Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Chart: Harmonies, Clashes and All 66 Pairs
Every sign has exactly three traditional best matches: one Six Harmony partner and two Three Harmony partners. Across the 66 pairs of different signs, only 18 (27.3%) include a harmony, 24 (36.4%) include a clash or similar friction, and 26 pairs (39.4%) have no relation at all, the biggest group. The chart below comes from the same branch rules our compatibility engine uses, and the checker lets you test any two birthdays. It's for fun and light reference, not a verdict on a relationship.
The full 12×12 Chinese zodiac compatibility chart
Find one sign in a row and the other in a column. The seven relations appear as short labels (the key is just below), and a dash means the two signs have no special relation. Bold cells have a harmony, and red cells have only friction. Swipe sideways on a phone.
Key: 6H = Six Harmony, 3H = Three Harmony, Cl = Clash, Pu = Punishment, Br = Break, Ha = Harm, Wo = Wonjin. "Pu" also marks Self-punishment on the diagonal.
| 子 Rat | 丑 Ox | 寅 Tiger | 卯 Rabbit | 辰 Dragon | 巳 Snake | 午 Horse | 未 Goat | 申 Monkey | 酉 Rooster | 戌 Dog | 亥 Pig | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 子 Rat | – | 6H | – | Pu | 3H | – | Cl | Ha·Wo | 3H | Br | – | – |
| 丑 Ox | 6H | – | – | – | Br | 3H | Ha·Wo | Cl·Pu | – | 3H | Pu | – |
| 寅 Tiger | – | – | – | – | – | Pu·Ha | 3H | – | Cl·Pu | Wo | 3H | 6H·Br |
| 卯 Rabbit | Pu | – | – | – | Ha | – | Br | 3H | Wo | Cl | 6H | 3H |
| 辰 Dragon | 3H | Br | – | Ha | Pu | – | – | – | 3H | 6H | Cl | Wo |
| 巳 Snake | – | 3H | Pu·Ha | – | – | – | – | – | 6H·Pu·Br | 3H | Wo | Cl |
| 午 Horse | Cl | Ha·Wo | 3H | Br | – | – | Pu | 6H | – | – | 3H | – |
| 未 Goat | Ha·Wo | Cl·Pu | – | 3H | – | – | 6H | – | – | – | Pu·Br | 3H |
| 申 Monkey | 3H | – | Cl·Pu | Wo | 3H | 6H·Pu·Br | – | – | – | – | – | Ha |
| 酉 Rooster | Br | 3H | Wo | Cl | 6H | 3H | – | – | – | Pu | Ha | – |
| 戌 Dog | – | Pu | 3H | 6H | Cl | Wo | 3H | Pu·Br | – | Ha | – | – |
| 亥 Pig | – | – | 6H·Br | 3H | Wo | Cl | – | 3H | Ha | – | – | Pu |
The diagonal is empty for most signs, but Dragon, Horse, Rooster and Pig meet themselves with a Self-punishment (shown as Pu).
Which signs match each sign?
The same chart, one sign at a time. The Three Harmony groups are Rat-Dragon-Monkey (申子辰), Pig-Rabbit-Goat (亥卯未), Tiger-Horse-Dog (寅午戌) and Snake-Rooster-Ox (巳酉丑).
| Sign | Six Harmony | Three Harmony | Clash | Wonjin | Punishment, Break, Harm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat (子) | Ox (丑) | Dragon (辰), Monkey (申) | Horse (午) | Goat (未) | Rabbit (卯), Goat (未), Rooster (酉) |
| Ox (丑) | Rat (子) | Snake (巳), Rooster (酉) | Goat (未) | Horse (午) | Dragon (辰), Horse (午), Goat (未), Dog (戌) |
| Tiger (寅) | Pig (亥) | Horse (午), Dog (戌) | Monkey (申) | Rooster (酉) | Snake (巳), Monkey (申), Pig (亥) |
| Rabbit (卯) | Dog (戌) | Goat (未), Pig (亥) | Rooster (酉) | Monkey (申) | Rat (子), Dragon (辰), Horse (午) |
| Dragon (辰) | Rooster (酉) | Rat (子), Monkey (申) | Dog (戌) | Pig (亥) | Ox (丑), Rabbit (卯) |
| Snake (巳) | Monkey (申) | Ox (丑), Rooster (酉) | Pig (亥) | Dog (戌) | Tiger (寅), Monkey (申) |
| Horse (午) | Goat (未) | Tiger (寅), Dog (戌) | Rat (子) | Ox (丑) | Ox (丑), Rabbit (卯) |
| Goat (未) | Horse (午) | Rabbit (卯), Pig (亥) | Ox (丑) | Rat (子) | Rat (子), Ox (丑), Dog (戌) |
| Monkey (申) | Snake (巳) | Rat (子), Dragon (辰) | Tiger (寅) | Rabbit (卯) | Tiger (寅), Snake (巳), Pig (亥) |
| Rooster (酉) | Dragon (辰) | Ox (丑), Snake (巳) | Rabbit (卯) | Tiger (寅) | Rat (子), Dog (戌) |
| Dog (戌) | Rabbit (卯) | Tiger (寅), Horse (午) | Dragon (辰) | Snake (巳) | Ox (丑), Goat (未), Rooster (酉) |
| Pig (亥) | Tiger (寅) | Rabbit (卯), Goat (未) | Snake (巳) | Dragon (辰) | Tiger (寅), Monkey (申) |
Every one of the twelve signs has three harmony partners. What differs is the friction: Horse and Goat have three signs they bump against, Rabbit and Dog have five, and the other eight have four. More friction in the chart doesn't make a sign "worse"; it only means more of the other signs sit across or at an angle from it.
How many pairs have each relation?
| Relation | Pairs | What it is traditionally read as |
|---|---|---|
| Six Harmony 六合 | 6 | 子丑, 寅亥, 卯戌, 辰酉, 巳申, 午未. Two signs that bind into one: attraction and ease. |
| Three Harmony 三合 | 12 | Signs in the same group of three (four groups, three pairs each). Shared direction and teamwork. |
| Clash 沖 | 6 | Opposite signs: strong pull, strong friction, plenty of change. |
| Punishment 刑 | 7 | 寅巳, 巳申, 寅申, 丑戌, 戌未, 丑未 and 子卯. Pricking at each other. |
| Break 破 | 6 | 子酉, 丑辰, 寅亥, 卯午, 巳申, 未戌. Plans that go slightly off course. |
| Harm 害 | 6 | 子未, 丑午, 寅巳, 卯辰, 申亥, 酉戌. Small misunderstandings that interfere with a harmony. |
| Wonjin 怨嗔 | 6 | 子未, 丑午, 寅酉, 卯申, 辰亥, 巳戌. Resentment or hurt for no clear reason. |
The totals add up to more than 66 because one pair can have several relations. Rat-Goat and Ox-Horse are both a Harm and a Wonjin.
Can a pair have a harmony and a clash at once?
Yes, 2 of the 66 pairs do: Tiger and Pig (寅亥: Six Harmony + Break); Snake and Monkey (巳申: Six Harmony + Punishment + Break). Tiger and Pig bind in a Six Harmony but also Break, and Snake and Monkey bind in a Six Harmony while also Punishing and Breaking each other. Traditionally these read as "drawn together but pricking at each other," which is why a simple "harmony is good, clash is bad" chart can mislead.
What is the relationship between our two signs?
Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. The sign is taken from the BaZi year, which turns at Lichun (around February 4) and not on January 1 or at Lunar New Year, so a birthday in January or early February may belong to the previous sign. Only 1900–2100 is supported.
Is zodiac compatibility enough to judge a match?
No. A sign is only the year branch, one of eight characters in a chart. A pair with no relation at all (26 of the 66) can still fit well if their day branches harmonize or their useful elements support each other, and two signs in a Three Harmony can still collide at the day branch. In practice, readers weigh the day branch (the "spouse palace") much more, and treat the year branch as a lighter clue about family background and first impressions. See how compatibility works.
For what each relation means in a full chart, read combinations and clashes, and for the twelve signs and the Lichun rule see the twelve earthly branches.
How the chart was calculated
Relations come from this site's engine (the branchRelations function in analysis.js), which checks every pair of branches for Six Harmony, Clash, Punishment, Self-punishment, Break, Harm and Wonjin. Three Harmony counts any two signs from the same group (申子辰, 亥卯未, 寅午戌, 巳酉丑). All 66 pairs of different signs were counted, so these are full counts, not a sample. The checker takes each sign from the Lichun-based year pillar and uses the same rules.
Frequently asked questions
What are the best Chinese zodiac matches? Each sign has three: one Six Harmony partner and two Three Harmony partners. Rat's are Ox (Six Harmony) and Dragon and Monkey (Three Harmony). Find your sign's row in the table above.
Do clashing signs mean a relationship won't work? No. A Clash means opposite signs: strong pull, but also friction and change. Other parts of the chart, like the day branch and useful elements, matter just as much.
What does it mean if two signs have no relation? 26 of the 66 pairs (39.4%) are like this. It reads as a neutral pairing, so compatibility depends on the rest of the two charts.
Which sign am I if I was born in January or February? BaZi uses Lichun (around February 4). If you were born before it, you belong to the previous year's sign. Popular zodiac charts use Lunar New Year instead, so the two can differ for a few weeks of birthdays. The checker above uses the Lichun rule.
Is Three Harmony better than Six Harmony? They are different kinds of fit rather than ranks. Six Harmony reads as two signs binding into one, and Three Harmony as a shared direction and teamwork.
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