Structure (Gyeokguk): The Big Frame of a Chart
How to name the overall frame a chart lives by, centred on the season of birth.
What is the structure?
Structure (격국) is the name for the big frame of a chart: how a person goes through life. It is decided mainly by the month branch (월지), the lower character of the birth month, and is used to sum up the character of the whole chart in a phrase.
How it is decided
Halmeoni decides the structure in the following order. First, if the month branch is the position where the Day Master gains the most strength (the Prosperity position, 녹), the structure is the Prosperity structure (건록격), and if it is the position overflowing with blade-like strength (the Blade, 양인), it is the Blade structure (양인격). Otherwise, among the energies hidden in the month branch (hidden stems, 지장간) it looks for the one that has appeared openly among the heavenly stems (the main energy first), and gives the name according to which Ten God (십신) that character is to the Day Master. If none has appeared, it is decided by the main energy of the month branch.
| Structure | Plain meaning |
|---|---|
| Prosperity structure (건록격) | A frame that stands on its own strength. Independence, self-made success |
| Blade structure (양인격) | A frame of blade-like strength. Decisiveness, the temperament of a fighter |
| Rob Wealth structure (월겁격) | A frame that grows through competition. Independence and the urge to win |
| Eating God structure (식신격) | A frame that lives by talent and ease. Expertise, good fortune with food |
| Hurting Officer structure (상관격) | A frame that lives by talent and a way with words. Expressiveness, creativity |
| Indirect Wealth structure (편재격) | A frame of money moved on a large scale. Business, an active life |
| Direct Wealth structure (정재격) | A frame of steady household management. Diligence, thrift |
| Seven Killings structure (편관격) | A frame that overcomes pressure. Grit, drive |
| Direct Officer structure (정관격) | A frame of rules and honour. Organisations, a sense of responsibility |
| Indirect Resource structure (편인격) | A frame of unusual thinking. Intuition, a specialised field |
| Direct Resource structure (정인격) | A frame of learning and care. Study, luck with documents |
When the structure is decided by Rob Wealth (겁재), it is called the Rob Wealth structure (월겁격), and when it is decided by the Seven Killings (편관), it is called the Seven Killings structure (편관격, also 칠살격). There are also several theories about how to decide the structure, so another source may arrive at a different structure. The structure is only the starting point of a reading, not a frame that confines a person.