module 03 twelve zodiacs
Module 03: The Twelve Chinese Animal Zodiacs (Chapter 4)
Overview
The ten Chinese numeral system (十天干) are heaven yang (阳) features that represent expose, active, and bright — they are not afraid of countering or combination.
The twelve animal zodiacs (十二地支) are earth yin (阴) features that represent quiet, soft, and dark. The most ideal Chinese animal zodiacs have no combination or any sort of clashes. The twelve Chinese animal zodiacs has its own yin-yang energy and five elements (refer to the table in Module 01).
- The ten Chinese numeral system (天干) represents heaven's gift for you.
- The twelve animal zodiacs (地支) are used to represent what is happening to you on the earth.
Key principle: Do not be naïve and quickly assume that anyone with punishment, clash, break, harm, and combo (刑冲破害合) means that they are good or bad. Rather, it is an indication that there are some imperfections in the birth chart, and it's your job to further investigate what's right and wrong in the life destiny by adding ten gods (十神), positive-negative stars (神煞), twelve growth (十二长生) and maybe even Qi Men Dun Jia (奇门遁甲) and numerology to further evaluate carefully.
Punishment (刑)
The main concept of punishment is inflicting penalty to an offence (crime and law) and rough treatment to oneself. Punishment involves pain and loss upon a misdeed or misbehaviour.
Punishment Table (Table 15)
| Punishment | Concepts |
|---|---|
| Tiger + Monkey + Snake (寅巳申) | Estranged family ties, betrayal, blame & wronged, revenge, accident |
| Ox + Goat + Dog (丑未戌) | Law offence, crime and jail, sickness and diseases, disaster and trouble, bullied |
| Rat + Rabbit (子卯) | Hostile, vulgarity, disrespectful behaviour, sexual misconduct, ruin reputation |
| Dragon + Dragon (辰辰) | Submissive to unreasonable and unfair treatment, inferiority complex, depression, mental stress |
| Rooster + Rooster (酉酉) | Busybody and got yourself into trouble, impulsive anger, self-injury, depression, mental stress |
| Horse + Horse (午午) | Low self-esteem, mental depression and stress, hot temper, obsession, indulgence |
| Pig + Pig (亥亥) | Self-inflicted depression, self-inflicted anger, self-inflicted sulking, cold shoulder, depression, mental stress |
In the Bazi birth chart, punishment can manifest as:
- Marriage problems; using silent treatment, cold shoulder
- Difficulty expressing views; very secretive
- Auto shut-down, suffering depression quietly by himself
- Self-emotional torture
Practical case example — Pig + Pig (亥亥) Punishment (Pages 111–112):
Chart 1 — Pig + Pig in month and year columns:
| Hour | Day | Month | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | 癸 Gui | 丁 Ding | 乙 Yi | 己 Ji |
| Branch | 卯 Mao | 未 Wei | 亥 Hai | 亥 Hai |
The month and year columns both show 亥 (Pig) — this is pig + pig (亥亥) punishment. The punishment affects the month/year columns which represent parents, siblings, and the birth owner's early family.
Result: Parents and siblings have marital problems. 5 out of 6 of his siblings are divorced. One of his siblings is mentally ill. The birth owner has marriage problems and uses silent treatment, cold shoulder; has problem expressing his views; very secretive; auto shuts down; suffers depression quietly by himself; and self-emotional torture.
Chart 2 — Another Punishment example (Page 112):
| Hour | Day | Month | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | 戊 Wu | 丙 Bing | 癸 Gui | 丁 Ding |
| Branch | 戌 Xu | 申 Shen | 丑 Chou | 未 Wei |
10-year luck cycle strip:
| 2010 (44岁) | 2009 (43岁) | 2008 (42岁) | 2007 (41岁) | 2006 (40岁) | 2005 (39岁) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 庚才 | 己/伤官 | 戊/食神 | 丁/劫财 | 丙/比财 | 乙/印 |
| 寅/比食 | 丑/伤官财 | 子/官 | 亥/杀 | 戌/食财劫 | 酉/财 |
Result — Punishment: The customer was jailed for six years in 2009 for cheating clients' money, was declared bankrupt, had depression, health issues, overweight, and was also mentally stressed.
Key teaching: Does everyone with this combination become a criminal? Of course not. To know if it leads to criminal behaviour requires the knowledge of the ten gods (十神). In this example, he has strong shang guan (伤官) + strong zheng guan (正官) countering each other fiercely, plus negative stars such as disaster god (灾神) in his birth chart.
Remember: Punishment, clash, break, harm, and combo will require the knowledge of the ten gods (十神), positive-negative stars (神煞), twelve growth (十二长生) to determine the full impact. Get your foundation built properly first.
Clash (冲)
The main concept of clash is changing the original form. Like a car crash — the car changes its original shape upon collision.
Clash Table (Table 16)
| Clash | Concept |
|---|---|
| Rat + Horse (子午) | Stuck in the situation, restless |
| Ox + Goat (丑未) | Disease and illness, obstacle |
| Tiger + Monkey (寅申) | Busy body, lots of travelling, flirtatious, accident |
| Rabbit + Rooster (卯酉) | Marriage and romance problems, lust, family discord, breach of trust, depression |
| Dragon + Dog (辰戌) | Argumentative, law suit, death among family members, shorter lifespan |
| Snake + Pig (巳亥) | Quarrels, frequent changes, extorting, busybody, helpful |
Practical case example — Tiger + Monkey (寅申) Clash: A birth chart with monkey and tiger clash, where tiger (寅) is the spouse location:
- After 40 years old (self-made family; husband and children; stomach area and leg area; lower body section)
- The clash indicates that there is a change in the original shape
- When and where? After 40 years old (in year 2010): she had a divorce and an ovary operation
- Change of original shape: (1) From married to single; (2) Her children were living with her full time during marriage, but after divorce they live with her part time; (3) Ovary was removed.
Break (破)
The main concept of break is removal — such as taking away something good that should be yours or were yours.
Examples of "removal":
- You were a lawyer, but due to greed, you were jailed, and after that you were stripped off the lawyer title and role.
- You worked so hard and earned some money to start a business, but later you went into bankruptcy.
- You were supposed to have a happy childhood original family, but your mother died young.
Break Table (Table 17)
| Break | Concept |
|---|---|
| Rat + Rooster (子酉) | Broken promises, financial difficulties, failure in fulfilling responsibilities and duties |
| Horse + Rabbit (午卯) | Business failure, loss of job and promotion, failure in fulfilling responsibilities and duties |
| Monkey + Snake (申巳) | Doing good deeds but fail, original family has separation issues, hidden sabotage |
| Tiger + Pig (寅亥) | Assorted relationship discord, lots of backstabbers, waste of time and money for helping |
| Dragon + Ox (辰丑) | Family discord, waste of effort for helping, after it happened, then say "I knew it" |
| Dog + Goat (戌未) | Law and crime offence or jail, loss of status and reputation |
Practical case example — Break (破) with Chart (Pages 117–119):
Chart — Bing/Shen Day Master:
| Hour | Day | Month | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | 戊 Wu | 丙 Bing | 癸 Gui | 丁 Ding |
| Branch | 戌 Xu | 申 Shen | 丑 Chou | 未 Wei |
Break pairs present: Shen 申 (Monkey) + Si 巳 (Snake) = 申巳破 — the snake is the "hidden sabotage" element here.
10-year luck cycle strip (showing crime committed in 2006):
| 2010 (44岁) | 2009 (43岁) | 2008 (42岁) | 2007 (41岁) | 2006 (40岁) | 2005 (39岁) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 庚才 | 己/伤官 | 戊/食神 | 丁/劫财 | 丙/比财 | 乙/印 |
| 寅/比食 | 丑/伤官财 | 子/官 | 亥/杀 | 戌/食财劫 | 酉/财 |
Result: He was removed from the authority title and status. His car and house were sold off to pay off his bankruptcy. His child was taken away and not allowed to meet him.
Harm (害)
The main concept of harm is about separation from loved ones.
Harm Table (Table 18)
| Harm | Concept |
|---|---|
| Rat + Goat (子未) | Loss of child, difficulty in pregnancy, family discord, loved ones falling ill, lonely & no family support |
| Ox + Horse (丑午) | Backstabbers, lack of tolerance |
| Tiger + Snake (寅巳) | Difficult lawsuit, difficulty in pregnancy |
| Monkey + Pig (申亥) | Relationship conflicts, poor marriage quality, accident |
| Rabbit + Dragon (卯辰) | Handicapped or illness, quarrels and arguments |
| Rooster + Dog (酉戌) | Relationship conflicts, bad suitors, poor marriage quality |
Practical case example: A birth chart with monkey + pig (申亥) harm in the day column (spouse position) = poor marriage quality leading to divorce, has poor quality girlfriends and mistresses, separation with the parents and siblings due to the death of his parents in his early twenties, lost the custody of his children, and had a few car accidents.
Combination (合)
There are altogether four types of combination. Basically, the meaning is more or less the same:
(i) To strengthen the strength of a certain element
(ii) Indicates a friendly and sociable disposition with outsiders
(iii) Indicates a discord with a family member
Extra Tips for Combination
- Combination can also be an indication of a romance and marriage.
- Sometimes it can be disaster, sickness, or death.
The combination (合) will strengthen a particular element (五行), and if the strengthened element is your favourable (喜用神) five elements in your birth chart then it is a positive outcome, otherwise it means disaster.
Type 1: Six Pairs of Chinese Animal Zodiacs Combination (六合)
Diagram pairs: 六合 (Six Harmonies)
| Six Pairs Combination | Strengthens | Element |
|---|---|---|
| Rat + Ox (子丑合土) | Earth | |
| Tiger + Pig (寅亥合木) | Wood | |
| Rabbit + Dog (卯戌合火) | Fire | |
| Dragon + Rooster (辰酉合金) | Metal | |
| Snake + Monkey (巳申合水) | Water | |
| Horse + Goat (午未合土) | Earth |
(See Table 19)
Type 2: Three Triangular Animal Zodiac Combination (三合)
Three triangular combination (三合) chart:
- Monkey + Rat + Dragon (申子辰合水) → strengthens Water
- Pig + Rabbit + Goat (亥卯未合木) → strengthens Wood
- Tiger + Horse + Dog (寅午戌合火) → strengthens Fire
- Snake + Rooster + Ox (巳酉丑合金) → strengthens Metal
Type 3: Three Neighboring Animal Zodiac Combination (三会)
Three neighboring combination (三会):
- Pig + Rat + Ox (亥子丑合水) → strengthens Water
- Tiger + Rabbit + Dragon (寅卯辰合木) → strengthens Wood
- Snake + Horse + Goat (巳午未合火) → strengthens Fire
- Monkey + Rooster + Dog (申酉戌合金) → strengthens Metal
Type 4: Hidden Combination (暗合)
The hidden combination (暗合) pairs:
- Rabbit + Monkey (卯申)
- Ox + Tiger (丑寅)
- Rat + Snake (子巳)
- Snake + Rooster (巳酉)
- Horse + Pig (午亥)
- Tiger + Horse (寅午)
Extra Tips for Hidden Combination
- Hidden combo usually means hidden activities.
- If the spouse position has hidden combo, there are a few meanings:
- (a) Cohabitation
- (b) Quietly got married or engaged
- (c) Secret lovers and admirers
- (d) On and off relationships
- (e) Ambiguous relationship status
Practical example: A birth chart with rabbit (spouse) + monkey hidden combo (卯申暗合). The birth owner did not disclose his relationship about his new wife publicly. Later, they had a quiet wedding. The wife was pregnant before the wedding proposal.
The Four Combo Chinese Animal Zodiacs
There are three types of four combo Chinese animal zodiacs:
- (i) Tiger + Monkey + Snake + Pig (寅申巳亥) → Four Travelling Horses (四长生)
- (ii) Rat + Horse + Rabbit + Rooster (子午卯酉) → Four Romances (四正桃花)
- (iii) Dragon + Dog + Ox + Goat (辰戌丑未) → Four Storages (四墓库)
Type 1: Four Travelling Horses (四长生)
Monkey + Tiger + Snake + Pig (申寅巳亥)
(Table 20)
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Lots of travelling and overseas opportunities | Represents lots of travelling and overseas opportunities |
| May have lots of travelling opportunities for career | For example: pilot, air stewardess, taxi-driver, working overseas, or has global reputation |
| Can have overseas reputation | Global visibility and international recognition |
| Possibility to marry a foreigner | Higher chance of cross-cultural marriage |
| Accident experiences | More prone to accidents due to constant movement |
| Life has lots of unpredictable changes and movement | May frequently change houses, always on the move, or changes of status |
| Easier to pass for driving licence | For example: own a boat licence, airplane licence, or motor licence |
Famous example: Mr. Zhang Da Qian (张大千), born 1899, had tiger + monkey + snake + pig (寅申巳亥) in all four columns — he was a world-famous painter who travelled globally and lived in multiple countries throughout his life.
Type 2: Four Romances (四正桃花)
Rat + Horse + Rooster + Rabbit (子午酉卯)
(Table 21)
| Concept | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Lots of romantic opportunities | Represents lots of romantic opportunities |
| Romantic, lustful and flirtatious | The romantic partners are usually good-looking |
| Possibilities of marital affair | Or unethical sexual activities or strong sexual urges |
Example: The Qing dynasty Emperor Qian Long (乾隆) had four romances (四正桃花) in his birth chart — known to be highly attracted to romance, had many concubines, and engaged in many romantic pursuits throughout his reign.
Type 3: Four Storages (四墓库)
Dragon + Dog + Ox + Goat (辰戌丑未)
(Table 22)
| Concept | Description |
|---|---|
| Dragon + Dog + Ox + Goat (辰戌丑未) — Four Storages (四墓库) | |
| Religious, or has a religion | Has affinity with gods, ghost, Fengshui, I-Ching, metaphysics |
| Loves to do charities and voluntary work | Giving nature |
| Has moles, scars, lumps or tattoo on the face and body | Physical marking |
| Heavy weight or has protruding belly | Physical characteristic |
Two interpretations of the Four Storages:
| Type | Concept | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Treasure box (财库) — "From rag to riches" | Rich | The ten gods wealth star (正财偏财) is water + Dragon is in the birth chart + Dragon is favourable element 喜用神 + water element is strong 旺相 + birth owner is strong day = good news! You are rich! |
| Graveyard (墓库) — "From riches to rag" | Decline | Death of the loved ones |
Individual storage meanings:
- Dragon (辰) is water storage (水财库)
- Dog (戌) is fire storage (火财库)
- Ox (丑) is metal storage (金财库)
- Goat (未) is wood storage (木财库)
Real case example — Ming Emperor Zhu Yuan Zhang (朱元璋, born 1328):
He had goat + ox + dog + dragon (未丑戌辰) in his four animal zodiacs — all Four Storages present. He was born poor; his whole family died in famine except him and one brother when he was young. Later he became a Buddhist monk, then entered war and became emperor. He was heavy weight. His chart shows: metal is his wealth god (偏财) in ten gods theories (十神论) + Strong day birth owner (命主强) + Ox metal storage (金财库) in the birth chart + Metal is strong (金旺) + Metal is favourable element (金用神) = From rag to riches!
Next module: Chapter 5 — Determining the Strength of the Birth Owner & Favourable/Unfavourable Five Elements