TOJEONG BIGYEOL · 541
Tojeong Bigyeol Hexagram 541
The sign that of the thirty-six stratagems, retreat is the best
At a glance
- Hexagram
- 541
- Upper · middle · lower
- 5 · 4 · 1
- The year overall
- An even year
- Brighter months
- lunar months 7, 10 and 11
- Months to take care
- lunar months 4 and 12
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
- 三千六計 走爲第一
Of the thirty-six stratagems, running away is the best. - 今當春運 身舞中天
Now you meet the fortune of spring, and your body dances in the middle of the sky. - 雨後淸江 回問白鷗
On the clear river after the rain, you turn and ask after the white gull. - 走馬花衢 舞袖逐風
Galloping a horse down a street in bloom, your dancing sleeves fly with the wind.
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 knowing when to step back is wisdom. If you don't force a confrontation, spring luck comes and you feel as light as if you were flying. It's joyful, like befriending white gulls on a clear river after the rain, or galloping down a flower-lined street with your sleeves fluttering.
This is a year when knowing when to step back becomes your greatest wisdom. The first line, that running away is the best of the thirty-six stratagems, means that pulling out of an unwinnable fight or an unreasonable position is actually the way to win. The second line says that once you've protected yourself this way, the fortune of spring arrives and you feel as light as if dancing in the sky. Asking after a white gull on the clear river after rain means your heart clears after the commotion passes and you gain a friend of leisure. The last line, galloping down a flowered street with sleeves flying, paints the joy and delight that arrive late. In the fourth lunar month you must find a way to survive on a rough road, so be careful of the north, and in the twelfth lunar month avoid heading east. In the seventh lunar month your home is harmonious, and in the tenth and eleventh lunar months money and celebrations come in together. If you know how to step back and avoid quarrels, this is a year when you'll laugh heartily in autumn.
A word from Master Tojeong
“The one who knows how to step back is the one who ends up ahead. Stepping aside now is not defeat. When autumn comes, your spirits will soar like galloping down a street in bloom.”
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
Forcing things only pushes them further away this month. Let go of greed and focus on what you can do now.
天不賜福 强求不得 勿聽人言 言是腹非 · Heaven does not grant blessings, so even if you force it you won't get it; don't listen to others. Their words differ from their hearts.
- Lunar month 2Mar 8 – Apr 6Even
It's easy to go out having fun with a restless heart this month. Even if you're busy coming and going, don't move or change your home and base carelessly.
淸明路上 勿問杏村 基地發動 反往有刑 · On the road at Cheongmyeong (a spring solar term in early April), don't ask for the village of apricot blossoms. If your home site moves, there will be punishment instead.
- Lunar month 3Apr 7 – May 5Even
You've already passed the biggest hurdle this month. But there's still a little uphill left, so stay careful to the end.
險路更逢 泰山已過 雖有虛名 別無所得 · Even if you meet a rough road again, the great mountain is already behind you; there may be an empty name, but you gain little.
- Lunar month 4May 6 – Jun 4Care
There's a lot to be careful about this month. Even in hard situations there's a way out, so calmly find your path.
傍谿曲徑 死中求生 北方不利 近則有害 · On a winding road by the stream, you seek a way to live amid mortal peril; the north is unfavorable, and drawing near it brings harm.
- Lunar month 5Jun 5 – Jul 3Even
Money comes in this month, but it slips out again easily. Save money right as it arrives and avoid big spending.
夢中之得 不久之財 妄生虛慾 徒傷心神 · Like something gained in a dream, this wealth won't last long; if you indulge in empty greed, you'll only hurt your heart in vain.
- Lunar month 6Jul 4 – Aug 1Even
It's easy to cling to things whose outcome is already set this month. If it's a fight you can't win, it's best to withdraw cleanly.
蛇入龍穴 勝負已辨 飢者得飯 無箸奈何 · The snake has entered the dragon's den and the contest is already decided; a starving man gets rice but has no chopsticks, so what can be done?
- Lunar month 7Aug 2 – Aug 31Bright
Your home is harmonious and overflowing with laughter this month. Quarrels disappear within the family and your care for one another grows.
上下和順 喜滿家庭 若非生産 得祿之數 · Young and old are harmonious and gentle, so joy fills the house; if not a child, then fortune brings a reward.
- Lunar month 8Sep 1 – Sep 29Even
This is a month to conduct yourself according to time and circumstance. Don't go against the flow; respond as if wearing clothes that suit the moment.
勢所多然 冬裘夏葛 西方不吉 勿爲出行 · Such is the situation, so suit the times as you would wear furs in winter and hemp in summer; the west is not auspicious, so don't go out that way.
- Lunar month 9Sep 30 – Oct 28Even
You feel well in body but money leaks easily this month. Watch that small expenses don't add up to a big hole.
身數平吉 損財奈何 四方之中 北方最吉 · Your personal fortune is peaceful and auspicious, yet you lose wealth, so what can be done? Of the four directions, the north is most auspicious.
- Lunar month 10Oct 29 – Nov 27Bright
This is the month your year opens up most powerfully. Your health and finances both improve and big opportunities arrive.
身財俱旺 其祿千金 入則傷心 出門成功 · Body and wealth both flourish and your reward is a thousand in gold; sitting at home hurts your heart, stepping out the door brings success.
- Lunar month 11Nov 28 – Dec 27Bright
Happy news continues this month. Unexpected money comes in, or there's a celebration for your children and family.
時逢好運 千金自到 若無横財 膝下有慶 · The times meet good fortune and a thousand in gold comes on its own; if not unexpected wealth, then a celebration for your children.
- Lunar month 12Dec 28 – Jan 26, 2028Care
It looks peaceful on the surface this month, but there are hidden things to be careful about. Even amid fun gatherings, don't let your guard down; watch your conduct.
靑山影裡 群鳥相樂 東方不利 行則被害 · In the shadow of the green mountain, flocks of birds play happily, but the east is unfavorable, and going there brings harm.
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.
By the formula, nobody receives this hexagram in 2027. Lunar month lengths and cycles change each year, so it does turn up in other years. For example, someone born on lunar 6/1/1985 receives this hexagram in 2028.
Find my hexagram
Frequently asked questions
Is Tojeong hexagram 541 a good one?
Hexagram 541 is read as an even year, with good and hard months mixed. This is a year when knowing when to step back is wisdom. If you don't force a confrontation, spring luck comes and you feel as light as if you were flying.
Which months need care in hexagram 541?
In hexagram 541, the lower months are lunar months 4 and 12. 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.