Relationships between branches

A person carries four branches in their chart, and those branches touch each other. Some unite, some face each other, some rub together.

Harmony of 6 (六合 Liù Hé)

Two branches that attract and bind each other, like two matching puzzle pieces.

Two people who click right away when working together: warm and easy, though sometimes too comfortable to move.

• The main effect is mutual bonding; the bond happens before any change of element.
• The resulting element is only considered “formed” if the chart supports it, for example strong in the birth month.
• A bond can calm a clash, but can also hold back a branch that needs to move.

Harmony of 3 (三合 Sān Hé)

A team of three branches that complement each other: the starter, the peak mover, and the keeper of results.

Like a project team with three roles. If only two of the three appear, it still counts as a half harmony, and is generally strongest when it includes the peak branch (子 卯 午 酉).

• Connects branches from three different seasons toward one element goal.
• A piled-up element can become strength or saturation.

Seasonal Meeting of 3 (三會 Sān Huì)

Three branches from one season gathering together.

Like a big family gathering in the same season, so the element feels very concentrated. Some schools consider it stronger than the Harmony of 3.

• Connects three neighboring branches within one season.

Clash (沖 Chōng)

Two branches facing each other across the circle, shaking one another.

Two currents colliding at one river mouth: there is turbulence, but the collision can also open a new path.

• They are six branches apart, which is why they are called opposite.
• Zi–Wu and Mao–You feel sharpest because both are peak branches.
• Chen–Xu and Chou–Wei are traditionally linked with “opening the storage”.
• Yin–Shen and Si–Hai are often linked with travel and relocation.

Harm (害 Hài)

Two branches that do not seem hostile, but quietly disturb each other.

A relationship that is warm on the surface, with a small misunderstanding that is hard to name.

• The idea: Harm disturbs harmony, one branch “attacks” the harmony partner of another.
• Its effect is subtle compared to a Clash: feeling unsupported, underappreciated, misunderstandings that pile up.

Destruction (破 Pò)

Two branches that slowly wear each other down, like a small crack in a wall.

Plans or commitments that do not collapse at once, but erode from neglected details.

• Usually regarded as the weakest relationship and used as a supplement.
• Yin–Hai and Si–Shen are also Harmony of 6: a bond that hides a small crack.

Penalty (刑 Xíng)

Repeated friction that tends to train you, often appearing as a lesson that keeps coming back.

A pattern that keeps returning in different forms until we understand its message.

• Two of the three branches (a half penalty) are often already counted, depending on the school.
• In classical texts it is linked with legal or health matters. For general readers it is healthier to read it as a friction pattern.