Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Calculator
Enter two birth dates to see each person’s Year Pillar and the exact relation between their Earthly Branches—Six Harmonies, Three Harmonies, Six Clashes, Six Harms, Punishments, Destructions or Hidden Combinations. The zodiac year turns at Lichun, the same boundary a BaZi chart uses.
Person A
Person B
01 · Understand the check
What does a Chinese zodiac compatibility check compare?
01
Each zodiac animal is one of the twelve Earthly Branches, and your animal is the branch of your Year Pillar—the first of the four pillars in a BaZi chart. A zodiac compatibility check compares the two Year Branches and reports the relation between them: a Six Harmony, a Half-Combination from a Three Harmonies frame, a Hidden Combination, a Six Clash, a Six Harm, a Punishment or a Destruction. Some pairs carry two or three of these at once, and some carry none.
02
We keep this page at the level of facts. Every relation you see here can be checked against the rule that produced it, and the twelve-by-twelve chart below shows the same rules applied to every pair. We do not put a number on a pair, because the year is one pillar out of four: the Day Pillars, Month Branches and Heavenly Stems of both people have their own combinations and clashes, and a marriage reading works with all of them.
Zodiac compatibility vs. BaZi marriage compatibility
Zodiac compatibility uses one branch from each person. BaZi marriage compatibility uses both complete Four Pillars charts—eight characters per person—and then reads timing on top. This page is the first step; the marriage reading is the full one.
02 · The year boundary
Your zodiac year begins at Lichun, the Start of Spring
In BaZi the year changes at Lichun (Start of Spring), the solar term that falls on February 3, 4 or 5. The Year Pillar follows this boundary, so the zodiac animal follows it too. Chinese New Year moves with the lunar calendar and can land anywhere from late January to mid-February, which is why people born in those weeks often carry a different animal from the one on their birthday card. The three births below show how the two boundaries disagree.
Three births between Chinese New Year and Lichun
| 1985-02-10 | Rat — Chinese New Year 1985 fell on February 20, so the calendar still reads Rat | Ox (Yi Chou 乙丑) — Lichun arrived on February 4 at 05:11, so the Ox year had already begun |
|---|---|---|
| 2016-02-05 | Goat — Chinese New Year 2016 fell on February 8, so the calendar still reads Goat | Monkey (Bing Shen 丙申) — Lichun arrived on February 4 at 17:46, so the Monkey year had already begun |
| 2025-02-01 | Snake — Chinese New Year 2025 fell on January 29, so the calendar already reads Snake | Dragon (Jia Chen 甲辰) — Lichun arrived on February 3 at 22:10, so the Dragon year was still running |
We set the year boundary at Lichun, to the minute. If you were born in January or February, run your own date first and confirm your animal before comparing it with anyone else’s. A birth on the day of Lichun itself is marked as undecided until a time is entered.
Chinese zodiac compatibility chart: every pair of the twelve animals
The chart applies the rules above to all 144 combinations. Read across a row to see how one animal relates to each of the twelve, or find the cell where two animals meet. Each cell lists every relation the pair carries, and a blank cell means the two branches have no direct relation.
| Rat | Ox | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon | Snake | Horse | Goat | Monkey | Rooster | Dog | Pig | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | Same Branch | Six Harmonies | Punishment | Half-Combination·Hidden Combination | Six Clashes | Six Harms | Half-Combination | Destruction | Hidden Combination | |||
| Ox | Six Harmonies | Same Branch | Hidden Combination | Destruction | Six Harms | Six Clashes·Punishment | Half-Combination | Punishment | ||||
| Tiger | Hidden Combination | Same Branch | Six Harms·Punishment | Half-Combination | Hidden Combination | Six Clashes·Punishment | Six Harmonies·Destruction | |||||
| Rabbit | Punishment | Same Branch | Six Harms | Destruction | Half-Combination | Hidden Combination | Six Clashes | Six Harmonies | Half-Combination | |||
| Dragon | Half-Combination·Hidden Combination | Destruction | Six Harms | Same Branch·Self-Punishment | Six Harmonies | Six Clashes | ||||||
| Snake | Six Harms·Punishment | Same Branch | Six Harmonies·Punishment·Destruction | Half-Combination·Hidden Combination | Six Clashes | |||||||
| Horse | Six Clashes | Six Harms | Half-Combination | Destruction | Same Branch·Self-Punishment | Six Harmonies | Half-Combination | Hidden Combination | ||||
| Goat | Six Harms | Six Clashes·Punishment | Hidden Combination | Half-Combination | Six Harmonies | Same Branch | Punishment·Destruction | |||||
| Monkey | Half-Combination | Six Clashes·Punishment | Hidden Combination | Six Harmonies·Punishment·Destruction | Same Branch | Six Harms | ||||||
| Rooster | Destruction | Half-Combination | Six Clashes | Six Harmonies | Half-Combination·Hidden Combination | Same Branch·Self-Punishment | Six Harms | |||||
| Dog | Hidden Combination | Punishment | Six Harmonies | Six Clashes | Half-Combination | Punishment·Destruction | Six Harms | Same Branch | ||||
| Pig | Six Harmonies·Destruction | Half-Combination | Six Clashes | Hidden Combination | Six Harms | Same Branch·Self-Punishment |
Legend
- Six Harmonies
- The six paired branches that combine: Rat–Ox, Tiger–Pig, Rabbit–Dog, Dragon–Rooster, Snake–Monkey and Horse–Goat. Each pair leans toward a transformed element—Rat–Ox toward Earth, Tiger–Pig toward Wood, Rabbit–Dog toward Fire, Dragon–Rooster toward Metal, Snake–Monkey toward Water, Horse–Goat toward Earth. Read a Six Harmony as a pull toward each other.
- Half-Combination
- Two members of a Three Harmonies frame: Monkey–Rat–Dragon (Water), Pig–Rabbit–Goat (Wood), Tiger–Horse–Dog (Fire) and Snake–Rooster–Ox (Metal). This page marks a Half-Combination only when the pair includes the frame’s peak branch—Rat, Rabbit, Horse or Rooster. An end-to-end pair such as Tiger–Dog or Pig–Goat is the frame with its peak missing and is left unmarked here.
- Hidden Combination
- The principal hidden stems of the two branches form a Five Combination of Heavenly Stems—Tiger–Ox, Rabbit–Monkey and Horse–Pig are examples. Quieter than an open combination: a tie that is felt more than shown.
- Six Clashes
- Branches that sit directly opposite each other on the wheel: Rat–Horse, Ox–Goat, Tiger–Monkey, Rabbit–Rooster, Dragon–Dog and Snake–Pig. A clash means movement and friction in the year element. It is a relation to interpret, never a sentence of separation on its own.
- Six Harms
- Rat–Goat, Ox–Horse, Tiger–Snake, Rabbit–Dragon, Monkey–Pig and Rooster–Dog. A harm forms where one branch clashes with the Six Harmony partner of the other, so it reads as a quiet drain or a friendship spoiled from the side rather than an open fight.
- Punishment
- Three groups: Tiger–Snake–Monkey, the punishment of ingratitude; Ox–Goat–Dog, the punishment of bullying; and Rat–Rabbit, the punishment of rudeness. Any two members of a group form a punishment—strain that builds from within a relationship rather than from head-on opposition.
- Self-Punishment
- Dragon, Horse, Rooster and Pig punish their own kind, so two Dragons or two Pigs carry a Self-Punishment alongside the same-branch fact. The other eight animals meeting themselves are simply a same-branch pair.
- Destruction
- Rat–Rooster, Horse–Rabbit, Monkey–Snake, Tiger–Pig, Dragon–Ox and Dog–Goat. The lightest of the tension relations; it points to wear, small losses and unfinished business rather than open conflict.
- Same Branch
- Both people share a Year Branch. It is a plain fact rather than a good or bad sign: two Rats share a year element and a year rhythm, and nothing further is claimed from that alone.
Half-Combinations are marked only when the pair includes the peak branch of its Three Harmonies frame (Rat, Rabbit, Horse or Rooster). Tiger–Dog, Pig–Goat, Snake–Ox and Monkey–Dragon are the two ends of a frame with the peak missing and stay unmarked. Several pairs carry more than one relation: Snake–Monkey is a Six Harmony, a Punishment and a Destruction at once; Dragon–Dragon is a same-branch pair and a Self-Punishment.
How the check is built
Four steps, each of them repeatable by hand: fix the Year Pillars, then look up the relation between the two branches.
- 01
Enter two birth dates
A date is enough for most people. The birth time only decides the pillar when the birthday is the day of Lichun itself; on any other date the result is the same with or without it. Add it if you have it.
- 02
Fix each Year Pillar by Lichun
The engine finds the exact minute of Lichun for the birth year and assigns the Heavenly Stem and Earthly Branch of the year accordingly. You see the full pillar, such as Bing Wu, its element and its Yin or Yang polarity, together with the animal.
- 03
Look up every relation between the two branches
The two branches are checked against the Six Harmonies, Half-Combinations, Hidden Combinations, Six Clashes, Six Harms, Punishments, Self-Punishments and Destructions. All matching relations are listed—a pair can combine and clash at the same time.
- 04
Read the result as a fact sheet
The result names the relation and what the rule says about it. It does not rank the pair. When the year-level picture is clear, the next step is the full chart comparison, where the other three pillars enter the reading.
Three layers of a compatibility reading—this page is the first
A compatibility reading gets deeper in stages. Knowing which layer you are looking at keeps a year-branch fact from being mistaken for a conclusion about two lives.
01 · Year Branch
Zodiac compatibility
One branch from each person, read against the branch relation rules. Fast, checkable and public. This is the layer this page covers, in full and on its own.
02 · Four Pillars
BaZi marriage compatibility
Both complete charts: Heavenly Stem combinations and clashes, the two Day Pillars and their spouse palaces, the Month Branches that set each person’s season, and the Da Yun cycles that show when the relationship is under pressure or support.
03 · AI interpretation
From chart facts to a real relationship
The engine establishes every chart fact first; AI then connects those facts to communication, expectations and timing, and explains what each conclusion rests on. It works from calculated facts and does not replace them.
What this check does not do
A year-branch relation is a verified fact about two pillars. It is a starting point for a conversation, not a judgement of two people.
- It does not decide whether two people should marry, stay together or part
- It does not turn a Six Clash or a Punishment into a prediction of divorce, harm or loss
- It does not read the Day Pillars, Month Branches, Heavenly Stems or Da Yun—those belong to the full BaZi marriage reading
- It does not replace counselling, legal advice or the judgement of the two people involved
Chinese zodiac compatibility FAQ
Is Chinese zodiac compatibility accurate?
The relation between two Year Branches is a checkable fact: Rat and Horse clash in every school of BaZi, Rat and Ox combine, and the chart on this page shows exactly which rule applies to your pair. Whether two people can build a life together is decided by far more than one branch each. Treat the result as one verified line of evidence, read the full charts for the rest, and leave the final call to the two people involved.
Which Chinese zodiac signs are most compatible?
The Six Harmonies are the classic pairs: Rat–Ox, Tiger–Pig, Rabbit–Dog, Dragon–Rooster, Snake–Monkey and Horse–Goat. The Three Harmonies frames add four groups of three that share an element: Monkey–Rat–Dragon (Water), Pig–Rabbit–Goat (Wood), Tiger–Horse–Dog (Fire) and Snake–Rooster–Ox (Metal). Two members of a frame form a Half-Combination when the pair includes the frame’s peak animal—Rat, Rabbit, Horse or Rooster. Hidden Combinations such as Tiger–Ox, Rabbit–Monkey and Horse–Pig are a quieter form of the same pull.
Which Chinese zodiac signs clash, and are they the least compatible?
The Six Clashes are Rat–Horse, Ox–Goat, Tiger–Monkey, Rabbit–Rooster, Dragon–Dog and Snake–Pig. The Six Harms (Rat–Goat, Ox–Horse, Tiger–Snake, Rabbit–Dragon, Monkey–Pig, Rooster–Dog), the Punishments (Tiger–Snake–Monkey, Ox–Goat–Dog, Rat–Rabbit) and the Destructions (Rat–Rooster, Horse–Rabbit, Monkey–Snake, Tiger–Pig, Dragon–Ox, Dog–Goat) are the other tension relations. A clash describes friction and movement in the year element; plenty of lasting marriages carry one, because the Day Pillars and the rest of the charts carry the greater weight.
I was born in January or February—which animal am I?
Your animal follows the Year Pillar, and the Year Pillar changes at Lichun (Start of Spring), on February 3, 4 or 5 depending on the year. Born before that moment, you belong to the previous year’s animal; born after it, to the new one. Chinese New Year moves between late January and mid-February and marks the lunar year rather than the pillar. Run your date through the calculator above: it shows the exact Lichun moment for your year and which side of it you fall on.
How is this different from a BaZi marriage compatibility reading?
This page compares one branch from each person: the Year Branch. A BaZi marriage reading compares both complete Four Pillars charts—Heavenly Stem combinations, the two Day Pillars and spouse palaces, the Month Branches and the Da Yun cycles—and then interprets the whole picture. The zodiac check is the first layer; the marriage reading is where the answer about two specific people is worked out.
Can I use this for parent and child, friends or business partners?
Yes. The branch relations are the same whoever the two people are: a Six Clash between a mother and a child is the same rule as a Six Clash between two partners, and the chart applies to any pair. What changes with the role is the reading of the full charts, which is why the relationship analysis hub offers separate readings for couples, parents and children, friends and colleagues.
Check the rules, then go deeper
Every relation on this page comes from a published rule. Read the rules, then compare two complete charts when you are ready.
This service is for entertainment purposes only. Important decisions should combine personal knowledge accumulation, life experiences, and professional advice for comprehensive consideration.