Configuration
寅巳害 involves the following branches:
- 寅 Tiger
- 巳 Snake
Classical register
Wood-fire interaction in the early-spring vs. early-summer transition: 寅 (Tiger, early spring wood) harms 巳 (Snake, early summer fire). Classical attribution emphasises the misdirection of momentum — what should have been a smooth wood-feeds-fire generation gets disrupted by mismatched timing. Reads as projects that should succeed missing their window through poor sequencing.
How to read 寅巳害 in a chart
The 寅巳害 configuration activates when the involved branches appear together in the four pillars of a BaZi chart (year, month, day, or hour pillar). Practitioners read the configuration's register against where in the chart it appears: a clash between year and month pillars often relates to the family of origin and early-life environment; between day and hour, to spouse / offspring matters; in the luck-pillar transitions, to the timing of the configuration's activation across decades. Beyond presence-or-absence, the configuration's strength depends on the chart's broader elemental balance and the Day Master's structural needs.
Why generic Tiger-Snake Harm interpretation fails
The 寅巳害 register is one structural feature of a BaZi chart, not the whole chart. Whether the configuration helps or hurts a specific consultant depends on their Day Master, the chart's elemental balance, the Useful God, and the luck pillar currently operating. The same configuration can be highly favourable for one chart (e.g., a clash that releases stuck energy) and challenging for another (e.g., a clash that destabilises a needed pillar). Master Sean Chan’s BaZi consultation reads the full chart against your specific question.