酉 holds five to seven in the evening and, in the year, the autumn equinox — day and night equal again, and the harvest formally begun. It's yin metal: metal already worked — jewellery, the needle, the fine blade.
Its difference from 申 is precision rather than force: 申 splits, 酉 cuts exactly. So its nature is discrimination — what to keep, what to discard, what still needs work. The rooster fits, since it announces the hour: when it's time you say so, whether or not anyone wants to hear.
Where 酉 sits in a chart, that area runs on standards rather than momentum, and you tend to be the one who sees the gap. 酉 opposes 卯: spring's growing against autumn's gathering. The tension usually shows up as whether to keep growing or start bringing it in.
