds curiosity and a love of movement, so you may want a partner who enjoys change as much as you do. Metal can also sound blunt, and a quick fix is not always what someone wants to hear. Partnership works well when you slow down long enough to listen before solving. You value a partner who is independent and competent, who can handle your directness and who brings fresh ideas of their own. Shared adventures and shared work tend to bring out your loyal side.
- A capable partner — someone who solves problems alongside you instead of waiting to be rescued.
- Variety — new places, projects and ideas that keep the relationship moving.
- Patience with your edge — understanding that bluntness is often your way of caring.
Rooster spouse palace · 酉 유 (yu, You) — polished jewels in clear autumn air
酉 is mid-autumn and pure Metal. Its hidden stems are 庚 and the main stem 辛, Yin Metal, the cut jewel rather than the raw ore. With this spouse palace you tend to have refined taste and clear standards in partnership. You notice details: how someone dresses, how they speak to a waiter, whether they keep small promises. Korean readers often describe the Rooster day branch as elegant, organised and honest, sometimes so honest that the words land harder than intended. You want a relationship that feels well made.
Because the branch holds Metal and nothing else, its focus is clarity. You like to know where you stand, and you can grow uneasy with vague plans or mixed signals. At the same time you are deeply loyal once you choose, and you put real effort into keeping a relationship polished. The growth point is softness, letting a partner be imperfect and saying the warm thing as readily as the accurate thing. A partner who is sincere, tidy in their promises and generous with praise suits this palace well.
- Clarity — plain words about plans and feelings rather than guessing games.
- Quality time — effort and attention to detail that show the relationship matters.
- Room for imperfection — a home where both of you can relax and drop the polish.
Dog spouse palace · 戌 술 (sul, Xu) — a hearth inside a mountain fortress
戌 is dry Earth in late autumn, when the harvest is stored and fires are lit for the coming cold. Its hidden stems are 辛 Metal, 丁 Fire and the main stem 戊, Yang Earth, the mountain. It is traditionally called the storehouse of Fire, so this spouse palace holds a hearth inside a fortress. With a Dog day branch you tend to be loyal, protective and principled in love. Korean readers often say you guard your inner circle carefully and take promises very seriously once they are made.
Trust is the centre of everything for this branch. You may test a partner quietly before you fully let them in, and once you do, you stand by them in hard times. The hidden Fire gives you real warmth and a sense of justice, though it can flare up when you feel someone has been treated unfairly. You do best with a partner who is honest, consistent and shares your values. Partnership feels safest when it has clear commitments and a shared mission, even something as simple as building a home together.
- Unshakable trust — honesty and consistency that let your guard come down for good.
- Shared values — agreement on what is fair, right and worth protecting.
- Warm recognition — appreciation for the quiet ways you keep everyone safe.
Pig spouse palace · 亥 해 (hae, Hai) — a wide river in early winter
亥 opens winter. It is Yang Water with hidden 戊 Earth, 甲 Wood and the main stem 壬, the wide river that carries everything downstream. With this spouse palace you tend to be open-hearted, easygoing and generous in love. You enjoy comfort, good food and long talks, and you want a partner to feel completely accepted. Korean readers often describe the Pig day branch as kind and forgiving, the person friends call when they need someone who will not judge them, and the partner who makes a house feel lived in.
The hidden Wood inside 亥 adds hope and imagination, so you may dream big about what a relationship can become. Rivers can also overflow, which here means giving so freely that you forget your own limits or overlook warning signs. You do best with a partner who is warm, reliable and gently grounded, someone who brings structure without dimming your generosity. Shared pleasures, travel and a relaxed home life help this palace shine. Clear boundaries, kindly set, keep the river flowing in the right direction.
- Full acceptance — a partner who welcomes the whole of you, moods and dreams included.
- Gentle structure — plans and boundaries that guide your generosity rather than block it.
- Shared comforts — good meals, travel and slow mornings enjoyed together.
What is the spouse palace in Bazi?
The spouse palace is the Earthly Branch of your day pillar, called ilji or baeuja-gung in Korean Saju. It sits directly beneath the Day Master, the character that represents you, so readers use it to describe how you behave in close partnership and what you value in a partner. It shows tendencies, not a specific person.
Is a clash on the spouse palace bad for marriage?
Not in itself. A clash on the spouse palace is traditionally read as movement: moves, travel, busy schedules or a relationship that keeps changing shape. Many couples with a clashed palace do well by building in space and talking openly. Readers weigh the whole chart, and a clash is never treated as a prediction of separation.
What is the spouse star for women and men?
By historical convention, the spouse star for men was the Wealth stars (Direct and Indirect Wealth) and for women the Officer stars (Direct Officer and Seven Killings). That rule comes from an older view of marriage. Many modern readers look at both sets of stars for everyone, whatever their gender or their partner's gender.
Can the spouse palace show when I will marry?
It can suggest timing themes, not dates. Readers watch for luck pillars and years whose branch combines with or clashes with the spouse palace, or that bring in the spouse star. These are often read as active seasons for meeting people or making commitments. Your own choices and circumstances still matter far more than any year.
Is the Korean saju reading of the spouse palace different from Chinese Bazi?
The method is the same: both use the day branch as the spouse palace and read its hidden stems and interactions. Korean Saju adds its own vocabulary, such as ilji and baeuja-gung, and Korean readers often place extra weight on wonjin pairs and the balance of the five elements. The core idea is shared.
Hidden stems and branch relations follow standard Korean almanac tables (만세력); background: Four Pillars of Destiny (Wikipedia). Updated October 8, 2026. Traditional readings for entertainment and self-reflection only.