Three-Year Adversity Cycle(三災)

One table defines the rule. The twelve zodiac signs form four groups of three, called Three Harmony groups — Sin–Ja–Jin (Monkey · Rat · Dragon) belongs to Water, Hae–Myo–Mi (Pig · Rabbit · Goat) to Wood, In–O–Sul (Tiger · Horse · Dog) to Fire, and Sa–Yu–Chuk (Snake · Rooster · Ox) to Metal. Samjae falls in the years of the three branches of the opposite season, when that group is weakest. For Water, these are In–Myo–Jin (spring); for Wood, Sa–O–Mi (summer); for Fire, Sin–Yu–Sul (fall); and for Metal, Hae–Ja–Chuk (winter). Seowoon’s samjae function selects years using this same rule, and the years in the table are its calculated results.

Each of the three years has a name. The first is deulsamjae (the entering year), the second is nulsamjae (the settling year), and the third is nalsamjae (the leaving year). 2026, the Byeong-o year, is the O (午) year in the Sa·O·Mi sequence, making it the settling year for Pig·Rabbit·Goat signs (Hae·Myo·Mi births). 2027, the Jeong-mi year, is their leaving year. In 2028, the Mu-sin year, the three-year samjae cycle begins for Tiger·Horse·Dog signs (In·O·Sul births).

Samjae uses just one of the eight characters in your saju: your birth year's earthly branch. Everyone with the same zodiac sign therefore enters samjae in the same year — three of the twelve signs, or one in four people, are always in this cycle. It ignores the other seven characters and ten-year periods, making it one of saju's broadest measures. Your annual reading offers a much closer look through the Ten Gods relationship between that year's stem-branch pair and your Day Master.

Traditional saju generally views samjae as “a time when energy shifts toward the opposing side”. When summer arrives for the Wood group, wood tends to dry out; when winter arrives for the Metal group, metal turns cold. These 3 years are therefore usually seen as a time to preserve and organize rather than start something new. Some schools, however, interpret the same 3 years as boksamjae (a favorable samjae cycle), so samjae alone does not determine good or bad fortune.

Seowoon does not sell a separate samjae reading. Instead, our free “This Year's Fortune” explains the Ten Gods relationship between this year's stem-branch pair and your Day Master, and compares this year with last year and next year. Use the table above to see whether your zodiac sign is in samjae, then explore your annual reading to see what the year means for you.

“You must be careful throughout all 3 years of samjae” is a common claim. But samjae is a broad chart that divides twelve zodiac signs into four groups, placing 1 in 4 people in the cycle at the same time. The calculation only identifies which years fall in the cycle. It does not predict accidents or say that a talisman can prevent them. Looking at this year's Ten Gods relationship to your Day Master gives you something far more specific than worrying about samjae.