The five classical interaction patterns of the BaZi 12 earthly branches: 六沖 (clashes), 三合 (trines), 六合 (hexes), 三刑 (penalties), and 六害 (harms). Together, these 26 configurations describe how the earthly branches interact when present together in a chart's four pillars — strengthening some elements, weakening others, and shaping the chart's life-pattern register.
The five branch interaction patterns
This is the master directory for the BaZi 沖合刑害 reference library — the five classical interaction patterns that BaZi practitioners look for when reading the 12 earthly branches in a chart's four pillars. The interactions describe how branches affect each other when present together: strengthening, weakening, binding, harming, or releasing energy.
Voice constraint: these pages name each interaction (e.g., 子午沖, 申子辰三合) and describe its register; they do not teach the procedure for identifying interactions in a specific chart, which requires reading a full four-pillar chart cast. For chart-aware reading, book a BaZi consultation; for self-study, use the free BaZi Calculator; for learning the methodology, the BaZi Bootcamp covers branch interactions in detail.
Plot the four pillars (year, month, day, hour) of the chart from the birth date and time.
Identify the branches in each pillar's earthly branch position.
Check for interaction patterns: do two or more pillars contain branches that form a clash, trine, hex, penalty, or harm?
Read the configuration's location: year-month, day-hour, or spanning across non-adjacent pillars (which carries different interpretive weight).
Read the configuration against the Day Master: whether the configuration helps or harms the chart depends on which elements are involved and what the Day Master needs.
Layer in luck-pillar and annual transits: configurations can be activated or modified by external branches entering through luck pillars (10-year periods) or annual transits.
This work is the methodology that the BaZi Bootcamp teaches in detail.
Frequently asked questions
What are BaZi branch clashes and combinations?
The five classical interaction patterns of the 12 earthly branches in BaZi: clashes (沖, 6 pairs), trines (三合, 4 sets), hexes (六合, 6 pairs), penalties (相刑, 4 patterns), and harms (相害, 6 pairs) — 26 configurations in total. Each describes how branches interact when present together in a chart's four pillars.
How do I know if my chart has any of these configurations?
Plot your full four pillars via the BaZi Calculator and identify which branches appear in your year, month, day, and hour positions. If two or more of your branches form one of the patterns described in the category sub-hubs above, the configuration is present in your chart. Whether it activates favourably or unfavourably depends on the chart's broader context.
Are clashes always bad and trines always good?
No. The default register of clashes is volatility / forced change, and the default of trines is cooperative amplification — but actual impact on a specific chart depends on the chart's elemental balance, the Day Master's needs, and the current luck pillar. Some clashes release stuck energy and read favourably; some trines that strengthen the wrong element for a chart can be destabilising.
When do these configurations activate over a lifetime?
Configurations present in the natal chart are always present, but their activation strength varies with the luck pillar (10-year periods) and annual transits. When an external branch enters through a luck pillar or annual transit and completes or strengthens a configuration, that configuration becomes more active in that period. A BaZi consultation reads which periods of life are most-likely to bring activation of which configurations.
BAZI 1:1 CONSULTATION
Get a chart-aware BaZi reading for your specific question.
Master Sean Chan’s BaZi consultation reads your full four-pillar chart against your specific question — including which branch clashes, trines, hexes, penalties, and harms are activating in your chart, and what they mean for the issue you’re working through.
Master Sean Chan’s free BaZi Calculator plots your full four-pillar chart from your birth date and time. Use it to see which branches are present in your chart and identify the interactions that may be activating.
Master Sean Chan’s BaZi Bootcamp covers the full doctrine of branch interactions — clashes, trines, hexes, penalties, harms — and how they activate in luck-pillar transitions. Teaches the methodology these reference pages deliberately omit.