BaZi Earthly Branches: Understanding Combinations and Clashes

In BaZi, each of the four pillars carries an Earthly Branch at its base. The twelve Earthly Branches are known as the animal signs of the Chinese horoscope, from the Rat to the Pig. Each branch has an element, a season and hidden Heavenly Stems, and the branches relate to one another: some combine, others clash.

These relationships are among the most important tools of interpretation. They show which pillars and areas of life are linked, where an element is strengthened and where movement and friction arise: in your own chart, over the course of time and between two people.

The Twelve Earthly Branches at a Glance

Earthly Branch	Animal	Element	Season
Zi	Rat	Water	Winter
Chou	Ox	Earth	Winter
Yin	Tiger	Wood	Spring
Mao	Rabbit	Wood	Spring
Chen	Dragon	Earth	Spring
Si	Snake	Fire	Summer
Wu	Horse	Fire	Summer
Wei	Goat	Earth	Summer
Shen	Monkey	Metal	Autumn
You	Rooster	Metal	Autumn
Xu	Dog	Earth	Autumn
Hai	Pig	Water	Winter

Ox, Dragon, Goat and Dog, the four branches with the element earth, each close a season. How the branches relate to one another follows from their position in the circle of twelve.

The Six Combinations (Liu He)

The six harmonious pairs join two branches and, according to the teaching, bring forth a new element:

• Rat (Zi) and Ox (Chou): earth
• Tiger (Yin) and Pig (Hai): wood
• Rabbit (Mao) and Dog (Xu): fire
• Dragon (Chen) and Rooster (You): metal
• Snake (Si) and Monkey (Shen): water
• Horse (Wu) and Goat (Wei): fire, in some schools earth

Such a combination links the two pillars in which the branches stand and shows an attraction between their areas of life. But it also binds: according to the teaching, two combined branches act less freely on their own. Whether the new element actually arises depends on whether the season of birth and the other signs support it.

Trios: San He and San Hui

The Four Trios (San He)

Three branches that lie four places apart in the circle together form an element at full strength:

• Monkey, Rat and Dragon: water
• Pig, Rabbit and Goat: wood
• Tiger, Horse and Dog: fire
• Snake, Rooster and Ox: metal

In each trio, the middle branch is the peak of the element and the last one its storehouse; that is why the Dragon is considered the storehouse of water. If only two of the three branches appear in a chart, it is called a half combination; it counts as more pronounced when the middle branch is part of it. A complete trio strengthens its element so much that it can shape the whole chart: a strength when the element is needed, an imbalance when there is plenty of it anyway.

The Seasonal Combinations (San Hui)

The three branches of a season also form an element together: Tiger, Rabbit and Dragon the wood of spring, Snake, Horse and Goat the fire of summer, Monkey, Rooster and Dog the metal of autumn, Pig, Rat and Ox the water of winter.

The Six Clashes (Chong)

Branches that stand exactly opposite each other in the circle, six places apart, clash:

• Rat and Horse: water against fire
• Ox and Goat: earth against earth
• Tiger and Monkey: wood against metal
• Rabbit and Rooster: wood against metal
• Dragon and Dog: earth against earth
• Snake and Pig: fire against water

A clash brings movement. It shakes up the pillars involved, counts as a sign of change and conflict, and can just as well break up a standstill. It is not automatically negative: if it strikes an element that harms the chart, it counts as a relief; if it strikes one that is needed, as a disturbance. In the two clashes of earth against earth, two storehouses collide, and according to the teaching their hidden stems are released.

The teaching also knows quieter tensions: the harms (Hai), for example between Rat and Goat or Rabbit and Dragon, the destructions (Po) and the punishments (Xing). The punishments have an article of their own: Earthly Branch punishments (Xing).

How Combinations and Clashes Are Read

A combination isn't automatically good, and a clash isn't automatically bad. The reading asks:

• Which pillars are involved? Year, month, day and hour stand for different areas of life, and the branch of the day pillar is considered the palace of partnership. According to the teaching, neighboring pillars affect each other more strongly than ones far apart. More in the article on the four pillars of destiny.
• Which element arises or is struck? What matters is whether it supports your Day Master or throws the chart out of balance.
• When is a connection triggered? The branches of the ten-year luck pillars and of individual years also combine or clash with the birth chart. In a Horse year, for example, a Rat in the chart is struck.
• Between which people? Combinations and clashes between the branches of two charts are at the heart of BaZi love compatibility.

Combinations and clashes can also weaken each other: according to a widespread teaching, a branch that is already bound is hit less hard by a clash.

UmbraLux calculates your four pillars and shows you the Earthly Branches of your pillars, your Day Master, your birth element, the season of your birth and the Ten Gods of your pillars. The app doesn't calculate combinations, clashes or punishments between the branches, nor the luck pillars; the library describes each of the twelve Earthly Branches individually. Ask Verus, your AI companion, about the Earthly Branches of your pillars: he knows them with their animals.

Frequently Asked Questions about Combinations and Clashes of the Earthly Branches

What are the Earthly Branches in BaZi?

The twelve Earthly Branches are the animal signs of the Chinese calendar in their role in BaZi. Each of the four pillars has one; each carries an element, a season and hidden Heavenly Stems.

Which Earthly Branches clash?

The six pairs that stand opposite each other in the circle: Rat and Horse, Ox and Goat, Tiger and Monkey, Rabbit and Rooster, Dragon and Dog, Snake and Pig.

What is the difference between Liu He and San He?

Liu He are the six pair combinations of two branches, San He the four trios that form an element at full strength. Then there are the seasonal combinations (San Hui) of the three branches of a season.

Are clashes always negative?

No. A clash brings movement and can break up a standstill. Whether it relieves or disturbs depends on which element it strikes and which pillars are involved.

What does it mean when a year clashes with my day branch?

According to the teaching, the themes of the day pillar are then set in motion: you yourself and your closest relationships. That describes a lively, sometimes restless phase, not particular events.