TOJEONG BIGYEOL · 152
Tojeong Bigyeol Hexagram 152
The sign of the eaves catching fire while the swallows and sparrows don't notice
At a glance
- Hexagram
- 152
- Upper · middle · lower
- 1 · 5 · 2
- The year overall
- A year to take care
- Brighter months
- None
- Months to take care
- lunar months 2 and 10
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
- 火及棟樑 燕雀安知
The flames have reached the roof beam, yet how would the swallows and sparrows under the eaves know it? - 投鼠忌器 大笑路上
You hesitate to throw a stone at a rat for fear of breaking the dishes, yet there is also hearty laughter on the road. - 三歲王女 半笑半
Like a three-year-old princess, half laughing and half crying. - 萬里城邊 白鳥長啼
By the walls of ten thousand li, a white bird cries long.
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
This is a year when danger can come close and you can easily walk past without noticing. Just as you'd be careful not to break a dish while chasing a mouse, don't lose something big over something small. Laughter and tears are half and half, so keep a close eye on your surroundings.
This is a year when it's easy to miss a danger that has come close. The swallows and sparrows of the first verse are creatures so comfortable under the eaves that they don't notice the flames, meaning don't overlook small problems with your home or body just because things are comfortable now. The second verse warns you to be careful not to break a precious dish while trying to catch a single rat — a lesson not to lose something bigger while dealing with a small problem. It also says there's hearty laughter on the road, so it's not a year completely without joy. As in the third verse, laughter and tears are mixed half and half, so managing emotional ups and downs is important. The white bird's cry in the fourth verse means longing or loneliness from far away, so turning your heart toward your hometown and family brings comfort. It's an unlucky reading, but the original text says throughout that if you look ahead and prepare, you can turn misfortune into blessing. Stay alert, but don't be afraid — walk one step at a time.
A word from Master Tojeong
“Do not forget the roof beam just because it is warm beneath the eaves. See that you do not break the great vessel while squabbling over small things. For one who looks ahead, misfortune turns to blessing.”
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
In the first month of the new year, it's easy to hesitate without finding your direction. Like a bird with a broken wing, don't try to force yourself into flight — use this time to mend your wings.
飛鳥折羽 進退不知 萬里城邊 白馬長嘶 · A flying bird's wing is broken, so it knows not whether to advance or retreat; by the walls of ten thousand li, a white horse neighs long.
- Lunar month 2Mar 8 – Apr 6Care
Family matters easily weigh on your mind this month. Listen more closely than usual to what your spouse and children have to say.
災害不離 命也奈何 中春有憂 妻憂子憂 · Disaster does not leave — what can be done about fate? There is worry in the middle of spring: worry over wife and children.
- Lunar month 3Apr 7 – May 5Even
Someone who will help you appears from the northwest this month. Tidy your home and clear up old matters, and you can head off coming worries in advance.
貴人何在 西北也方 預先安宅 庶免此厄 · Where is the benefactor? In the northwest. If you bring peace to your home in advance, you will nearly escape this misfortune.
- Lunar month 4May 6 – Jun 4Even
Your heart is in a hurry but things don't move forward, which can be frustrating. When the water is shallow, wisdom lies in waiting for it to rise rather than forcing the oars.
淺水盪舟 欲行不行 預先防厄 轉禍爲福 · You float a boat on shallow water, so though you wish to go you cannot; but if you ward off misfortune in advance, it turns into blessing.
- Lunar month 5Jun 5 – Jul 3Even
If you seek sincerely without big greed, small income follows this month. Even if others' things look glamorous, you'll feel that your own place and people are more precious.
財數論之 誠求小得 梁園雖好 不如故國 · Speaking of financial luck, seek it sincerely and you will gain a little; though the Liang Garden is fine, it is not as good as home.
- Lunar month 6Jul 4 – Aug 1Even
What you've built grows this month, even if it isn't visible right away. Rather than expecting others' favor, find fulfillment in cultivating things one by one with your own strength.
高山植木 積小成大 祖業無緣 自手成家 · You plant trees on a high mountain, so small things pile up into something great; the ancestral trade is not your destiny, so you raise your house with your own hands.
- Lunar month 7Aug 2 – Aug 31Even
You gain something better from an unexpected place this month. Don't regret the opportunity you missed — thanks to it, another door opens.
逐兎得鹿 失反爲得 花朝月夕 身醉花間 · Chasing a rabbit, you catch a deer, so what you lost becomes a gain instead; on flowering mornings and moonlit evenings, you grow tipsy among the flowers.
- Lunar month 8Sep 1 – Sep 29Even
This is a month when work you take responsibility for alone is safer than joint ventures.
與人謀事 吉反爲凶 莫近水姓 必受其害 · If you plan affairs with others, what was good turns ominous instead; do not draw close to those with Water (水) surnames, or you will be harmed.
- Lunar month 9Sep 30 – Oct 28Even
If you're not honest with yourself, your judgment clouds this month. If there's something you're insisting on even though you know it's wrong, let it go this time.
指鹿爲馬 自欺其心 貴人何在 西北兩方 · Pointing at a deer and calling it a horse, you deceive your own heart; benefactors lie in the two directions of west and north.
- Lunar month 10Oct 29 – Nov 27Care
This is a month to keep far away from temptation and wild gatherings. Keeping drinks short and coming home early will protect your body and relationships.
莫近酒色 必受其害 凶神來侵 妻宮有厄 · Do not draw close to wine and women, or you will be harmed; an ominous energy intrudes, so there is worry in the place of your wife.
- Lunar month 11Nov 28 – Dec 27Even
You reconnect with a person or matter you'd been apart from for a long time this month. An old connection comes calling warmly, so open your heart and welcome it.
一別三載 於焉故園 東方不利 西方有吉 · Three years after parting, before you know it you return to the old garden; the east is unfavorable, and there is good fortune in the west.
- Lunar month 12Dec 28 – Jan 26, 2028Even
Wrapping up the year, this is a month to gather your devotion. Quietly composing yourself and praying for what you hope for clears your mind.
祈禱七星 凶反爲吉 天 知 · If you pray to the Seven Stars, the ominous turns auspicious instead, for heaven knows.
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 2/2/1990 receives this hexagram in 2027.
Find my hexagram
Frequently asked questions
Is Tojeong hexagram 152 a good one?
Hexagram 152 is read as a year that calls for keeping low and holding steady. This is a year when danger can come close and you can easily walk past without noticing. Just as you'd be careful not to break a dish while chasing a mouse, don't lose something big over something small.
Which months need care in hexagram 152?
In hexagram 152, the lower months are lunar months 2 and 10. 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.