Chinese zodiac compatibility calculator: trines, secret friends and clashes

How Chinese zodiac compatibility works

The Chinese zodiac assigns one of twelve animals to each year in a repeating cycle: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig. Compatibility comes from geometry on the wheel, not from the personalities of the animals. Animals four positions apart form a triangle and share a temperament. Animals six apart sit opposite and pull in different directions. Six specific pairs, not obviously related by position, are traditionally called secret friends and support each other quietly. And six other pairs are "harms," where the friction is subtler than a clash but real.

Behind the animals sit the twelve Earthly Branches of Chinese metaphysics, the same system that BaZi (Four Pillars) uses, so a Chinese zodiac compatibility calculator is a simplified BaZi comparison using only the year branch. That is why it is a first filter rather than a full reading: the BaZi calculator adds the month, day and hour, and the day pillar in particular says more about relationships than the year animal does. Western astrology does the same job with the whole birth chart; our birth chart compatibility calculator is the equivalent tool.

The four trines: natural allies

Each trine (San He, the "three harmonies") groups three animals that share a way of moving through life. Relationships within a trine tend to be easy, understanding and durable.

Rat, Dragon, Monkey. The doers: ambitious, quick, competitive, drawn to action and achievement. They understand each other's drive and forgive each other's restlessness.

Ox, Snake, Rooster. The thinkers: methodical, patient, precise, focused on planning and getting it right. They trust each other's judgement and share a distaste for chaos.

Tiger, Horse, Dog. The idealists: independent, loyal, freedom-loving, driven by principle and emotion. They give each other room and rally to each other's causes.

Rabbit, Goat, Pig. The peacemakers: gentle, artistic, diplomatic, oriented toward comfort, beauty and harmony. They create calm homes together and avoid unnecessary conflict.

The six secret friends

The secret friends (Liu He, the "six harmonies") are pairs that support each other reliably, often without much drama. Traditionally these are considered among the best pairings for marriage and business.

• Rat and Ox: the strategist and the builder.
• Tiger and Pig: the fighter and the diplomat, each softening the other.
• Rabbit and Dog: the sensitive and the loyal; a trusting, protective pair.
• Dragon and Rooster: the visionary and the perfectionist.
• Snake and Monkey: two clever minds that keep each other sharp.
• Horse and Goat: the adventurer and the artist, balancing motion and rest.

The six clashes

Clashes (Liu Chong) are animals directly opposite each other on the wheel. They are the pairings that need the most work: different priorities, different rhythms, and a tendency to compete or misread each other. They are not forbidden; many clash pairs are strong precisely because the two people are so different.

• Rat and Horse: caution versus impulse.
• Ox and Goat: structure versus flexibility.
• Tiger and Monkey: principle versus play.
• Rabbit and Rooster: tact versus bluntness.
• Dragon and Dog: ambition versus loyalty to the ordinary.
• Snake and Pig: privacy versus openness.

The six harms

Harm pairs (Liu Hai) are less dramatic than clashes but can be quietly draining: one person tends to feel undermined or underappreciated. Rat–Goat, Ox–Horse, Tiger–Snake, Rabbit–Dragon, Monkey–Pig and Rooster–Dog. In these pairings, explicit communication about needs does most of the work.

Elements: the second layer

Each year also carries one of the five elements in a two-year rotation (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water). Elements that generate each other (Wood feeds Fire, Fire makes Earth, Earth bears Metal, Metal carries Water, Water feeds Wood) add support; elements that control each other (Wood breaks Earth, Earth dams Water, Water quenches Fire, Fire melts Metal, Metal cuts Wood) add tension. A Fire Horse (2026, 1966) with a Wood Tiger (1974) has both a trine and a generating element: an easy pairing. The calculator shows both layers.

2026: the year of the Fire Horse

The Chinese year that began on February 17, 2026 is a Fire Horse year (Bing Wu in the stem-branch system), running until early February 2027. Horse years favour Tiger and Dog (the trine) and Goat (the secret friend), and challenge Rat (the clash) and Ox (the harm). If you were born in a Horse year (1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014), 2026 is your own year, which tradition treats as a year to be careful rather than lucky. Our Year of the Horse page covers the animal in depth, and the Chinese zodiac hub covers all twelve.

Dog compatibility

The Dog (1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018) is loyal, principled and anxious in roughly equal measure. Best matches are its trine partners Tiger and Horse, who share its idealism and give it causes, and its secret friend Rabbit, whose gentleness calms the Dog's worry. The clash is Dragon, whose ambition and self-belief the Dog finds arrogant; the harm is Rooster, whose critical precision wears the Dog down. Dog with Dog is loyal but can be two worriers feeding each other.

Horse compatibility

The Horse (1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026) is energetic, independent and allergic to being fenced in. Best matches are Tiger and Dog (the trine), who respect its freedom, and Goat (secret friend), who gives it somewhere soft to come home to. The clash is Rat, whose caution and strategy the Horse experiences as control; the harm is Ox, whose steadiness reads as slowness. Two Horses are fun and unstable.

Rabbit compatibility

The Rabbit (1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023) is sensitive, diplomatic and quietly determined. Best matches are Goat and Pig (the trine), who share its taste for peace and beauty, and Dog (secret friend), who protects it. The clash is Rooster, whose bluntness bruises; the harm is Dragon, whose intensity overwhelms. Rabbit with Rabbit is harmonious but can avoid necessary conflict.

1983 compatibility: the Water Pig

People born from February 13, 1983 to February 1, 1984 are Water Pigs (birthdays from January 1 to February 12, 1983 belong to the Water Dog of 1982). The Pig is generous, honest and pleasure-loving; the Water element makes this Pig especially intuitive and adaptable. Best matches are Rabbit and Goat (the trine) and Tiger (secret friend). The clash is Snake, whose secrecy the open Pig cannot read; the harm is Monkey, whose cleverness can exploit the Pig's trust. A 1983 Pig with a 1987 Fire Rabbit or a 1991 Metal Goat is a classic easy pairing.

From year animal to full chart

The year animal is a useful first read and a fun one, but it is one of eight characters in a full Chinese chart. Two people with clashing year animals can have perfectly harmonious day pillars, which in BaZi is the position that actually describes the self and the spouse. If you want the deeper version, run both birth dates through the BaZi calculator, and if you want the Western equivalent with Moon, Venus and Mars, use the compatibility hub. The AstraLink app includes a Chinese compatibility mode alongside Western synastry; early access gets you both when it opens.