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Earthly Branches

There are twelve Earthly Branches (represented by the acronyms "E" or "EB") used in the construction of the Four Pillars of Ba Zi (四柱八字). For example, both the acronyms "EB1" and "E1" represent the first Earthly Branch, namely "Rat" (Yang Water), as shown in the tables below.

Notes:

1. The Chinese terms used for the animal mnemonics are not words used for the animals themselves. For example, the Chinese word for "Rat" is "鼠" and not "子". Similarly, the word for "Horse" is "马" and never "午", as shown in the table above. The animal signs are therefore used purely as a memory aid, and carry no inherent meaning. In other words, the physical or mental characteristics of a person cannot be inferred from the animal sign under which he/she is born. For example, it cannot be inferred that a person born under the "Ox" sign is strong, or that a person born under the "Tiger" sign is ferocious. Such facile inferences are invalid.
2. In translating the Earthly Branch from Chinese to English, only one word is used, although the Chinese terms could be translated into English in more than one way. For example, the Chinese term for "Goat" could equally mean "ram" or "sheep" in English, the term for "Rat" could also be translated as "mouse", and the word for "Metal" is sometimes translated as "Gold", as the same Chinese character is used for both. In addition, the term "Five Elements" could be translated literally, and perhaps more accurately, as "Five Movements".

Earthly Branch Interactions (Combinations and Clashes)

In the table below, combinations and clashes refer to the type of interactions between two or more of the four Earthly Branches (the hour, day, month and year earthly branches) found in a person's Ba Zi chart.

Combinations refer to auspicious interactions, and clashes are inauspicious interactions. For example, in Row 1, combination(E3,E4,E5) means that if the branches E3, E4 and E5 are found in a person's Ba Zi chart, it is an auspicious sign. On the other hand, clash(E1,E7) in Row 7 means that if the branches E1 and E7 are found in a Ba Zi chart, it is an indication of an inauspicious chart.

Combinations may result in a new element being formed in a chart. For example, combination(E12,E4,E8) in Row2 will result in the formation of the new element "Wood", as indicated in the table below.

Hierarchy of Earthly Branch Interactions

The following is the hierarchy of Earthly Branch interactions, ranked in descending order of importance. For example, "Seasonal Combination" is more important, and will override "Three Combinations", which in turn will override "Three Persecuting Clashes".

1. Seasonal Combination
2. Three Combinations
3. Three Persecuting Clashes
4. Six Clashes
5. Half Combination
6. Self Persecuting Clash
7. Six Combinations
8. Conflicted Clashes
9. Related Clashes

Prerequisites For Interactions To Be Successful

The prerequisites for interactions to be successful are:

1. Three Combinations: For a front-half or rear-half combination to be successful, the resultant element (Water, Earth, Fire, Wood, or Metal) must be present in any one or more of the Heavenly Stems of the Ba Zi chart. For example, a half-combination of E1 (Yang Water) and E9 (Yang Metal) will result in the Water element. If the Water element is found in any of the four Heavenly Stems, then this half-combination will be effective (the branches E1 and E9 need not be next (adjacent) to each other in the Ba Zi chart for the combination to be successful). Conversely, a combination of E1 and E9 will not be successful if the element Water is not found in any of the four Heavenly Stems of a person's Ba Zi chart.
2. Six Clashes: For a "Six Clash" to be effective, the pair of contributing branches must be next (adjacent) to each other in a Ba Zi chart. For example, the clash of E7 and E1 will be effective if E7 is on the Hour Earth Branch and E1 is on the Day Earth Branch. On the other hand, the clash of E7 and E1 will not be effective if E7 is on the Hour Earth Branch and E1 is on the Month or Year Earth Branch.
3. Six Combinations: For a "Six Combination" to be effective, the pair of contributing branches must be next (adjacent) to each other in a Ba Zi chart. For example, the combination of E2 and E1 will be effective if E2 is on the Hour Earth Branch and E1 is on the Day Earth Branch. On the other hand, the combination of E2 and E1 will not be effective if E2 is on the Hour Earth Branch and E1 is on the Month or Year Earth Branch.
4. Seasonal Combinations: For a "Seasonal Combination" to be effective, the three contributing branches need not be next (adjacent) to each other in a Ba Zi chart.

Hidden Heavenly Stems in Earthly Branches

For every Earthly Branch, one or more Hidden Heavenly Stems may be found. In the evaluation of a Ba Zi chart, both the Earthly Branches and Hidden Heavenly Stems are taken into account.

The "+" sign in the table below represents "Yang", and the "-" sign represents "Yin". For example, "+Wood" denotes "Yang Wood", and "-Water" denotes "Yin Water".

References

1. http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/gem-projects/hm/0203-1-44-heavenly_secrets/heavenly_secrets.pdf