Six Harmonies (Liu He) 六合

Liu He pairs the twelve branches into six couples: Zi with Chou, Yin with Hai, Mao with Xu, Chen with You, Si with Shen, and Wu with Wei. Each pair is said to combine into a particular element. The pairing is geometric — the two branches in each couple sit symmetrically about the Zi–Chou axis, so their positions add to a constant.

Six Harmony is the closest bond in the branch tables and the one most often described in terms of attraction and mutual benefit rather than mere cooperation. It carries the highest positive weight in most scoring systems. It is also the relationship that generates the six harms: A harms B when B has combined with the branch that clashes A, which is why the harm table looks arbitrary until the harmony table is drawn next to it.

Each sign profile names its Six Harmony partner, and the pair pages explain what the combination is traditionally read as producing.

• Score any two signs
• A Six Harmony pair: Goat and Horse