TOJEONG BIGYEOL · 542
Tojeong Bigyeol Hexagram 542
The sign of holding out a sword to someone and asking what the matter is
At a glance
- Hexagram
- 542
- Upper · middle · lower
- 5 · 4 · 2
- The year overall
- An even year
- Brighter months
- lunar months 4, 5 and 9
- Months to take care
- lunar months 1, 2, 6, 10 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
- 一把刀刃 呈人何事
You hold out a single blade to another; what is this about? - 流離南北 合掌大笑
Those who wandered north and south clasp hands and laugh aloud. - 廣大天地 納履何往
In the vast, wide heavens and earth, where do you mean to go with your shoes on? - 秋起東山 出動失足
In autumn you rise from the garden and set out, only to lose your footing.
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 unexpected disputes or misunderstandings can easily arise. You may clap hands and laugh with people who had scattered north and south, but you may also wander in the wide world, not knowing where to go even with your shoes laced. Be careful not to misstep by charging ahead carelessly.
This is a year to watch out for unintended misunderstandings and disputes. The first line, holding out a blade to someone, means your words and actions may come across as sharp to others, so even when your intentions are good, soften how you say things. The second line, wanderers from north and south clasping hands and laughing, is happy news that scattered connections will meet again and share joyful laughter. Not knowing where to go even with shoes on in the wide world means that having many options can actually make you lose your direction. The last line, setting out from the garden in autumn and losing your footing, is a reminder to watch your step, since stepping forward rashly easily leads to mistakes. In the first and second lunar months, be careful with your body and your words, and in the fourth and fifth lunar months financial luck returns amid comfort. In the ninth lunar month, bad comes first and good after, and what you've hoped for comes true. In the tenth and eleventh lunar months, lower your profile again, and in the twelfth lunar month good luck finally arrives, if a little late.
A word from Master Tojeong
“A blade shines only when kept in its sheath. Speak gently and watch your step. Scattered friends will return and laugh with you.”
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 7Care
This is a month to take care of your body and mind together. Even if you feel hurt, let go of thoughts of blaming or harming others.
害人之事 勿生念頭 若無身病 堂上有憂 · Don't even think of harming others. If your body is free of illness, then there's worry for the elders of your household.
- Lunar month 2Mar 8 – Apr 6Care
This is a month to quietly hold steady. Hasty actions or words can invite disputes and arguments over paperwork.
妄動有害 守分則吉 若非身憂 官災口舌 · Moving rashly brings harm, keeping to your place brings luck; if not worries of the body, then legal trouble and gossip.
- Lunar month 3Apr 7 – May 5Even
Rumors and worries sound loud this month, but there's little substance behind them. Don't lose your composure, swayed by noisy talk.
震驚百里 有聲無形 雲雨滿空 不見日月 · Thunder startles a hundred li, yet there's only sound and no form; clouds and rain fill the sky so you can't see the sun or moon.
- Lunar month 4May 6 – Jun 4Bright
You gain comfort as you build your foundation this month. Strengthen the base of your home or work and you'll feel secure.
築室山根 人以爲安 不近酒色 百事順成 · You build a house at the foot of the mountain and people call it peaceful; if you stay away from wine and lust, everything goes smoothly.
- Lunar month 5Jun 5 – Jul 3Bright
Welcome financial luck returns this month. What you sought modestly, without greed, comes back big.
此月之數 喜懼相半 小求大得 財運漸回 · This month joy and fear are half and half, but you seek little and gain much, so financial luck gradually returns.
- Lunar month 6Jul 4 – Aug 1Care
Things keep going awry and you may tire easily this month. All the more at such times, remember the kindness you've received and keep your heart right.
到處有敗 身數奈何 舊恩莫忘 惡意勿施 · Wherever you go there is failure, so what is to be done with this fortune? Don't forget old kindnesses and don't act with ill intent.
- Lunar month 7Aug 2 – Aug 31Even
Work moves slowly and you feel frustrated this month. Forcing things could actually cause trouble.
此月之數 劫殺來侵 蹇馬出路 欲步不行 · This month the Robbery Star (geopsal, an ill-omened influence) intrudes; a limping horse sets out on the road but can't go forward however it tries.
- Lunar month 8Sep 1 – Sep 29Even
Your heart shrinks at unexpected coldness this month. Even if you're drawn to new people or things, don't neglect the bonds you've shared for a long time.
五月飛霜 草木何堪 新人雖好 不如舊情 · Frost falls in the fifth lunar month, so how can grass and trees endure? A new person may seem good, but is no match for old affection.
- Lunar month 9Sep 30 – Oct 28Bright
Something you've waited for a long time bears fruit this month. There may be difficulties at first, but in the end it leads to good results.
天上碧桃 千年結子 先凶後吉 萬事如意 · Heaven's green peach bears fruit after a thousand years; bad comes first and good after, so all things easily go as you wish.
- Lunar month 10Oct 29 – Nov 27Care
Money comes in this month, but your body tires easily. Don't overexert yourself out of greed for money; put your health first.
財數雖吉 身數不利 東南離居 可免此厄 · Your fortune in wealth is auspicious but your bodily fortune is not; relocate to the southeast and you can escape this trouble.
- Lunar month 11Nov 28 – Dec 27Care
This is a month for prudence. Hasty decisions easily turn into losses, so think once more.
謀事不愼 被害難免 若無疾苦 膝下有憂 · If you're not prudent when planning things, it's hard to avoid harm; if there's no suffering from illness, then there's worry over your children.
- Lunar month 12Dec 28 – Jan 26, 2028Even
The mood at home may feel awkward this month. In disagreements between spouses or family, don't try to win; each give way a step.
夫婦不順 家中不安 晩得好運 財福可受 · Husband and wife are not in harmony, so the home is uneasy, but late good fortune lets you receive wealth and blessings.
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 6/4/1985 receives this hexagram in 2028.
Find my hexagram
Frequently asked questions
Is Tojeong hexagram 542 a good one?
Hexagram 542 is read as an even year, with good and hard months mixed. This is a year when unexpected disputes or misunderstandings can easily arise. You may clap hands and laugh with people who had scattered north and south, but you may also wander in the wide world, not knowing where to go even with your shoes laced.
Which months need care in hexagram 542?
In hexagram 542, the lower months are lunar months 1, 2, 6, 10 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.