In Bazi astrology, "Chong, He, Xing, Hai" refer to four main types of interactive relationships between Earthly Branches, or between Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. These interactions profoundly influence the stability, auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of a Bazi chart, the development of events, and interpersonal relationships. Understanding these relationships and their impacts is central to Bazi analysis.
I. Chong (Clash, Opposition)
Meaning
"Chong" signifies a fierce, confrontational relationship between Earthly Branches, characterized by opposing directions, conflicting Five Elements, or contradictory attributes. There are six pairs of Chong, known as the "Six Clashes of Earthly Branches":
- Zi-Wu Chong (子午冲): Water vs. Fire, North vs. South.
- Mao-You Chong (卯酉冲): Wood vs. Metal, East vs. West.
- Yin-Shen Chong (寅申冲): Wood vs. Metal, Northeast vs. Southwest.
- Si-Hai Chong (巳亥冲): Fire vs. Water, Southeast vs. Northwest.
- Chen-Xu Chong (辰戌冲): Earth vs. Earth, opposing vaults/graves.
- Chou-Wei Chong (丑未冲): Earth vs. Earth, opposing vaults/graves. Chong represents strong change, implying impact, separation, destruction, opposition, and instability.
Impacts
- Change and Instability: Leads to drastic changes in affairs, relationships, or environment. Chong in the Year Pillar indicates changes related to ancestors or early life; in the Month Pillar, parents, siblings, or career; in the Day Pillar, marriage, spouse, or one's own body; in the Hour Pillar, children, later life, or investments.
- Conflict and Contradiction: Easily triggers disputes, confrontations in interpersonal relationships, or internal conflicts.
- Separation and Destruction: In severe cases, can lead to separation from family members, marital breakdown, career disruption, or health damage.
- Opening Vaults and Activation: When the four vaults (Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei) clash, if the vault of a favorable god (喜用神 - Xiyong Shen) is opened, it might instead bring wealth, power, or the release of talent. For example, a wealth vault being clashed, with wealth stars appearing in the stems, could indicate financial gain.
- Illness and Calamity: If Chong affects a favorable god or a crucial palace in the chart, it can easily lead to illness, accidents, or legal troubles.
- Dialectical Auspiciousness/Inauspiciousness: Not all Chong are inauspicious. If a Chong removes an unfavorable god (忌神 - Ji Shen), it is considered auspicious, signifying new beginnings and obstacle removal. If it agitates a favorable god, it is inauspicious, representing instability and loss.
II. He (Combination, Transformation)
Meaning
"He" signifies relationships of attraction, aggregation, and closeness between Earthly Branches or Heavenly Stems. It represents cooperation, stability, integration, entanglement, or the formation of new Five Element energies.
- Six Combinations of Earthly Branches (地支六合): Six pairs of Earthly Branches that attract each other and have a tendency to combine: Zi-Chou combines into Earth, Yin-Hai combines into Wood, Mao-Xu combines into Fire, Chen-You combines into Metal, Si-Shen combines into Water, Wu-Wei combines into Earth.
- Three Harmony Combinations of Earthly Branches (地支三合局): Formed by three Earthly Branches, these partial or full combinations are powerful and can transform their original Five Element attributes into a new one:
- Shen-Zi-Chen combines into a Water Bureau
- Yin-Wu-Xu combines into a Fire Bureau
- Hai-Mao-Wei combines into a Wood Bureau
- Si-You-Chou combines into a Metal Bureau
- Five Combinations of Heavenly Stems (天干五合): Five pairs of Heavenly Stems attract each other and have the potential to combine into new Five Elements: Jia-Ji combines into Earth, Yi-Geng combines into Metal, Bing-Xin combines into Water, Ding-Ren combines into Wood, Wu-Gui combines into Fire.
Impacts
- Cooperation and Cohesion: Leads to harmonious interpersonal relationships and smooth cooperation. He in the Year Pillar signifies assistance from elders in youth; in the Month Pillar, career cooperation and strong sibling bonds; in the Day Pillar, marital affection and family harmony; in the Hour Pillar, filial children and stable old age.
- Stability and Development: He enhances the strength of related Five Elements, stabilizing matters and favoring career development or relationship nurturing.
- Entanglement and Restraint: Too many He, or if He involves a favorable god, can paradoxically create restraint and entanglement, causing a person to lose independence or struggle to escape difficulties. For example, a wealth star being combined might indicate money being tied up or used by others.
- Success of Transformation: Whether a He successfully transforms into a new Five Element depends on the presence of a guiding Heavenly Stem for the transformed element and the strength of that transformed element. Successful transformation brings immense power; otherwise, it's merely a combination without transformation, implying only entanglement.
- Dialectical Auspiciousness/Inauspiciousness: Combining away an unfavorable god is auspicious, combining in a favorable god is also auspicious. However, if a favorable god is restrained by a combination and cannot exert its influence, or if an unfavorable god's power is strengthened by a combination, it is inauspicious.
III. Xing (Punishment, Harm)
Meaning
"Xing" signifies relationships between Earthly Branches involving mutual harm, internal contradiction, disrespect, oppression, or punishment. It implies internal conflicts, disputes, legal troubles, illness, or mental and physical exhaustion. Xing is more complex than Chong, tending towards deeper, intrinsic negative impacts.
- Ungrateful Punishment (寅巳申 - Yin-Si-Shen): Ingratitude, betrayal, health issues.
- Arrogant Punishment (丑戌未 - Chou-Xu-Wei): Bullying, arrogance due to talent, disputes arising from power or status.
- Disrespectful Punishment (子卯 - Zi-Mao): Violation of ethics, discord, emotional disputes, illness.
- Self-Punishment (辰辰, 午午, 酉酉, 亥亥 - Chen-Chen, Wu-Wu, You-You, Hai-Hai): Self-inflicted troubles, internal consumption, self-torment, stubbornness, psychological issues.
Impacts
- Disputes and Legal Troubles: Easily triggers interpersonal conflicts, lawsuits, legal cases, and imprisonment.
- Illness and Calamity: Xing is often associated with physical injury, pain, and accidents. Self-Punishment, in particular, often indicates mental exhaustion, emotional problems, or chronic diseases.
- Contradictions and Conflicts: The individual experiences deep internal contradictions, or tense relationships with close ones.
- Grudges and Betrayal: The Ungrateful Punishment specifically points to turning against each other and ingratitude in interpersonal relationships.
- Setbacks and Tribulations: Xing sometimes also represents a form of tempering, where growth and maturity are achieved through suffering and setbacks. However, this process often comes at a high cost.
- Dialectical Auspiciousness/Inauspiciousness: If Xing affects an unfavorable god in the chart, or removes something disadvantageous, it might lead to improvement. However, generally, Xing tends to have negative connotations.
IV. Hai (Harm, Detriment)
Meaning
"Hai" signifies relationships between Earthly Branches involving mutual obstruction, destruction, covert harm, and estrangement. It is less severe than Xing but more insidious, like a hidden arrow, leading to disharmonious interpersonal relationships or plans going awry. There are six pairs of Hai, known as the "Six Harms of Earthly Branches":
- Zi-Wei Hai (子未害): Covert obstruction, discord, mental pressure.
- Chou-Wu Hai (丑午害): Emotional entanglement, disputes, health issues.
- Yin-Si Hai (寅巳害): Physical injury, verbal disputes, petty people (villains).
- Mao-Chen Hai (卯辰害): Low spirits, poor health, damaged reputation.
- Shen-Hai Hai (申亥害): Loneliness, health problems, accidents, hidden injuries.
- You-Xu Hai (酉戌害): Unfavorable emotions, verbal disputes, gossip, illness.
Impacts
- Petty People and Disputes: Easily attracts petty individuals, leading to backbiting, slander, and defamation.
- Estrangement and Discord: Interpersonal relationships are difficult to deepen, creating distance or misunderstanding with others. Family relationships can also be damaged.
- Illness and Hidden Injuries: Hai is often associated with hidden diseases, subtle injuries, or chronic illnesses.
- Destruction and Obstruction: Plans or matters are secretly sabotaged, progress is hindered, and efforts easily come to naught.
- Unfavorable Circumstances and Distress: Career, relationships, and finances may encounter difficulties, often leading to mental distress.
- Dialectical Auspiciousness/Inauspiciousness: The impact of Hai is relatively smaller, but its insidious nature makes it hard to guard against. If Hai removes an unfavorable god in the chart, it can sometimes be seen as an improvement, though the process may still be difficult.
Comprehensive Judgment Principles
In Bazi analysis, Chong, He, Xing, and Hai do not exist in isolation; they interact with each other, collectively forming the dynamic balance of the chart. When judging their specific impacts, a comprehensive consideration is required:
- Five Element Generation, Control, and Transformation (五行生克制化): These interactive relationships alter the balance of Five Element energies, affecting the outcomes of generation, control, and transformation.
- Favorable and Unfavorable Gods (喜忌用神): When Chong, He, Xing, or Hai interact with the favorable gods (elements beneficial to the native) or unfavorable gods (elements detrimental to the native) in the chart, their auspicious or inauspicious impacts differ significantly.
- Strength and Weakness (旺衰强弱): The inherent strength or weakness of the Earthly Branches or Heavenly Stems involved in Chong, He, Xing, or Hai determines the magnitude of their influence.
- Palace and Ten Gods (宫位与十神): The pillar in which the interaction occurs (Year, Month, Day, Hour) and the specific Ten Gods (Wealth, Officer, Resource, Companion, Output) involved determine the specific area of impact (e.g., career, marriage, finance, health, children).
- Luck Cycles and Annual Flow (大运流年): The intervention of Major Luck Cycles (大运 - Dayun) and Annual Flow (流年 - Liunian) can activate or intensify the Chong, He, Xing, and Hai relationships in the chart, leading to specific events.
In conclusion, Chong, He, Xing, and Hai are crucial tools in Bazi analysis for understanding dynamic changes and intrinsic connections. They reveal the potential changes, collaborations, conflicts, and difficulties a person may encounter throughout life. However, the ultimate judgment of auspiciousness or inauspiciousness still requires a comprehensive and dialectical assessment, combining the overall Five Element circulation, balance, and the roles of favorable and unfavorable gods within the entire Bazi chart.