Guide · Chinese astrology
Chinese zodiac compatibility.
Twelve year signs, and four classical ways two of them can relate. This is how the tradition reads a pair by year, and where it stops.
Three harmonies
Same team: both signs belong to one of the four groups of three.
Rat, Dragon, Monkey · Ox, Snake, Rooster · Tiger, Horse, Dog · Rabbit, Goat, Pig
Six harmonies
A classical pairing: two signs that combine and quietly hold each other up.
Rat and Ox · Tiger and Pig · Rabbit and Dog · Dragon and Rooster · Snake and Monkey · Horse and Goat
Clash
Opposite signs: six years apart, facing each other across the wheel.
Rat and Horse · Ox and Goat · Tiger and Monkey · Rabbit and Rooster · Dragon and Dog · Snake and Pig
Harm
A quieter strain: small misreadings that repeat.
Rat and Goat · Ox and Horse · Tiger and Snake · Rabbit and Dragon · Monkey and Pig · Rooster and Dog
What the year sign leaves out
The year animal is one of eight characters in a Chinese chart. The day pillar says more about a person than the year, and a full reading compares all of them. The year also turns at Start of Spring, around 4 February, not 1 January, so people born in January or early February usually belong to the previous year's sign.
Pairs, read closer
New to the system? Start with what BaZi is. Or go beyond year animals: full-chart BaZi compatibility. Then calculate your four pillars or meet all twelve animals.