Earth · Yang
Dog
Brings. Reliable to a fault and genuinely fair. The one who notices an injustice first.
Struggles with. Worries constantly, and judges harshly once trust is broken.
Traditional clash
Dog and Dragon
Traditional clash
45%
Directly opposite on the wheel. Traditionally the most difficult pairing, because the qualities each of you values are the ones the other neglects.
Earth · Yang
Dragon
Brings. Attracts attention and opportunity without effort. Sets a high bar and clears it.
Struggles with. Impatient with limits and with people who need them explained.
Distance on the wheel6 of 12
RelationTraditional clash
Same fixed elementYes
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.
This differs from Western astrology, which uses angles on a 360-degree circle. Here the wheel has twelve positions and the relationships are counted in steps, not degrees.
Traditional pairings sometimes override the geometry — a few combinations are named explicitly as friends or enemies in the old texts, and those take precedence.
Computed from 110 years of real lunar new year dates
The arithmetic behind this pairing
Chinese years run 354 or 384 days, so each animal collects a different number of days across the century — the shares below are not 8.33% each.
Positions apart on the cycle
6 — the classical clash
Pairings at this distance
6 of 78
Days assigned to Dog
3,251 · 8.17%
Days assigned to Dragon
3,308 · 8.31%
Share of all pairings
1.358%
6 positions apart · 6 of 78 pairings share that distance · 1.358% of all pairings. The clash — one pairing in thirteen.
Possible age gaps — fixed by the cycle
Because the animals sit at fixed positions, two people with these signs can only differ in age by certain numbers of years. Not approximately — exactly these:
6
years apart
18
years apart
30
years apart
42
years apart
Recent birth-year combinations
Metal Dog 2030 & Wood Dragon 2024
6 years apart
Earth Dog 2018 & Water Dragon 2012
6 years apart
Earth Dog 2018 & Wood Dragon 2024
6 years apart
Fire Dog 2006 & Metal Dragon 2000
6 years apart
Fire Dog 2006 & Water Dragon 2012
6 years apart
Wood Dog 1994 & Earth Dragon 1988
6 years apart
Wood Dog 1994 & Metal Dragon 2000
6 years apart
Water Dog 1982 & Fire Dragon 1976
6 years apart
The five versions of each animal
The animal repeats every 12 years but the element every 60, so each partner comes in five variants — and the combination you actually have is one of 25.
Wood Dog
1994
Fire Dog
2006
Earth Dog
2018
Metal Dog
2030
Water Dog
1982
Earth Dragon
1988
Metal Dragon
2000
Water Dragon
2012
Wood Dragon
2024
Fire Dragon
1976
Birth years for this pairing
⚠️ Each year starts at the lunar new year, not 1 January — if either of you was born in January or early February, check the exact date before trusting the animal.
Dog
1970 · 1982 · 1994 · 2006 · 2018 · 2030Dragon
1964 · 1976 · 1988 · 2000 · 2012 · 2024