TOJEONG BIGYEOL · 421
Tojeong Bigyeol Hexagram 421
The sign of dodging a fox only to step on a tiger's tail
At a glance
- Hexagram
- 421
- Upper · middle · lower
- 4 · 2 · 1
- The year overall
- A year to take care
- Brighter months
- lunar months 4 and 10
- Months to take care
- lunar months 3 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
- 僅避狐狸 更踏虎尾
Having barely escaped the fox and the raccoon dog, you step on the tiger's tail. - 釆頭何處 如斷手足
Where can you lay your head? You are at a loss, as if your hands and feet had been cut off. - 有聲無功 一眼奈何
There is sound but no merit — what can you do with one eye? - 才星盡空 虛往虛來
The stars of talent are all empty, so you go empty-handed and come empty-handed.
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, once you get past one hurdle, another comes. You may find little to rely on, as if your hands and feet had been cut off. Things may be all noise and no substance, so don't start anything reckless; put your effort into protecting what you have.
This is a year when, after getting over one hurdle, another comes along. The first verse, about barely escaping the fox only to step on the tiger's tail, is a warning that if you let your guard down after avoiding a small danger, you'll meet something bigger. As the verse says there's nowhere to lay your head, as if your hands and feet were cut off, you may feel lonely with nowhere fitting to lean. The third verse, about sound without merit, means things started with a lot of noise easily end without substance, and it reminds you that your judgment may narrow, as if seeing with one eye. The last verse says the stars of talent are empty and you come and go empty-handed, so this year is one to protect rather than expand. Still, in the fourth and tenth months there are bright months when songs of peace are heard and money grows plentiful. As the original verse for the twelfth month says, if you hope for joy amid worry and strive sincerely, you'll gain a small profit. Go one careful step at a time and you can get through this year.
A word from Master Tojeong
“Having escaped the fox, do not step on the tiger's tail. Measure your strength, hold your ground, and give your sincerity, and you shall see joy even amid worry.”
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
Your heart isn't at ease whether you set out or stay home this month. Be careful with long trips and avoid overloaded schedules.
江山行人 偶逢險路 家內不平 自有心亂 · A traveler crossing rivers and mountains happens upon a rough road; the household is not at peace, so the heart is unsettled of itself.
- Lunar month 2Mar 8 – Apr 6Even
This is a month to pour off before it overflows. Reduce your greed and your schedule.
月盈則虧 器滿則溢 家有疾苦 心身散亂 · When the moon is full it wanes and when a vessel is full it overflows; there is someone ill at home, so body and mind are unsettled.
- Lunar month 3Apr 7 – May 5Care
This is a month to be careful of conflict and loss. Don't clash with people you don't like — keep your distance.
身運不利 終見仇人 若非損財 横厄可畏 · Your bodily fortune is unfavorable and you end up meeting an enemy; if you do not lose wealth, unexpected misfortune is to be feared.
- Lunar month 4May 6 – Jun 4Bright
This is a bright month in the year when you can breathe again. Unexpected income may arise.
桑麻被野 謳歌太平 財星隨身 横財豐饒 · Mulberry and hemp cover the fields, so you sing of peace; the star of wealth follows you, so windfalls are plentiful.
- Lunar month 5Jun 5 – Jul 3Even
Elders and younger members easily clash at home this month. Listen to each other's positions first.
自下克上 家有不平 此月之數 不如在家 · Those below overpower those above, so the household is not at peace; this month's fortune is that nothing beats staying home.
- Lunar month 6Jul 4 – Aug 1Even
There's a lot of agonizing over choices this month. Don't rush — weigh them thoroughly.
路遇兩岐 狐疑未定 運數轉回 終得生活 · You meet a fork in the road and hesitate, unable to decide, but fortune returns, so in the end you find a way to live.
- Lunar month 7Aug 2 – Aug 31Even
It's a frustrating month when things don't go your way. Let go of what's beyond your power.
事不稱心 心多煩悶 運命所到 智赤難免 · Things do not satisfy your heart so there is much anguish; what fate brings is hard to avoid even with wisdom.
- Lunar month 8Sep 1 – Sep 29Even
Worries easily arise at home this month. Check often on your elders' health and well-being.
惡殺來侵 家患不離 若非如此 必有素服 · An evil energy intrudes so worries at home do not leave; otherwise, there will be cause to wear mourning white.
- Lunar month 9Sep 30 – Oct 28Even
Work beyond your strength brings trouble this month. Take on only work that matches your capacity.
官鬼到門 家有不安 不量其力 事事見敗 · The official-trouble spirit comes to your door so the household is uneasy; if you do not measure your own strength, every matter fails.
- Lunar month 10Oct 29 – Nov 27Bright
It's a bright month, like an age of great peace. There are welcome things and money wherever you go.
堯天雨露 舜時日月 到處有財 食祿自足 · Rain and dew from the sky of Emperor Yao, sun and moon of Emperor Shun's age; there is wealth wherever you go and your income is plentiful.
- Lunar month 11Nov 28 – Dec 27Care
Talk multiplies and distance easily grows between family members this month. Swallow hurtful words and be gentle.
口舌有數 到處得談 家內不安 兄弟離別 · There is a fortune of gossip, so you hear talk wherever you go; the household is uneasy and you part from your siblings.
- Lunar month 12Dec 28 – Jan 26, 2028Even
A small hope appears at the end of a hard year this month. If you work diligently, you'll gain something, however small.
此月之數 憂中望喜 誠心努力 小利可得 · This month's fortune: you hope for joy amid worry; if you strive sincerely, you can gain a small profit.
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 8/4/1987 receives this hexagram in 2027.
Find my hexagram
Frequently asked questions
Is Tojeong hexagram 421 a good one?
Hexagram 421 is read as a year that calls for keeping low and holding steady. This is a year when, once you get past one hurdle, another comes. You may find little to rely on, as if your hands and feet had been cut off.
Which months need care in hexagram 421?
In hexagram 421, the lower months are lunar months 3 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.