If you have investigated into the relationships between animal zodiac signs, you might have come across compatibility terms like secret friends, allies, enemies, etc.
What you probably don’t know is how these relationships are derived.
Because each Chinese zodiac from the rat to the pig is associated to earthly branches in bazi analysis, the relationships between them actually originate from bazi.
Further more, in feng shui audits where the 24 mountains are applied, each animal zodiac takes up a specific spot on the compass.
This plays a big role in practicing feng shui to favor a particular zodiac.
This means that there is a basis to these relationships between zodiac. And they are not just plucked out of thin air.
Here is a breakdown of there relationships to each other.
1) 3 combinations (三合 aka allies)
The 3 combinations refer to a fusion between 3 different zodiacs that creates a particular element.
This means that even if an animal is metal based, a combination would result in the conception of a new element.
The 3 combinations occur between:
- Pig and rabbit and goat creates wood
- Tiger and horse and dog creates fire
- Snake and rooster and ox creates metal
- Monkey and rat and dragon creates water
In circumstances when only 2 out of 3 allies are present, they can also form allies. Albeit with a lesser effect.
2) Half combinations
Within the 3 combinations mentioned above, types of combinations can occur either between the first 2 members or the last 2 members.
Thus, they are appropriately named as front half combinations (前半合) and back half combinations (后半合).
Front half combinations, which can be termed friendly ally, include:
- Pig and rabbit creates wood
- Tiger and horse creates fire
- Snake and rooster creates metal
- Monkey and rat creates water
Back half combinations include:
- Rabbit and goat creates wood
- Horse and dog creates fire
- Rooster and ox creates metal
- Rat and dragon creates water
Combinations between zodiacs relate to friendly relationships between them.
If they are not friendly to each other, they would be clashing instead of combining.
However, when we talk about combinations, the most powerful type of combination is the…
3) Seasonal combinations (三会)
This is the combination of zodiacs that belong to the same season.
The elemental energy they create can be a real force to be reckoned with.
This means that 3 friends who belong to such a group, or a team at work, can lay the ground work for great synergy to achieve great things together.
The team relationships are:
- Tiger and rabbit and dragon represents the wood in spring
- Snake and horse and goat represent the fire of summer
- Monkey and rooster and dog represent the metal in autumn
- Pig and rat and ox represent the cold water during winter
Unlike the 3 combinations of allies explained earlier, seasonal combinations have no half combinations to work with.
This means that all 3 parties, friends or colleagues, of each zodiac has to present for such an A-Team to shape up.
4) 6 combinations (六合 aka secret friend)
While the 3 combinations refer to the presence of 3 zodiacs, the 6 combinations didn’t get it’s name from a similar basis.
The 6 combinations actually refer to 6 basic types of combinations between the 12 zodiacs.
This combination is often referred to as the secret friend.
They are:
- Rat and ox creates earth
- Tiger and pig creates wood
- Rabbit and dog creates fire
- Dragon and rooster creates metal
- Snake and monkey creates water
- Horse and goat creates fire
The above combinations are labelled as secret friends for good reason.
This is because a dragon zodiac for example, can pull a rooster in for combination when the rooster meets it’s nemesis of rabbit.
Thus, preventing a clash (which we will talk about next) from occurring.
And the rooster can return the favor when the dragon meets the dog.
This is why these relationships listed above are called secret friends in some circles. They save each other from getting into conflicts that are potentially harmful.
5) 6 clashes (六冲 aka directional clash)
Similar to the 6 combinations, the 6 clashes refer to 6 clashes between the 12 zodiac animal signs.
They are also referred to as conflicts, enemies, or simply zodiacs that don’t get along.
The logic behind these clashes is that each animal occupies a certain sector of the classical compass.
And the zodiac that is directly opposite to one another encounters a clash with each other.
This results in the following clashes between:
- Rat and horse
- Ox and goat
- Tiger and monkey
- Rabbit and rooster
- Dragon and dog
- Snake and pig
Take note of the relationship between these couples and also take into consideration the secret friends.
Unless under very unique circumstances, 6 clashes take precedence over 6 combinations too.
This is also the basic why various sources state that the above clashes mean that such couples and partners would be incompatible.
6) Betrayal clash (相害)
Just like how secret friends can prevent zodiacs from clashing with others via combinations, zodiacs can also prevent others from combinations via clashes.
In this case, the zodiac that prevents another from combining with another can be seen as a harmful betrayal clash as it stops good things from happening.
Below are the betrayal (or sabotage) relationships.
- Rat and goat
- Tiger and snake
- Monkey and pig
- Ox and horse
- Rabbit and dragon
- Dog and rooster
For example, the rat will be drawn to the attractiveness of combining with the ox according to the 6 combinations. But the appearance of a goat would clash with the ox, thus preventing a combination from occurring.
In real life situations, the goat might cause a positive relationship between rat and ox to breakdown with betrayal and sabotage.
7) 3 punishment clash (三刑)
The 3 punishment clash is a severe conflicting clash between 3 zodiacs.
When they form up, it can result in some very unfavorable events.
The good news is that there are only 2 configurations for it to occur:
- Tiger and snake and monkey
- Ox and goat and dog
However, it must be noted that in bazi analysis, sometimes clashes can result in positives arising from negative. This depends on the self-element and it’s strength.
Combinations and clashes between animal zodiacs
There are actually many more unique clashes between the animal zodiacs.
But they are often not meaningful as they rank quite low in the order of precedence.
This means that even if they occur on the surface, the likelihood is that the parties would have combined or clashed with other zodiacs already. Rendering these related miscellaneous relationships redundant.
The precedence of the above 7 types of combinations and clashes are ranked as follows:
- Seasonal combinations
- 3 combinations
- 3 punishment clashes
- 6 clashes
- Half combinations
- 6 combinations
- Betrayal clash
Some take priority over others.
Finally, do keep in mind that these relationships are very basic methods to evaluating relationships and compatibility.
When supposed good or bad relationships are present but don’t seem to hold water, bazi will usually be able to provide an answer why.
