Earthly Branch relationships: hidden stems, combinations, clashes, punishments and harms

Hidden stems in each branch

Heavenly Stems sit in plain view; each Earthly Branch is more like a box holding one to three stems, called hidden stems. The strongest is the main qi; the others carry less weight. Element strength and the Ten Gods of the branches are both worked out from the hidden stems.

The four Earth branches each hold residue from the season before, which is why they are called storehouses: Chen stores Water, Xu stores Fire, Chou stores Metal and Wei stores Wood.

The six combinations

The six combinations are pairs of branches drawn to each other, often read as closeness, cooperation or attachment. Under the right conditions a pair can transform into another element.

Three harmonies and directional gatherings

A three harmony is a set of three branches that combine into one strong element, read as unity and gathering. When only two of the three appear it is a half harmony, with less force.

A directional gathering brings together the three branches of one season and direction, an even more concentrated force: Yin, Mao and Chen gather Eastern Wood; Si, Wu and Wei Southern Fire; Shen, You and Xu Western Metal; Hai, Zi and Chou Northern Water.

The six clashes

Arrange the twelve branches in a circle and each pair directly opposite clashes, six pairs in all: Zi-Wu, Chou-Wei, Yin-Shen, Mao-You, Chen-Xu and Si-Hai. A clash suggests collision, movement or separation, and it weakens both characters.

Punishments and harms

Punishments suggest friction, entanglement or self-wear. Classical texts list several kinds:

• Yin, Si and Shen (the punishment of ingratitude): help given but not acknowledged.
• Chou, Xu and Wei (the punishment of power): each side relies on its strength and will not yield.
• Zi and Mao (the punishment of discourtesy): boundaries are easily overstepped.
• Chen-Chen, Wu-Wu, You-You and Hai-Hai (self-punishment): a repeated branch turns pressure inward.

Harms, also called the six harms, are relationships spoiled by a competing combination and suggest hidden friction: Zi-Wei, Chou-Wu, Yin-Si, Mao-Chen, Shen-Hai and You-Xu.

Reading them in a chart

• Position first: the Day Branch is the spouse palace, the Month Branch the upbringing, and the Year and Hour Branches lean towards early and later life. The same clash means different things between the Day and Month Branches than between the Year and Hour Branches.
• Neighbours count most: branches in adjacent pillars interact most strongly; the further apart, the weaker the effect.
• Combination is not always good and clash not always bad: binding up a favourable element is a loss, while clashing away an overbearing unfavourable one can help.
• Transformation needs conditions: two combined branches do not automatically become a new element; the season and surrounding characters must support it.
• The branches of luck cycles and years interact with the natal chart in the same ways, an important clue to when change arrives.

In this chart the Zi Water of the Month Branch clashes with the Wu Fire of the Day Branch, a meeting of Water and Fire that traditionally points to tension between upbringing and self. The two Wu branches in the Day and Hour Pillars form a self-punishment, and Mao in the Year Branch with Zi in the Month Branch forms the Zi-Mao punishment. With so much activity among the branches, each relationship should be read within the frame of Day Master strength and the favourable element rather than judged one by one.

Is this the same as zodiac clashes?

Popular sayings such as "Rat and Horse clash" or "Tiger and Pig combine" compare only the two Year Branches. The Year Branch is one character out of eight; a BaZi compatibility reading looks at both Day Masters, both Day Branches, the elements and the overall structure. A zodiac clash alone says little about whether two people suit each other.