属牛 × 属蛇
The Ox and the Snake: what the classical relationships between their year branches say. The Ox's branch is Chou (丑), and the Snake's is Si (巳).
What these words mean
- BaZi (八字): Chinese "four pillars" astrology. The moment you were born is written as four pillars, for the year, the month, the day and the hour.
- Pillar: a pair of symbols: a stem written on top and a branch below it. Your year pillar is the pair for your year of birth, and your day pillar the pair for your day of birth. Four pillars make eight symbols, which is what BaZi means: "eight characters".
- Branch (地支, Earthly Branch): the bottom symbol of a pillar. There are twelve, each with an animal sign. The branch of your year pillar is your zodiac animal.
- Stem (天干, Heavenly Stem): the top symbol of a pillar. There are ten. Each is one of the five elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) in its yang or its yin form.
- Hidden stems (藏干): every branch holds one to three stems inside it. The strongest is called its principal qi (本气). The others are its middle qi and residual qi.
- Three-way combination (三合): three branches, four places apart on the circle of twelve, that work together toward one element.
- Day Master (日主): the stem of your day pillar. It stands for you, and the rest of the chart is read in relation to it.
- Ten Gods (十神): the names for how any stem relates to your Day Master, such as Direct Officer or Rob Wealth. Each one stands for a part of life: work, money, people or support.
- Luck pillars and annual pillars: a full chart also has a pillar for each ten-year stretch of life (a luck pillar) and for each year (an annual pillar). They are read against your birth chart.
三合 · 大吉
丑 × 巳 · Three-way combination: a very good match
为什么 Why
巳酉丑三合金局，两支同在一个格局里：志同道合，目标一致。
The Snake, the Rooster and the Ox form a three-way Metal combination (三合), and these two belong to it: they share a direction and aim at the same goals.
五行与藏干 Elements and hidden stems
巳火生丑土：属蛇的一方生属牛的一方，一方付出、一方受益，相处顺其自然。
The Ox's branch is Earth, and the Snake's is Fire. Fire generates Earth, so the Snake gives and the Ox gains, and the relationship runs naturally.
| 地支 Branch | 本气 Principal qi | 中气 Middle qi | 余气 Residual qi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 丑 · 属牛 Ox, Chou | 己土 Ji Earth | 癸水 Gui Water | 辛金 Xin Metal |
| 巳 · 属蛇 Snake, Si | 丙火 Bing Fire | 庚金 Geng Metal | 戊土 Wu Earth |
Each branch holds one to three hidden stems. The first and strongest is called its principal qi.
两支的藏干之间有天干五合：丑中的癸与巳中的戊相合；丑中的辛与巳中的丙相合。地支表面上的关系之外，底下还有这一层牵连。
Their hidden stems also combine: Gui Water (癸) in the Ox's branch with Wu Earth (戊) in the Snake's, and Xin Metal (辛) in the Ox's branch with Bing Fire (丙) in the Snake's. This is one of the five stem combinations (天干五合), a tie that does not show on the surface.
五行这一层只看两支的本气，分量轻于上面的合、冲、刑、害。The element comparison looks only at the main element of each branch. It counts for less than the relationships above.
一句话提醒：生肖只是八字四柱中的一个字（年支）。真正决定两个人合不合的是完整命盘：日主强弱、十神关系、大运流年。仅凭生肖断合婚，是这一行最常见的以偏概全。
Your animal sign is only one of the eight symbols in a BaZi chart: the branch of the year pillar. Whether two people suit each other is read from both full charts: the strength of each Day Master, how their Ten Gods relate, and their luck pillars and annual pillars. Judging a match by animal signs alone is the most common oversimplification in this field. Treat this page as background, not a verdict.
其他配对 Other pairings
Ox × Rat牛×牛
Ox × Ox牛×虎
Ox × Tiger牛×兔
Ox × Rabbit牛×龙
Ox × Dragon牛×蛇
Ox × Snake牛×马
Ox × Horse牛×羊
Ox × Goat牛×猴
Ox × Monkey牛×鸡
Ox × Rooster牛×狗
Ox × Dog牛×猪
Ox × Pig
← 属牛总览 All about the Ox · 属蛇总览 All about the Snake →
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