TOJEONG BIGYEOL · 151
Tojeong Bigyeol Hexagram 151
The sign of climbing a tree to look for fish
At a glance
- Hexagram
- 151
- Upper · middle · lower
- 1 · 5 · 1
- The year overall
- A year to take care
- Brighter months
- None
- Months to take care
- lunar months 3, 7, 8 and 11
Luna Alley's Tojeong readings are for fun and reflection. Read even a difficult hexagram as a guide to how you carry yourself through the year.
The original verse and its meaning
- 緣木求魚 事事多滯
It is like climbing a tree to look for fish, so every matter meets many obstacles. - 尋友洛陽 還醉瑤臺
You traveled all the way to distant Luoyang to find a friend, only to get drunk at a feast on the Jade Terrace instead. - 中無所主 虛心狂蝶
With no center in your heart, you are like a butterfly flitting here and there with an empty mind. - 日落西天 似人非人
As the sun sets in the western sky, one who seems human yet is not quite human stands beside you.
The verses follow the public-domain Tojeong Bigyeol held by the National Library of Korea; the meanings are Luna Alley's own retelling.
The year ahead
If your direction is wrong, things keep getting stuck no matter how hard you try. You may travel far to find friends and enjoy a merry time, but if your heart has no center, you'll be swayed this way and that. Toward sunset, be choosy about the company you keep.
This is a year of great frustration, when things don't come into your hands no matter how hard you try. The first verse's "climbing a tree to look for fish" doesn't mean you lack effort — it means your direction is off, so it's important to first look back at where you're pouring your energy. As in the second verse, it's easy to set out to find a friend far away, get drunk on the fun, and forget your original purpose, so enjoy gatherings and drinks, but don't try to find your path there. The mad butterfly of the third verse is what you look like when your heart has no master. Rather than poking around at this and that, set up one pillar and you'll waver far less. The fourth verse means it's hard to tell people from non-people in the dusk, so as the year goes on you'll need to choose your friends carefully. It's an unlucky reading, but if you just correct your direction, blocked channels will open one by one, so don't be impatient. Think of this year less as a year of big gains and more as a year of cutting wasted effort, and your heart will be at ease.
A word from Master Tojeong
“Fish must be sought in the water, my friend. This year, before you strive, first look to where you are headed. Set a master in your heart, and though the wind may blow, you shall not scatter like a butterfly.”
Month by month (summary)
Only a short note and the original verse for each month. Dates are the 2027 lunar months.
- Lunar month 1Feb 7 – Mar 7Even
Something unexpected may cut in right at the start of the new year. Even if money comes in, if you spend it right away in your joy, regret will follow.
不意之禍 忽然來到 雖有財數 先吉後凶 · Unexpected misfortune suddenly comes calling; there is financial luck, but it is good at first and turns bad later.
- Lunar month 2Mar 8 – Apr 6Even
An energy of change stirs inside and outside your home this month. If you've been considering moving or reorganizing your home, it's a good time to look into it calmly.
宅神發動 非遷則憂 三春財數 必有興旺 · The energy that guards the house stirs, so if you do not move there will be worry; your financial luck rises during the three months of spring.
- Lunar month 3Apr 7 – May 5Care
If you put off what needs doing, you'll have nothing to reap later this month. Your mind floats and judgment clouds easily, so postpone important decisions for a while.
農失其時 秋收不得 心神恍惚 如狂如醉 · The farmer misses the season, so there is nothing to reap in autumn; your mind is hazy, as if mad or drunk.
- Lunar month 4May 6 – Jun 4Even
You can easily wear yourself out chasing what you can't grasp this month. New plans may be big on vision and short on substance, so weigh them realistically.
佩瓠捕風 所得幾何 謀事不利 人口不和 · You carry a gourd and try to catch the wind — how much could you gain? What you plan is unfavorable and the household is not in harmony.
- Lunar month 5Jun 5 – Jul 3Even
A sweet rain falls on a heart that had been parched this month. You have room to breathe, so rather than pouring this energy outward, fill yourself up inside.
旱草逢雨 其色靑靑 隨處安靜 勿謀出動 · Grass in a drought meets the rain and turns bright green; stay quietly where you are and do not go out to scheme.
- Lunar month 6Jul 4 – Aug 1Even
Money comes in little by little, but your body may not keep up and you may feel worn out. Draw a clear line between work and rest, and check in on your family elders too.
雖有財數 身憂不離 未月之數 黑白不明 · There is financial luck, but worries about your health do not leave; the fortune of the sixth month is such that black and white are not clear.
- Lunar month 7Aug 2 – Aug 31Care
Keeping a low profile and guarding things from within is the best course this month. Changing your home environment or moving may work to lessen misfortune.
欲免災厄 移基則吉 出外不利 在家則吉 · To avoid misfortune, moving to a new place is auspicious; going out is unfavorable, and staying home is auspicious.
- Lunar month 8Sep 1 – Sep 29Care
This is a month to look after both your body and your home. Check anything involving fire and heat more carefully than usual.
秦宮三月 煙火不滅 鬼殺照門 疾病愼之 · Like the palace of Qin burning for three months, the smoke and fire do not die out; an evil energy shines on your door, so be wary of illness.
- Lunar month 9Sep 30 – Oct 28Even
It's a welcome month when unexpected income may come in. But that money may not stay long, so decide in advance where it will go.
財星照宅 意外得財 財爻逢空 妻宮有厄 · The star of wealth shines on your house and you gain unexpected wealth, but the place of wealth is empty and there is worry in the place of your wife.
- Lunar month 10Oct 29 – Nov 27Even
A new family member or happy news may come to your home this month. The joy blooms within the home, so keep your heart on your family rather than outside matters.
此月之數 必有弄璋 出行不利 在家則吉 · This month there is the joy of gaining a son; going out is unfavorable, so staying home is auspicious.
- Lunar month 11Nov 28 – Dec 27Care
Even with strength, it's hard to move as you wish this month, as if your feet were tied. Trying to force your way out only sinks you deeper, so wait until the situation eases.
猛虎陷穽 有勇難施 勿近西方 必然損財 · A fierce tiger falls into a pit, so though it has courage it can hardly use it; do not draw close to the west, or you will lose wealth.
- Lunar month 12Dec 28 – Jan 26, 2028Even
Wrapping up the year, this is a month to learn the power of patience. Even if something hurts, endure it once more and your home will actually grow warmer.
百忍堂中 自有太和 勿也 · In a home that endures a hundred times, great peace dwells of its own accord.
The nine readings by area (money, love, work, health and more) and the long monthly readings open in the Tojeong Bigyeol app once you find your own hexagram.
Who gets this hexagram?
The hexagram depends on your lunar birth date and the year being read. The upper number comes from your Korean age that year plus the year's taese number, the middle from the length and month number of your birth month that year, and the lower from your birth day plus the day number. So the same person gets a different hexagram each year.
For example, someone born on lunar 2/1/1990 receives this hexagram in 2027.
Find my hexagram
Frequently asked questions
Is Tojeong hexagram 151 a good one?
Hexagram 151 is read as a year that calls for keeping low and holding steady. If your direction is wrong, things keep getting stuck no matter how hard you try. You may travel far to find friends and enjoy a merry time, but if your heart has no center, you'll be swayed this way and that.
Which months need care in hexagram 151?
In hexagram 151, the lower months are lunar months 3, 7, 8 and 11. Avoid rushing big decisions then, and go easy on your body and your words.
How do I find my own Tojeong hexagram?
Enter your birth date in the Luna Alley Tojeong Bigyeol page and it converts solar to lunar and works out the hexagram for you. To do it by hand, the 2027 guide shows the formula with an example.