属鼠 × 属牛
The Rat and the Ox: what the classical relationships between their year branches say. The Rat's branch is Zi (子), and the Ox's is Chou (丑).
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.
- Six combination (六合): two branches that pair up and pull together, a close bond.
- 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.
六合 · 上吉
子 × 丑 · Six combination: an excellent match
为什么 Why
子丑六合，合化土。经典视为最亲近的一组关系：彼此吸引，互相成就。
The Rat and the Ox combine (六合), and together they are said to produce Earth. The classics count this as the closest pairing of all: the two are drawn to each other and help each other succeed.
五行与藏干 Elements and hidden stems
丑土克子水：属牛的一方容易压过属鼠的一方，须以尊重求平衡。
The Rat's branch is Water, and the Ox's is Earth. Earth controls Water, so the Ox tends to overpower the Rat. Respect on both sides keeps it in balance.
| 地支 Branch | 本气 Principal qi | 中气 Middle qi | 余气 Residual qi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 子 · 属鼠 Rat, Zi | 癸水 Gui Water | — | — |
| 丑 · 属牛 Ox, Chou | 己土 Ji Earth | 癸水 Gui Water | 辛金 Xin Metal |
Each branch holds one to three hidden stems. The first and strongest is called its principal qi.
两支的藏干之间没有天干五合。
None of their hidden stems combine with each other.
子丑同属北方亥子丑三会水方，是同一个季节的气。
The Rat and the Ox also belong to one seasonal combination (三会), the northern group of the Pig, the Rat and the Ox, which is Water. They share the energy of the same season.
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
Rat × Rat鼠×牛
Rat × Ox鼠×虎
Rat × Tiger鼠×兔
Rat × Rabbit鼠×龙
Rat × Dragon鼠×蛇
Rat × Snake鼠×马
Rat × Horse鼠×羊
Rat × Goat鼠×猴
Rat × Monkey鼠×鸡
Rat × Rooster鼠×狗
Rat × Dog鼠×猪
Rat × Pig
← 属鼠总览 All about the Rat · 属牛总览 All about the Ox →
拿两个人的完整命盘合一合 · Compare two full charts, not two signs不需注册，生辰在您的浏览器里计算。No sign-up needed. Your chart is calculated in your own browser.