Combinations and Clashes Explained

Five combinations — 甲己, 乙庚, 丙辛, 丁壬, 戊癸 — and four clashes — 甲庚, 乙辛, 丙壬, 丁癸. Combination binds two stems; transformation requires the month to support the new element.

Directional groups (三会) and three-harmony frames (三合) are the strongest; then six clashes (六冲) and six combinations (六合); then punishments (刑) and harms (害). Half-combinations of three harmony sit between.

Adjacent pillars interact more strongly. Relations that need a missing branch become active when a luck or annual pillar supplies it.

Treating every clash as disaster, ignoring that a combination can resolve a clash, and assuming every combination transforms. Read relations as changes in element balance.

• Stem CombinationFive pairs of stems combine: 甲己 (earth), 乙庚 (metal), 丙辛 (water), 丁壬 (wood), 戊癸 (fire).
• Six CombinationsThe six branch combinations are 子丑, 寅亥, 卯戌, 辰酉, 巳申 and 午未.
• Three HarmonyThree-harmony frames join three branches four positions apart into one element: 申子辰 water, 亥卯未 wood, 寅午戌 fire, 巳酉丑 metal.
• Branch ClashBranches opposite each other clash: 子午, 丑未, 寅申, 卯酉, 辰戌, 巳亥.

The fastest way to understand combinations and clashes explained is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where combinations and clashes explained appears: in a visible stem, hidden inside a branch, in the current luck pillar or in this year's annual pillar. Note the position, because the year pillar is usually read as background and early life, the month pillar as environment and career setting, the day pillar as the self and close partner, and the hour pillar as later life and output.

• Compare two or three charts where combinations and clashes explained is prominent and two where it is absent; write down what differs in the overall balance.
• Check the month branch first: seasonal strength changes how much any factor matters.
• Use the hidden-stems and Ten Gods tables in the calculator output instead of guessing.
• Treat single factors as clues, never as verdicts; classical texts always weigh the whole chart.

Different schools describe combinations and clashes explained with slightly different emphasis. This site follows widely used conventions (solar-term months, true solar time optional, Zi hour setting configurable) and states them openly so you can compare results with a book or another calculator.

Combinations and Clashes Explained is one piece of a larger system. If you are learning BaZi from scratch, the order below builds each idea on the previous one, and every step links to free reference pages on this site.

1. Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
2. Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
3. Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
4. Read the Ten Gods in context.
5. Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
6. Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.

BaZi rewards patience. Most errors in reading come not from the advanced techniques but from skipping basic checks. Before you write down a conclusion from this guide, run through these questions:

• Are all four pillars correct under the conventions you follow?
• Have you read the month branch before anything else?
• Have you looked at hidden stems as well as visible ones?
• Does your conclusion rely on one factor or several that agree?
• Have you avoided fitting the chart to events after the fact?

Classical authors such as those of 滴天髓 and 子平真诠 repeatedly warn against single-factor readings. The habit of checking the whole chart is the most valuable skill a learner can build.

• Earthly Branches
• Heavenly Stems
• How to read a BaZi chart

BaZi is a traditional cultural system. This page explains how the symbols are defined and read; it does not make scientific claims or predictions about your health, money or relationships.