Sipsin is a sorting centered on the self

Among the eight characters of a chart, the day's heavenly stem is set as "me." Sipsin names how every other character stands in relation to that self: the one that backs me, the one I produce, the one I govern, the one that governs me, the one that nurtures me. Five directions of relationship, each split in two by yin and yang, make ten.

So the same character takes a different sipsin name depending on whose chart it sits in. Sipsin isn't a property of the character itself — it's the relationship between me and that character. That's the starting point for reading it as a map of relationships rather than a table of destiny.

Five groups make it simple

Memorizing ten at once is a lot; grouping them into five gives you the outline. Bi-gyeop is my own side — the territory of self, competition, and independence. Sik-sang is what I send outward: expression and talent. Jae-seong is what I handle — wealth and relationships, the force that reaches toward the concrete world.

Gwan-seong is the area of restraint and responsibility — what presses on me and aligns me to norms. In-seong is what supports and raises me: learning and protection. Bi-gyeop (peer stars), sik-sang (expression), jae-seong (wealth), gwan-seong (authority), in-seong (resource) — see which of these five run thick and which sit empty, and the broad grain of a chart shows itself. Each group splitting into two by yin and yang is what gives you the ten.

Which way each of the ten leans

Even inside one group, yin and yang split the grain. In bi-gyeop, the bi-gyeon subtype (Friend) reads like a peer walking alongside you, while geop-jae (Rob Wealth) leans toward a rival competing for the same thing. In sik-sang, sik-sin (Eating God) is steady, long-form expression, while sang-gwan (Hurting Officer) tilts toward the kind that flashes and stands out. In jae-seong, jeong-jae (Direct Wealth) is wealth built up steadily; pyeon-jae (Indirect Wealth) is wealth turned over in big swings.

In gwan-seong, jeong-gwan (Direct Officer) is settled responsibility and order, while pyeon-gwan (Seven Killings) splits toward heavy pressure and drive. In in-seong, jeong-in (Direct Resource) leans toward warm care, pyeon-in (Indirect Resource) toward sharp insight. None of this is a fixed personality chart, though — it's the direction a character tends to read. The same jeong-gwan plays out completely differently depending on the rest of the layout.

No good sipsin — only arrangement

Learn sipsin and you'll want to ask for a ranking — "jeong-gwan good, sang-gwan bad." ARO doesn't read it that way. No sipsin is lucky or unlucky on its own. Thick gwan-seong gives firm responsibility but can also bind you tight; strong sik-sang expresses freely but can run thin on restraint. Strength and weakness are two sides of the same character.

So the real thing to read isn't a ranking of the ten — it's the balance and tilt among the groups. Which areas pile up too heavy, which sit empty, and where that lean creates strain. Sipsin isn't a table of destiny that locks you in a box; it's a map of how the ten roles inside you are arranged.

Related terms

• 비겁활동·결집 리듬.
• 비견동료·동급 리듬. 협업 또는 경쟁 분기.
• 겁재같은 자리 다투는 리듬. 인재 결집·라이벌.
• 식상밖으로 표현하고 싶은 리듬. 새 시도 환영.
• 식신즐겁게 흘러가는 리듬. 식·휴식·표현 환영.
• 상관튀고 싶은 리듬. 새 시도 좋아요, 충돌은 주의.
• 재성새 자극·물질에 끌리는 리듬.
• 정재꾸준한 수입·평소 페이스.
• 편재짧고 큰 변동 리듬. 신중 필요.
• 관성위에서 누르는 리듬. 견제·정체·압박.
• 정관자리·룰을 지키는 리듬. 무리하지 말고 본분에 충실.
• 편관외부 충격·경쟁 강세 리듬. 방어 필요.
• 인성케어받는·휴식 모드.
• 정인옆에서 지켜주는 안정 리듬. 무리 안 해도 흘러가는 리듬.
• 편인평소와 다른 길로 가도 통하는 리듬. 직관에 기댈 만함.