The Twelve Earthly Branches and the Twelve Zodiac Animals

💡 Reading time: ~7 minutes ｜ Series: Bazi Series (Article 3/20)

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The Earthly Branches don’t just map to the twelve zodiac animals — they also carry rich elemental and interpersonal codes.

Branch	Zodiac	Element	Hour
Zi	Rat	Water	23:00–01:00
Chou	Ox	Earth	01:00–03:00
Yin	Tiger	Wood	03:00–05:00
Mao	Rabbit	Wood	05:00–07:00
Chen	Dragon	Earth	07:00–09:00
Si	Snake	Fire	09:00–11:00
Wu	Horse	Fire	11:00–13:00
Wei	Goat	Earth	13:00–15:00
Shen	Monkey	Metal	15:00–17:00
You	Rooster	Metal	17:00–19:00
Xu	Dog	Earth	19:00–21:00
Hai	Pig	Water	21:00–23:00

Key relationships between branches:

• Six Harmonies (Liu He): Zi-Chou, Yin-Hai, Mao-Xu, Chen-You, Si-Shen, Wu-Wei (each pair is a noble helper)

• Three Harmonies (San He): Shen-Zi-Chen, Hai-Mao-Wei, Yin-Wu-Xu, Si-You-Chou (strengthen each other’s power)

• Six Clashes (Liu Chong): Zi-Wu, Chou-Wei, Yin-Shen, Mao-You, Chen-Xu, Si-Hai (opposition and conflict)

• Six Harms (Liu Hai): Zi-Wei, Chou-Wu, Yin-Si, Mao-Chen, Shen-Hai, You-Xu (hidden damage)