Chinese Zodiac Compatibility

Compatibility chart for all twelve animals

Each animal has two three-harmony partners, one secret friend, one clash and one harm. Your animal is set by the year you were born, counted from Li Chun (about 4 February), not 1 January. If you were born in January or early February, check with the calculator first.

The three harmonies (三合)

The twelve animals fall into four groups of three, spaced four years apart on the zodiac wheel. Each group combines into one of the five elements, and the three members are said to share goals and work well as a team. This is the classic "best match" in Chinese zodiac compatibility.

• Water: Monkey, Rat, Dragon. Quick, clever and ambitious.
• Wood: Pig, Rabbit, Goat. Kind, creative and peace-loving.
• Fire: Tiger, Horse, Dog. Passionate, principled and active.
• Metal: Snake, Rooster, Ox. Determined, thorough and strategic.

The middle animal of each group (Rat, Rabbit, Horse, Rooster) is the "core" of the combination, so two people who include it are said to have the stronger bond.

Secret friends: the six harmonies (六合)

The six harmonies pair the animals one to one. They are often called "secret friends" because the bond is quieter than a three-harmony match: less about shared ambition, more about loyalty and support behind the scenes.

• Rat and Ox
• Tiger and Pig
• Rabbit and Dog
• Dragon and Rooster
• Snake and Monkey
• Horse and Goat

Clashes (六沖) and harms (六害)

A clash is between two animals directly opposite each other on the wheel, six years apart. Their elements and seasons oppose, so the relationship is read as one of push and pull: lively, sometimes exciting, often tiring. The six clashes are Rat and Horse, Ox and Goat, Tiger and Monkey, Rabbit and Rooster, Dragon and Dog, and Snake and Pig.

The same clash explains Tai Sui: in the 2027 Goat year, the Ox clashes with the year itself.

A harm is subtler. Each harm breaks up one of the secret-friend pairs, so it is linked with misunderstandings, small betrayals and people getting in the way. The six harms are Rat and Goat, Ox and Horse, Tiger and Snake, Rabbit and Dragon, Monkey and Pig, and Rooster and Dog.

BaZi also has punishments (刑), mainly Tiger, Snake and Monkey; Ox, Goat and Dog; and Rat with Rabbit. They are usually read only within a full chart, so we leave them out of the chart above.

Beyond the year animal

The year animal is only one of the eight characters in a BaZi chart. When a practitioner compares two people, they look at much more:

• The day branch, known as the spouse palace, which many teachers consider more important for partners than the year animal.
• The two Day Masters and how their elements support or control each other.
• Whether each chart supplies an element the other needs. A good match on paper can still feel unbalanced, and a "clashing" couple can balance each other well.

So treat a clash as something to be aware of, not a verdict. Many long, happy marriages have clashing year animals. If you want a practical home-based version of compatibility, compare your Kua groups: couples in the same group share all four good directions, as explained in bedroom feng shui by Kua.

Zodiac compatibility is a traditional framework for reflection. It isn't a reason to start or end a relationship, hire or not hire someone, or judge anyone by their birth year.

Short on time? Watch the 20-second reel.

Find your animal and Day Master