12 animal signs · one transparent rule set
Chinese Zodiac Compatibility Chart: What Does Each Pair Mean?
Find one animal in the left row and the other across the top. H marks a traditional Six Harmonies pair; C marks a Six Clashes pair; S means the same animal; a dash means neither named rule applies. The dash is not a negative judgment. This chart describes two branch relationships, not whether two people will be compatible.
The complete 12×12 lookup table
This site intentionally checks only six harmony pairs and six clash pairs. It does not silently fill every other cell with a personality rating. The table is symmetric: Rat–Ox and Ox–Rat have the same label.
H Six Harmonies C Six Clashes S same animal — neither named rule
| First ↓ Second → | Rat | Ox | Tig | Rab | Dra | Sna | Hor | Goa | Mon | Roo | Dog | Pig |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | S | H | — | — | — | — | C | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ox | H | S | — | — | — | — | — | C | — | — | — | — |
| Tiger | — | — | S | — | — | — | — | — | C | — | — | H |
| Rabbit | — | — | — | S | — | — | — | — | — | C | H | — |
| Dragon | — | — | — | — | S | — | — | — | — | H | C | — |
| Snake | — | — | — | — | — | S | — | — | H | — | — | C |
| Horse | C | — | — | — | — | — | S | H | — | — | — | — |
| Goat | — | C | — | — | — | — | H | S | — | — | — | — |
| Monkey | — | — | C | — | — | H | — | — | S | — | — | — |
| Rooster | — | — | — | C | H | — | — | — | — | S | — | — |
| Dog | — | — | — | H | C | — | — | — | — | — | S | — |
| Pig | — | — | H | — | — | C | — | — | — | — | — | S |
Each row has one H, one C, one S, and nine dashes. Across the 144 ordered cells, that is 12 H, 12 C, 12 S, and 108 dashes. Reversing a pair repeats a cell, so these are not 144 independent relationship claims.
Find a sign without scanning the grid
The compact list gives the one Six Harmonies partner and one Six Clashes opposite for each animal. All other different animals receive a dash under this page’s two-rule scope.
| Your sign | H partner | C opposite | Other results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | Ox | Horse | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Ox | Rat | Goat | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Tiger | Pig | Monkey | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Rabbit | Dog | Rooster | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Dragon | Rooster | Dog | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Snake | Monkey | Pig | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Horse | Goat | Rat | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Goat | Horse | Ox | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Monkey | Snake | Tiger | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Rooster | Dragon | Rabbit | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Dog | Rabbit | Dragon | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
| Pig | Tiger | Snake | Its own sign; 9 other signs have no named relation in this check |
Where the labels come from
The labels come from the traditional Earthly Branch 六合 and 六冲 lists in an academic-hosted Chinese source. We mapped the branches to their year animals and used the same two lists as our two-date calculator. The source also cautions against using such pairings to decide a real marriage. This page therefore provides no love score or prediction.
Some broader compatibility charts also classify trines, harms, or personality matches. Those are separate rule sets; a dash here does not mean that every tradition calls the pair neutral or incompatible.
Four cells you can check yourself
- Rat + Rat → S. Identical year animals are shown separately; this tool does not call them harmonious by default.
- Rat + Ox → H. Rat–Ox is one of the six named harmony pairs.
- Rat + Horse → C. Rat–Horse is one of the six named clash pairs. The label is not a forecast of conflict between people.
- Rat + Tiger → —. Neither animal pair appears in the two lists. This is an absence of a label, not a verdict.
First confirm both birth-date animals
A chart starts with two known animal signs. For a January or February birthday, the Gregorian year alone may select the wrong lunar-year animal. Our birth-date calculator takes two complete Gregorian dates, checks the Chinese New Year boundary using the Hong Kong Observatory’s conversion tables, and returns the same four-category label shown here. Its supported dates are January 1, 1902 through December 31, 2030.
If a tool asks only for birth years, see why a complete birthday can change the pair. If it returns “no named pair,” read our audit of that exact outcome. The five-elements guide explains why this pair label does not change when year-stem elements differ.
Watch the chart explained
The short video shows how to read a row and column, then checks four different cells.
Common questions
Are Rat and Ox compatible?
Rat and Ox are a traditional Six Harmonies pair in this chart. That label does not establish whether two people get along.
What does a dash mean?
Neither a Six Harmonies nor a Six Clashes relation was found. This limited check makes no further claim.
Does a clash mean a couple should separate?
No. “Clash” names a branch relationship. This chart has no evidence about an individual couple or the outcome of a relationship.
Does this include the five elements or a full BaZi chart?
No. The table classifies only two relationships between year animals. It does not calculate a full birth chart, day or hour pillars, or personalized compatibility.