Chinese zodiac compatibility

How Chinese compatibility works

The rule is positional. Animals four apart form an affinity triangle and are read as natural allies — they share instincts and pace. Animals six apart sit directly opposite and are the traditional clash: each values what the other neglects. Further traditional relations — the six harmonies, harms and punishments — add detail to particular pairs.

The six harmonies (Liu He)

Six pairs are called "secret friends": Rat and Ox, Tiger and Pig, Rabbit and Dog, Dragon and Rooster, Snake and Monkey, Horse and Goat. They are not in the same triangle and often look mismatched on paper, but the tradition reads them as supportive — each supplies what the other lacks without competing.

The six harms (Liu Hai)

Six pairs are said to wear at each other through misunderstanding rather than open conflict: Rat and Goat, Ox and Horse, Tiger and Snake, Rabbit and Dragon, Monkey and Pig, Rooster and Dog. The harm is usually described as small irritations and lost trust accumulating over time.

The punishments (Xing)

Three groups carry the idea of friction through rivalry or disrespect: Tiger, Snake and Monkey; Ox, Goat and Dog; and Rat with Rabbit. Dragon, Horse, Rooster and Pig are "self-punishing" — two of the same animal are thought to amplify a shared weakness.

This differs from Western astrology, which measures angles on a 360-degree circle. Here the wheel has twelve positions and relationships are counted in steps, not degrees. A few combinations are named explicitly as friends or enemies in the old texts, and those take precedence over the geometry.