Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Calculator (Six Harmonies, Trines, Clashes & Elements)

How it works

Animal index = (lunar year − 4) mod 12 (Rat = 0 … Pig = 11), where the lunar year changes at Chinese New Year (new moon in late January–February) · Six Harmonies: indices adding to 1 mod 12 (Rat–Ox, Tiger–Pig, Rabbit–Dog, Dragon–Rooster, Snake–Monkey, Horse–Goat) · Three Harmonies: same index mod 4 · Clash: indices 6 apart · Six Harms: indices adding to 7 mod 12 · Punishments: Tiger–Snake–Monkey, Ox–Goat–Dog, Rat–Rabbit · elements: generating Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood; controlling Wood → Earth → Water → Fire → Metal → Wood

Chinese astrology judges compatibility by the relationships between the 12 Earthly Branches (the zodiac animals): the "six harmonies" pair signs that are said to complement each other, the "three harmonies" group signs four years apart into trines, and signs six years apart "clash". Harms and punishments mark tense combinations. The calculator first finds each person's true animal by comparing the birth date with that year's Chinese New Year, so January and early-February birthdays are handled correctly, then adds the five-element relationship of the birth years. These are traditional cultural beliefs offered for entertainment; they say nothing scientific about a relationship.

Worked example

Person 1, born May 15, 1990, is a Horse (Metal). Person 2, born January 20, 1992 — before Chinese New Year on February 4, 1992 — is a Goat from lunar year 1991, not a Monkey. Horse and Goat form one of the Six Harmonies, so the result is an Excellent match; the Metal and Metal years share the same element.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica — Chinese zodiac · Hong Kong Observatory — Lunar calendar conversion

Frequently asked questions