Saju (The Four Pillars), often hailed as the essence of Eastern humanities, is more than just a fortune-telling tool; it is a vast philosophical system containing thousands of years of reflection on the relationship between humanity and the universe. Let’s delve into the deep inner workings of this discipline—commonly known as Saju-palja—to see how it began and the logic it uses to interpret human life.
The roots of Saju Myeongri-hak trace back to the agrarian societies of ancient China, where understanding the rhythm of the seasons was a matter of life and death. Observing that the movements of the sun, moon, and planets imposed specific patterns on terrestrial life, the practice evolved from its early form—a type of "astrology" used to predict the rise and fall of nations or the outcomes of war—into the sophisticated system we know today. This transformation was spearheaded by figures like Li Xu-zhong of the Tang Dynasty and finalized by Xu Zi-ping of the Song Dynasty, whose revolutionary shift from a "Year-centered" to a "Day-centered" (Ilgan) analysis represented a profound humanistic milestone, moving the focus from collective destiny to the subjective, independent life of the individual.
The two pillars supporting Saju are Yin-Yang (陰陽) and the Five Elements (五행). Yin-Yang represents the logic that all existence thrives within a balance of relative opposition and harmony. Just as light is accompanied by shadow and expansion is followed by contraction, human destiny repeats a rhythm of rising and falling. The Five Elements—Wood (木), Fire (火), Earth (土), Metal (金), and Water (水)—represent the circulation of five distinct energies. These are not merely physical materials but symbols of the "flow of energy": birth and growth (Wood), outward radiation (Fire), mediation and transition (Earth), convergence and refinement (Metal), and rest and storage (Water). The term Saju-palja is derived from the Four Pillars (Saju)—the year, month, day, and hour of birth—and the Eight Characters (Palja) formed by the two characters assigned to each pillar. These eight characters act as a "cosmic weather map" of the exact moment a person is born, serving as a semiotic code that symbolizes one’s innate temperament and environmental variables.
Many people mistake Saju for "deterministic fatalism." However, as a branch of the humanities, Myeongri-hak is closer to a practice of "self-objectification." It is a process of using Saju as a mirror to reflect on why we react with anger in certain situations or why we face recurring friction in our relationships. In Myeongri-hak, this is called "Ji-myeong" (知命)—knowing one's destiny. Only when you understand what kind of "seed" you were born as can you finally find the right soil and determine the best time to water it. Ultimately, Saju is not a sentence declaring, "You are destined to live this way"; rather, it poses an existential question: "Given that the pattern of your existence is such, how will you choose to meet the coming seasons?"
Saju goes beyond individual analysis to provide excellent insights into our relationships with others. By identifying people who can temper our excessive energies or environments that can fill our deficiencies, we naturally broaden our depth of understanding toward others. It becomes a tool that enables existential affirmation; rather than a dismissive "That's just how they are," it allows for a realization like, "Because that person possesses such a strong Metal (金) energy, their nature is bound to be sharp and precise.