Void (Gongmang, 空亡): meaning and how to find yours

Void (Gongmang, 空亡) is the two Earthly Branches left empty in the group of ten (sun) that your Day Pillar belongs to. Wherever those branches sit, the energy is read as empty or scattered.

What is Void?

There are ten Heavenly Stems and twelve Earthly Branches. Each time the ten stems make one full round, two branches are left without a partner, and those two are called the Void (Gongmang, 空亡). Divide the sixty stem-branch pairs into six groups of ten, called sun (旬), and each group has its own fixed Void. Which group your Day Pillar falls into decides your Void. In Japan, the same thing is called Tenchusatsu (天中殺).

Find your Void

Once you know your Day Pillar, you can find it right away. From Gap-ja to Gye-yu, the Void is Sul and Hae; from Gap-sul to Gye-mi, Sin and Yu; from Gap-sin to Gye-sa, O and Mi; from Gap-o to Gye-myo, Jin and Sa; from Gap-jin to Gye-chuk, In and Myo; and from Gap-in to Gye-hae, Ja and Chuk. Enter your birthday and it appears right away in the Void row of your chart table.

Decade (旬)	Ten Day Pillars	Void branches
甲子 decade (from Gap-ja)	甲子・乙丑・丙寅・丁卯・戊辰・己巳・庚午・辛未・壬申・癸酉	Sul 戌, Hae 亥
甲戌 decade (from Gap-sul)	甲戌・乙亥・丙子・丁丑・戊寅・己卯・庚辰・辛巳・壬午・癸未	Sin 申, Yu 酉
甲申 decade (from Gap-sin)	甲申・乙酉・丙戌・丁亥・戊子・己丑・庚寅・辛卯・壬辰・癸巳	O 午, Mi 未
甲午 decade (from Gap-o)	甲午・乙未・丙申・丁酉・戊戌・己亥・庚子・辛丑・壬寅・癸卯	Jin 辰, Sa 巳
甲辰 decade (from Gap-jin)	甲辰・乙巳・丙午・丁未・戊申・己酉・庚戌・辛亥・壬子・癸丑	In 寅, Myo 卯
甲寅 decade (from Gap-in)	甲寅・乙卯・丙辰・丁巳・戊午・己未・庚申・辛酉・壬戌・癸亥	Ja 子, Chuk 丑

Find my Void by birthday

What Void means

Void means 'empty,' so the energy of the position where that branch sits is read as weakened or not going as planned. That said, if a harmful character falls in the Void, the harmful energy is emptied out, which is read as a good thing, and if a combination or a clash touches the Void branch, the Void is read as released. The Void is just one of many conditions in a chart, so good or bad fortune is not decided on this alone.

Void in each pillar

Void in the Year Branch

If your Year Branch falls in the Void, help from your ancestors or family is read as scarce, and the flow points to living away from your hometown. Having received less from your childhood surroundings, the strength to stand up on your own grows.

Void in the Month Branch

If your Month Branch falls in the Void, your ties to parents, siblings, workplace, and society are read as having many changes. Many such people are not tied down to one place for long and move about freely.

Void in the Hour Branch

If your Hour Branch falls in the Void, your ties to children or those under you are read as late or distant, and late in life the heart feels empty and turns toward religion or study.

Void years and months

The Day Branch is the character that decides your Day Pillar's group, so the Day Branch itself never falls in the Void. Instead, when the Earthly Branch of a given year or month matches your Void, that period is called a Void luck period. New ventures are read as hard to grow as planned, and the time is said to be best spent on sorting things out, preparing, and studying. In Japan, this period is called Tenchusatsu, and there is a custom of avoiding marriage and job changes during it.

FAQ

Is it bad if I have a Void?

It means empty, not bad. The energy of that position is read as weak, so if a harmful character falls in the Void, that is read as a good thing instead. The Void is just one of many conditions in a chart.

How is the Void released?

When the Void branch forms a combination or a clash with another character, the empty position is read as filled and the Void released. It can also be released in a year whose Earthly Branch forms a combination with the Void branch.

Is there also a Void based on the Year Pillar?

Yes. In the past, the Void was read from the Year Pillar, and today the Day Pillar standard is widely used. This site uses the Day Pillar standard (Sunjung Gongmang, 旬中空亡). Just keep in mind that the two standards can differ.