The twelve Earthly Branches do not sit quietly next to each other. Some pairs and trios combine, some pull in opposite directions, and a few rub each other the wrong way. These relationships drive much of what a BaZi reading says about compatibility, timing and change.
Why branches interact
Each branch is a direction, a season and a time of day. Put the twelve on a circle — Zi (Rat) at the top for north and midnight, Wu (Horse) at the bottom for south and noon — and their relationships become visible as geometry. Branches four steps apart form triangles that share an element. Branches six steps apart face each other across the circle and clash. Neighbouring pairs on either side of a central line quietly combine.
Stems interact too, but more gently. Branches carry hidden stems and the weight of the season, so when two branches meet the effect is stronger and easier to feel.
The four relationships Fate Hall scores
| Relationship | Pairs or groups | What it suggests |
|---|---|---|
| Three Harmonies (三合) | 申 Shen + 子 Zi + 辰 Chen → Water 亥 Hai + 卯 Mao + 未 Wei → Wood 寅 Yin + 午 Wu + 戌 Xu → Fire 巳 Si + 酉 You + 丑 Chou → Metal | Three branches four steps apart pull together into one element: teamwork, shared goals, a strong common direction. |
| Six Harmonies (六合) | 子 Zi + 丑 Chou 寅 Yin + 亥 Hai 卯 Mao + 戌 Xu 辰 Chen + 酉 You 巳 Si + 申 Shen 午 Wu + 未 Wei | Two branches that quietly attract and support each other: ease, affection, help that arrives without being asked. |
| Clash (沖) | 子 Zi ↔ 午 Wu 丑 Chou ↔ 未 Wei 寅 Yin ↔ 申 Shen 卯 Mao ↔ 酉 You 辰 Chen ↔ 戌 Xu 巳 Si ↔ 亥 Hai | Branches directly opposite each other on the circle: movement, change, tension and new starts. |
| Yuan Jin (怨嗔) | 子 Zi ↔ 未 Wei 丑 Chou ↔ 午 Wu 寅 Yin ↔ 酉 You 卯 Mao ↔ 申 Shen 辰 Chen ↔ 亥 Hai 巳 Si ↔ 戌 Xu | A Korean favourite: a pairing prone to small misunderstandings and resentment that builds quietly. Easy to soften with patience. |
The Three Harmonies are the strongest combination. All three branches together "complete" the group, and the element they form becomes a powerful theme in the chart. Two of the three — a half combination — still lean in that direction. The Six Harmonies are softer and more personal; traditional texts compare them to a quiet friendship or an affectionate match.
Yuan Jin (怨嗔, "resentment") is especially popular in Korean compatibility readings. It does not mean a relationship will fail; it points to small irritations that build up if nobody names them, which is a good reason to talk early.
Lookup grid
To check two branches — your year branch and a partner's, or your day branch and this year's — find one on the left and the other across the top. This grid is generated from the same function Fate Hall uses in its compatibility, animal-sign and daily readings, and follows its order of priority: a pair that is both a harmony and something else is shown as the harmony.
| Branch | 子 Rat | 丑 Ox | 寅 Tiger | 卯 Rabbit | 辰 Dragon | 巳 Snake | 午 Horse | 未 Goat | 申 Monkey | 酉 Rooster | 戌 Dog | 亥 Pig |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 子 Zi Rat | Same branch | Six Harmonies | — | — | Three Harmonies | — | Clash | Yuan Jin | Three Harmonies | — | — | — |
| 丑 Chou Ox | Six Harmonies | Same branch | — | — | — | Three Harmonies | Yuan Jin | Clash | — | Three Harmonies | — | — |
| 寅 Yin Tiger | — | — | Same branch | — | — | — | Three Harmonies | — | Clash | Yuan Jin | Three Harmonies | Six Harmonies |
| 卯 Mao Rabbit | — | — | — | Same branch | — | — | — | Three Harmonies | Yuan Jin | Clash | Six Harmonies | Three Harmonies |
| 辰 Chen Dragon | Three Harmonies | — | — | — | Same branch | — | — | — | Three Harmonies | Six Harmonies | Clash | Yuan Jin |
| 巳 Si Snake | — | Three Harmonies | — | — | — | Same branch | — | — | Six Harmonies | Three Harmonies | Yuan Jin | Clash |
| 午 Wu Horse | Clash | Yuan Jin | Three Harmonies | — | — | — | Same branch | Six Harmonies | — | — | Three Harmonies | — |
| 未 Wei Goat | Yuan Jin | Clash | — | Three Harmonies | — | — | Six Harmonies | Same branch | — | — | — | Three Harmonies |
| 申 Shen Monkey | Three Harmonies | — | Clash | Yuan Jin | Three Harmonies | Six Harmonies | — | — | Same branch | — | — | — |
| 酉 You Rooster | — | Three Harmonies | Yuan Jin | Clash | Six Harmonies | Three Harmonies | — | — | — | Same branch | — | — |
| 戌 Xu Dog | — | — | Three Harmonies | Six Harmonies | Clash | Yuan Jin | Three Harmonies | — | — | — | Same branch | — |
| 亥 Hai Pig | — | — | Six Harmonies | Three Harmonies | Yuan Jin | Clash | — | Three Harmonies | — | — | — | Same branch |
Clashes are movement, not doom
A clash is the most talked-about relationship, and the most misunderstood. When a year's branch clashes with one of your pillars, traditional readings expect the area of life that pillar stands for to move: the year pillar for family background and wider society, the month pillar for career and parents, the day branch for your closest relationship and home, the hour pillar for children, projects and later life. Movement can mean a new job, a house move, travel or a long-overdue conversation — not necessarily trouble.
Clashes also matter between people. Two partners whose day branches clash often bring out each other's energy and spark arguments in equal measure; traditional advice is to give each other room rather than to avoid each other.
Other relationships in classical texts
Older books describe further relationships. Fate Hall shows them here for completeness but does not use them in its scores, because their interpretations vary widely between schools and on their own they tend to produce more alarm than insight.
| Relationship | Groups |
|---|---|
| Punishments (刑) | 寅 Yin + 巳 Si + 申 Shen 丑 Chou + 戌 Xu + 未 Wei 子 Zi + 卯 Mao Self-punishment: 辰 Chen, 午 Wu, 酉 You, 亥 Hai (when the same branch appears twice) |
| Harms (害) | 子 Zi ↔ 未 Wei 丑 Chou ↔ 午 Wu 寅 Yin ↔ 巳 Si 卯 Mao ↔ 辰 Chen 申 Shen ↔ 亥 Hai 酉 You ↔ 戌 Xu |
| Stem clashes (天干沖) | 甲 Jia ↔ 庚 Geng 乙 Yi ↔ 辛 Xin 丙 Bing ↔ 壬 Ren 丁 Ding ↔ 癸 Gui |
Reading relationships in your own chart
- Inside your chart: a harmony between two of your own pillars suggests areas of life that support each other; a clash suggests an inner tension, such as career pulling against home.
- Between you and a year: each year's branch meets your four branches. Fate Hall's yearly readings mention when the year combines with or clashes with your day branch.
- Between two people: compatibility readings compare year branches (the animal signs) and, more importantly, day branches.
Common questions
My partner's sign clashes with mine. Should I worry? No. A single clash is one line in a much longer story. Many long, happy couples have clashing animal signs; the rest of the two charts, and how two people treat each other, matter far more.
Why do some sites list a pair as both a harmony and a harm? A few pairs appear in more than one classical list. Fate Hall applies a fixed order — Three Harmonies, Six Harmonies, Clash, Yuan Jin — and reports only the first that applies.
Related guides
- The Twelve Earthly BranchesThe twelve branches from Zi (Rat) to Hai (Pig): their element, solar month, double hour and hidden stems, and the harmonies and clashes between them.
- Symbolic Stars (Shen Sha)What the Nobleman, Traveling Horse, Peach Blossom, Canopy, Goat Blade, Void and other symbolic stars mean, and the exact rules Fate Hall uses to find them.
- Luck PillarsHow the ten-year Luck Pillars are built from your month pillar, why they run forward or backward, how the starting age is calculated from the solar terms, and how to read them.