Earthly Branch Relationships: Twelve Core Interaction Rules

The engine on this site recognizes twelve kinds of earthly branch relations: three combinations, half combinations of three combinations, six combinations, hidden combinations, three meetings, six clashes, three punishments, self-punishments, six harms, six destructions, arched combinations, and arched meetings.

本站引擎认定的十二种地支关系

The twelve relations are not treated as a single undifferentiated category. The engine distinguishes them by the number of branches required, by whether they mark transformation of qi, and by the positional rules used to identify them. The twelve are: 三合，三合半合，六合，暗合，三会，六冲，三刑，自刑，六害，六破，拱合, and 拱会.

Among these, the relations involving two branches are 六合，暗合，六冲，六害，六破，自刑, and the half combination of a three combination. The relations involving three branches are 三合，三会, and 三刑. This division is structural rather than interpretive: a two-branch relation can be read wherever the relevant pair appears, while a three-branch relation requires the three named branches to be present.

两支的关系与三支的关系

The engine lists the standard pairings for the two-branch relations. For 六合, the six groups are 子丑，寅亥，卯戌，辰酉，巳申, and 午未. For 六冲, the six groups are 子午，丑未，寅申，卯酉，辰戌, and 巳亥. These two sets are fixed and do not depend on the month command.

For the three-branch relations, the engine records four 三合局 and four 三会方. The 三合局 are 申子辰合水，亥卯未合木，寅午戌合火, and 巳酉丑合金. The 三会方 are 寅卯辰会木，巳午未会火，申酉戌会金, and 亥子丑会水. The engine treats these as distinct formations even when their element labels overlap with other relations.

合化的条件各不相同

Not all combinations are treated as transforming qi. For 三合 and 六合, the engine checks whether the month command is consistent with the element that would be produced by transformation. If the month command does not match that element, the combination is still listed as a relation, but it is not marked as a transformation of qi. The condition is therefore specific: transformation requires agreement between the month command and the resultant element.

This condition applies to 三合 and 六合. It does not apply to 三会. The engine treats 三会 as always transforming qi regardless of the month command. In other words, for 三会, the meeting itself is sufficient for the transformation label; the month command is not used as a gate. The contrast is built into the engine’s output: a 三合 or 六合 may or may not be labeled as 合化, while a 三会 is consistently treated as 化气.

三会不论月令

Because 三会 does not consult the month command, its treatment is simpler than that of 三合. The engine does not condition the 三会 label on the season or on the strength of the element. Where the three branches of a 三会方 are present, the engine records the meeting and treats it as a transformation of qi.

This means that two different combinations can receive different treatment on the same chart. A 三合 may appear without a transformation label if the month command does not support its element, while a 三会 appearing on the same chart is still marked as transforming. The engine does not attempt to reconcile the two by suppressing one or by adjusting the transformation status of the other.

拱合与拱会为什么不标合化

The engine recognizes two additional positional formations: 拱合 and 拱会. These are not treated as full combinations, and they are never marked as 合化.

拱合 refers to a pair formed by the first and last branches of a 三合局 appearing in adjacent pillars, with the middle branch, the flourishing branch, absent. The four groups are 申辰拱子，亥未拱卯，寅戌拱午, and 巳丑拱酉. 拱会 refers to the first and last branches of a 三会方 appearing in adjacent pillars, with the middle branch absent. The four groups are 寅辰拱卯，巳未拱午，申戌拱酉, and 亥丑拱子.

Both 拱合 and 拱会 are identified only between adjacent pillars. If the relevant branches appear in non-adjacent positions, the engine does not record the formation. Even when the formation is recorded, the engine does not attach a transformation label. The absence of the middle branch prevents the engine from treating the pair as a completed combination.

一张盘上可以同时出现好几种

The engine does not choose one relation over another when several are present. A chart may show a combination and a meeting at the same time. It may also show a clash and a harm at the same time. The engine lists each relation separately according to its own rules.

This means that relations can overlap without canceling one another. For example, the same branch may participate in a 六合 and also in a 六冲 with a different branch, and the engine will list both if the pairings are present. Similarly, a chart may contain a 三合局 and a 三会方 simultaneously. The engine does not apply a hierarchy to select the stronger or more complete formation. It enumerates what appears.

The same applies to adverse relations. A 六冲 and a 六害 can coexist on one chart, and the engine will output both. The presence of one does not suppress the other. The purpose of the engine’s listing is to show which fixed relations are present under the stated rules, not to decide which relation dominates or how the chart should be evaluated as a whole.

The engine’s treatment of 拱合 and 拱会 follows the same enumerative approach. These formations can appear alongside full combinations, clashes, harms, or other relations. The engine does not remove a 拱合 because a full 三合 is also present elsewhere, nor does it upgrade a 拱合 to a 三合. Each relation is recognized according to its own definition and positional conditions.

In sum, the engine’s twelve earthly branch relations are applied as fixed structural rules. Two-branch relations require the named pair; three-branch relations require the three named branches. 三合 and 六合 transformation depends on the month command, while 三会 transformation does not. 拱合 and 拱会 are adjacent-pillar formations without transformation labels. Multiple relations can appear on one chart, and the engine lists them without selection or suppression.