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Gongmang (空亡)
— What an Empty Seat Means
Gongmang is the two characters left over when 10 Heavenly Stems are paired with 12 Earthly Branches. It doesn't mean bad but empty, so it's read as a position that isn't filled, but is also clung to less.
In this article 6 topics
Why are there empty seats?
There are 10 Heavenly Stems (Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong, Mu, Gi, Gyeong, Sin, Im, Gye) and 12 Earthly Branches (Ja, Chuk, In, Myo, Jin, Sa, O, Mi, Sin, Yu, Sul, Hae). Pair them up in order — Gapja, Eulchuk, Byeong-in… — and you get the sixty Gapja.
But the numbers don't match. Once all 10 stems are used up, two branches are left without a partner. Those two leftover characters are Gongmang.
For example, in the Gapja decade (the ten pairs from Gapja to Gyeyu), once the stems Gap through Gye are paired with Ja through Yu, Sul and Hae are left over. So day pillars in the Gapja decade have Sul and Hae as Gongmang.
Gongmang table — find it by your day pillar
Gongmang is usually read based on the day pillar (the two characters of the day you were born). The six groups of ten made from the sixty Gapja are called decades (sun 旬); all you need to know is which decade your day pillar belongs to.
| Decade (旬) | Day pillars included | Gongmang |
|---|---|---|
| Gapja decade | Gapja – Gyeyu | Sul · Hae |
| Gapsul decade | Gapsul – Gyemi | Sin · Yu |
| Gapsin decade | Gapsin – Gyesa | O · Mi |
| Gap-o decade | Gap-o – Gyemyo | Jin · Sa |
| Gapjin decade | Gapjin – Gyechuk | In · Myo |
| Gap-in decade | Gap-in – Gyehae | Ja · Chuk |
Once your day pillar is known, your two Gongmang characters follow automatically. Next, check whether that branch appears among your Eight Characters. If it does, that position is in Gongmang.
It reads differently by position
Gongmang means different things depending on which pillar it falls on.
- Gongmang in the year branch
- Roots and background are empty. It's read as thin ties to your hometown or family, or as building things yourself rather than inheriting them.
- Gongmang in the month branch
- Social position and career. It's seen as a tendency to move around rather than stay in one place, or to find your way outside set frameworks.
- Gongmang in the day branch
- The spouse's seat. It's read as feeling less completely filled in relationships, but that doesn't mean the relationship is bad.
- Gongmang in the hour branch
- Later life and children. It's sometimes read as building the second half of life anew in your own way.
Is Gongmang bad?
The name — 空 “empty” and 亡 “lost” — sounds harsh, but its original meaning leans strongly toward empty. It's less a sense of something disappearing than of something not being filled.
So there's a view that reads it like this — a seat that isn't filled is also a seat you cling to less. You may not find satisfaction in that area, but because you're not tied to it, you're free to go elsewhere.
In fact, it's often seen that people do well with a light touch in the very area where they have Gongmang. With modest expectations there's less disappointment, and their energy goes elsewhere instead.
But keep this in mind
- Gongmang looks at only a few branches among the Eight Characters. It doesn't stand in for the whole Saju.
- Cases where Gongmang is released are considered too. There's a view that Gongmang's nature changes when it forms a combination with another character or is hit by a clash.
- People with no Gongmang and people with several are both common. Judging good or bad by the count has little basis.
Mutal Unnie doesn't use Gongmang as grounds to frighten you. We never say things like “This seat is empty, so something terrible will happen”; we use it only to tell you which area you may put less energy into.
Check your Gongmang
To find your Gongmang, you first need to know your day pillar. The day pillar comes from your date of birth alone, so you can check it even without knowing your birth time.
Open your birth chart in Mutal Unnie and sinsal and Gongmang are shown along with your Eight Characters. The Four Pillars chart table is completely free and open.
Is there Gongmang in your birth chart?
Enter just your date of birth and check it along with your Eight Characters.
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What does Gongmang mean?
Because of the difference between 10 Heavenly Stems and 12 Earthly Branches, they're the two branches left over without a partner. It means empty, and if your Saju contains that branch, that position is read as Gongmang.
How do I find my Gongmang?
It's found based on your day pillar. The sixty Gapja are split into six groups of ten called decades (sun); see which one your day pillar belongs to, and your two Gongmang characters are set. In the Gapja decade, Sul and Hae are Gongmang.
Is it bad to have Gongmang?
The name sounds harsh, but its original meaning leans toward empty. One view holds that what isn't filled is also something you cling to less. And Gongmang looks at only some of the branches, so it doesn't stand in for the whole Saju.
Is it worse to have several Gongmang?
Judging by count has little basis. Charts with none and charts with several are both common. There's also a view that its nature changes when it forms a combination or clash with another character.