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Chinese Zodiac Compatibility (生肖配对)

Q: Which animals are self-punishing?

Dragon, Horse, Rooster and Pig (辰 午 酉 亥) form 自刑 with their own sign; the other same-sign pairs are plain 比和.

Lists the traditional earthly-branch relations between two Chinese zodiac animals: 六合 (liùhé, six harmonies / secret friends), 三合 (sānhé, trines), 六冲 (liùchōng, clashes), 六害 (liùhài, harms), 相刑 (xiāngxíng, punishments), 相破 (xiāngpò, breaks) and 比和 (same sign), with each animal's trine group, fixed element and polarity.

When to use

You need the classical relation between two zodiac signs (e.g. Rat and Ox are 六合, Rat and Horse are 六冲) or the trine group and fixed element of a sign.

Do not use when: You need someone's zodiac sign from a birth date (use chinese-zodiac first) or a full birth-chart comparison (use bazi-four-pillars); the relations are traditional attributions, not relationship advice.

Formula

六合: (a + b) mod 12 = 1; 三合: a ≡ b (mod 4), a ≠ b; 六冲: |a − b| = 6; 六害: (a + b) mod 12 = 7; 相破: 子酉丑辰寅亥卯午巳申未戌; 相刑: 子卯, 寅巳巳申寅申, 丑戌戌未丑未, self-punishment 辰午酉亥; 比和: a = b (branch indices 子 = 0 … 亥 = 11)

Relations are the standard earthly-branch (地支) relations of the Chinese calendar tradition; fixed elements follow the branch elements (子 Water, 丑 Earth, 寅卯 Wood, 辰 Earth, 巳午 Fire, 未 Earth, 申酉 Metal, 戌 Earth, 亥 Water). Traditional reference calculation of the Chinese calendar tradition; not a prediction and not medical, legal or financial advice.

Inputs

Parameter	Type	Unit	Required	Description
`zodiac_a`	enum: rat \| ox \| tiger \| rabbit \| dragon \| snake \| horse \| goat \| monkey \| rooster \| dog \| pig		yes	Chinese zodiac animal (English name, Chinese character, or earthly branch such as 子/zi).
`zodiac_b`	enum: rat \| ox \| tiger \| rabbit \| dragon \| snake \| horse \| goat \| monkey \| rooster \| dog \| pig		yes	Chinese zodiac animal (English name, Chinese character, or earthly branch such as 子/zi).

Outputs

Output	Type	Description
`animal_a`	string	First animal with its Chinese character and branch.
`animal_b`	string	Second animal with its Chinese character and branch.
`relations`	string_list	All classical branch relations that apply to the pair (a pair can have several, e.g. 寅亥 is both 六合 and 相破).
`summary_level`	string	harmonious (六合/三合), conflicting (六冲), challenging (六害/相刑/相破), same sign (比和) or neutral.
`trine_group_a`	string	Three-harmony group and its element for the first animal.
`trine_group_b`	string	Three-harmony group and its element for the second animal.
`fixed_element_a`	string	Element of the first animal's branch.
`fixed_element_b`	string	Element of the second animal's branch.
`yin_yang_a`	string	Yin or Yang of the first branch.
`yin_yang_b`	string	Yin or Yang of the second branch.
`element_relation`	string	Generating, controlling or same relation between the two fixed elements.
`explanation`	string	Two sentences describing what the tradition assigns to this pairing.
`disclaimer`	string	Cultural reference note.

Example

Rat and Ox (六合): {"zodiac_a":"rat","zodiac_b":"ox"} → {"relations":["六合 (Liuhe, six harmonies / secret friend)"],"summary_level":"harmonious","trine_group_a":"申子辰 Monkey–Rat–Dragon (Water trine)","trine_group_b":"巳酉丑 Snake–Rooster–Ox (Metal trine)","fixed_element_a":"Water (水)","fixed_element_b":"Earth (土)","yin_yang_a":"Yang","yin_yang_b":"Yin","element_relation":"Earth (土) controls Water (水) — 相克: B's element controls A's"}

Tiger and Horse (三合 Fire trine): {"zodiac_a":"tiger","zodiac_b":"horse"} → {"relations":["三合 (Sanhe, three harmonies / trine)"],"summary_level":"harmonious","trine_group_a":"寅午戌 Tiger–Horse–Dog (Fire trine)","fixed_element_a":"Wood (木)","fixed_element_b":"Fire (火)","element_relation":"Wood (木) generates Fire (火) — 相生: A's element generates B's"}

GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/zodiac-compatibility?zodiac_a=rat&zodiac_b=ox

Machine access

API: GET https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculate/zodiac-compatibility (query parameters) or POST with a JSON body {"inputs": {...}}
Schema: https://tttkmbb.com/api/v1/calculators/zodiac-compatibility · Markdown: https://tttkmbb.com/lunar/zodiac-compatibility.md · JSON definition: https://tttkmbb.com/lunar/zodiac-compatibility.json
MCP: server https://tttkmbb.com/mcp, tool run_calculator with calculator_id="zodiac-compatibility"
OpenAPI operationId: check_chinese_zodiac_compatibility
Freshness: static. Authentication: none. Rate limit: fair use (see rate limits).

Sources

Chinese zodiac – compatibility, trines and fixed elements (Wikipedia) (reference)
Earthly Branches (Wikipedia) (reference)
Wuxing – five phases and their generating/overcoming cycles (Wikipedia) (reference)

FAQ

Can two signs be both compatible and in conflict?

Yes. Tiger and Pig (寅亥) are 六合 and also 相破; Snake and Monkey (巳申) are 六合, 相刑 and 相破. All applicable relations are listed and the summary follows the 六合/三合 harmony first.

What is the difference between 六冲 and 六害?

六冲 pairs opposite branches (six apart, e.g. Rat–Horse) and is the strongest clash; 六害 pairs branches whose 六合 partners clash (e.g. Rat–Goat) and is treated as a milder harm.

Which animals are self-punishing?

Dragon, Horse, Rooster and Pig (辰午酉亥) form 自刑 with their own sign; the other same-sign pairs are plain 比和.

Related calculators

Chinese Zodiac Calculator (生肖) — Find each person's animal from the birth date.
Zodiac Sign Calculator — Western star sign for comparison.
Bazi Four Pillars (八字) — Full stem-branch chart of a birth moment.