Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Calculator

Chinese folk astrology lists some animal pairs as especially harmonious (三合 allies, 六合 friends) and others as clashing (六冲). Charts differ by region, and many real relationships ignore these rules entirely.

This calculator maps a small set of well-known harmonious and challenging pairs and labels everything else as balanced. Same-animal pairings are described as familiar — shared traits can help or amplify habits.

Example: Rat and Dragon are often listed as supportive; Rat and Horse as clashing. If your pair is not in the short list, the result explains that traditions vary — use it as a story starter, not a verdict on your relationship.

The traditional groupings have a geometric logic worth knowing. Arrange the twelve animals in a circle and the 三合 trine allies sit four apart, forming four triangles — Rat, Dragon and Monkey make one; Ox, Snake and Rooster another. The 六冲 clashes sit directly opposite, six apart, which is why Rat opposes Horse and Ox opposes Goat.

六合 harmony pairs follow a different rule again, joining animals that sit adjacent in an older seasonal arrangement: Rat with Ox, Tiger with Pig, Rabbit with Dog, and so on. Because the trine and the harmony systems overlap only partially, a pair can be listed as favourable in one chart and neutral in another.

“Clash” is a weaker claim than the English word suggests. In the tradition it describes opposing seasonal energies that tend to produce friction or restlessness, not doom, and almanacs typically pair the observation with advice rather than a prohibition. Many long marriages sit squarely in the clash column.

Same-animal pairs are treated as familiar rather than compatible or incompatible, on the reasoning that shared temperament cuts both ways: the same trait that makes two people understand each other instantly can also mean neither compensates for the other's blind spot.

Practitioners who take compatibility seriously do not use year animals alone. A full four-pillars reading compares day pillars in particular, along with element balance across both charts, so a year-animal lookup is the simplest possible version of a much more involved practice. This page is cultural context and entertainment, not relationship advice.

Compatibility tables vary by region and folk tradition — results here reflect common Han-cultural pairings used in festival contexts, not deterministic relationship outcomes.

Element cycles (wood, fire, earth, metal, water) add another compatibility layer in some almanacs — this tool focuses on the twelve animal pairs only.

Friendship and work compatibility readings use different folk tables — treat results as cultural context, not relationship advice.