Wood Ox
Yǐ Chǒu, yin
- Stem
- 乙 wood, yin
- Branch
- 丑 ox
- 納音
- 海中金 Gold in the Sea
- Years
- 1925, 1985, 2045
Each listed year runs from its boundary to the next one, and it depends on the convention. Early dates in the calendar year can belong to the year before.
About this year
Yin wood sits over the earth of 丑 in 乙丑, the Wood Ox year. Wood parts earth, as roots open soil, so in the overcoming cycle the stem presses on the branch. Recent examples are 1925 and 1985, and the next is 2045.
The 納音 is the same Gold in the Sea that 甲子 holds, since each of these names covers two neighboring years. Sanming Tonghui reads the image as metal still enclosed, a thing that can be named before it can be seen. Neither wood nor earth is metal, a reminder that the name records a position in the sixty and stands apart from the stem's element.
Where this text comes from
The 納音 name follows the Wikisource text of 三命通會, volume 1, the only witness we found for the full set of names. The polarity of the stems and branches and the generating and overcoming cycles follow 五行大義 volume 2.
- 三命通會 卷一 (Wikisource 三命通會/卷一, SIMPLIFIED script as stored on Wikisource)
Retrieved 2026-11-09
- 五行大義 卷二 (Wikisource 五行大義/2, traditional script)
Retrieved 2026-11-09
The English here is our own plain wording, not a translation of a single source.