What Is Six Clashes?

What is Six Clashes?

Six Clashes (liù chōng) refers to six pairs of opposing relationships among the twelve Earthly Branches: Zi-Wu clash, Chou-Wei clash, Yin-Shen clash, Mao-You clash, Chen-Xu clash, and Si-Hai clash. In each pair, the two branches are six positions apart on the Earthly Branch sequence (directly opposite), opposite in direction (Zi north versus Wu south, etc.), and mutually restrictive in terms of the Five Elements (Water clashes with Fire, Earth with Earth, Metal with Wood, Metal with Wood, Earth reservoir with Earth reservoir, Water with Fire). Six Clashes is the most intense form of interaction between Earthly Branches.

In life configuration theory, a clash symbolizes a head-on collision between two energies — not generation, not combination, not transformation, but impact. The result of that impact may be destruction, or it may be loosening — opening up a structure that was previously tightly bound. Whether a clash is auspicious or inauspicious depends not on the clash itself, but on the role played by the branch being struck: is it a Useful God or a harmful god? After the clash, is it activated or damaged?

How to find your Six Clashes

To check whether your own life configuration contains a clash, follow these steps:

List the four branches: year, month, day, hour.
Cross-reference the Six Clashes table: Zi-Wu / Chou-Wei / Yin-Shen / Mao-You / Chen-Xu / Si-Hai.
Identify original-configuration clashes: if any two of the four branches form a Six Clashes pair, the life configuration contains an "original-configuration clash."
Determine the role of the struck branch: is it a Useful God, a supporting god, or a harmful god?
Watch for clashes in Major Life Cycles and annual flows: if an annual-flow branch clashes with a branch in the life configuration, that year is an event year.

The unMing Four Pillars tool automatically marks all clash relationships in the chart after the configuration is generated.

Types and key features of Six Clashes

The six clash pairs carry different meanings based on their Five Elements nature and their position.

Zi-Wu clash — Water and Fire in conflict

Water and Fire are one yīn and one yáng, one north and one south, with energies that are extremely opposite. The Zi-Wu clash primarily indicates emotional volatility, heart and kidney function, and tension between the home and the outside world. When the day pillar is either Zi or Wu and also encounters a clash, the native's inner fluctuations and outer actions often fail to align.

Chou-Wei clash — Earth reservoir clashing

Chou is the Metal reservoir; Wei is the Wood reservoir. The special feature of the Chou-Wei clash is that the clash itself is Earth meeting Earth (yīn Earth with yīn Earth), but the real activation lies in the opening of the reservoirs each branch contains. The Chou-Wei clash activates both Metal energy and Wood energy — often indicating old matters resurfacing and deep memories emerging.

Yin-Shen clash — Wood and Metal in conflict

Yin is the growth stage of Wood; Shen is the growth stage of Metal. Two energies in their "nascent" phase clash — indicating travel, relocation, and matters involving vehicles and movement. Those with a Yin-Shen clash often show signs of "movement" — moving house, changing jobs, commuting between distant locations.

Mao-You clash — Wood and Metal in conflict (position-specific clash)

Mao is the peak stage of Wood; You is the peak stage of Metal — two energies at full strength clash head-on. This is more intense than the Yin-Shen clash, and primarily indicates decisive breaks and separations — marriage, partnerships, the dissolution or restructuring of important relationships.

Chen-Xu clash and Si-Hai clash — reservoir clash and growth-stage clash

The Chen-Xu clash is a head-on collision between the Water reservoir and the Fire reservoir, activating Water and Fire. The Si-Hai clash is a clash between the growth stage of Fire and the growth stage of Water, indicating oscillation between passion and rationality. Both can "open a sealed reservoir" or "activate the energy of a growth stage" — the outcome depends on whether what is activated is a supporting god or a harmful god.

How Six Clashes shapes personality, career, and relationships

The effects of a clash are distributed across the various layers and time points of the life configuration.

On the stability of the life configuration

For natives whose original configuration contains a clash, the underlying temperament often includes a restlessness that resists staying in place. In some, this manifests as a pioneering spirit; in others, as volatility and frequent change. The palace where the clash occurs (Spouse Palace, Parents Palace, etc.) is the area of life most prone to upheaval for that native.

On Major Life Cycles and annual flows

When the branch of a Major Life Cycle or annual flow clashes with a branch in the life configuration, that period is an event period. An annual flow clashing with the year branch (commonly called "one's zodiac year clash" in folk tradition) indicates external changes; an annual flow clashing with the month branch indicates career relocation; an annual flow clashing with the day branch indicates marital or family upheaval; an annual flow clashing with the hour branch indicates matters related to children or late-life arrangements.

On palaces and human affairs

The palace where a clash occurs corresponds to a specific domain of life: a clash in the year branch concerns elders and family matters; a clash in the month branch concerns changes in the work environment; a clash in the day branch concerns the spouse and marital changes; a clash in the hour branch concerns children and late-life planning.

On the dialectic of supporting and harmful gods

The most critical judgment regarding a clash is whether the struck branch is a supporting god or a harmful god. Breaking open a harmful god through a clash is a release — the native finds relief after a period of change. Breaking through a Useful God through a clash is a loss of foundation — the native loses a resource that sustained them amid the change. This is the most rigorous reading of "clash" in life configuration theory.

Classical sources: Six Clashes in the canon

Zi and Wu clash with each other; Chou and Wei clash with each other; Yin and Shen clash with each other; Mao and You clash with each other; Chen and Xu clash with each other; Si and Hai clash with each other.
子午相冲，丑未相冲，寅申相冲，卯酉相冲，辰戌相冲，巳亥相冲。
— Traditional Earthly Branch clash method (see Yuan Hai Zi Ping, "On Earthly Branch Clashes")

This formula for Six Clashes runs through all Zi Ping methods. Since Yuan Hai Zi Ping, the specific combinations of Six Clashes have never changed — they are directly determined by the directional and Five Elements positions of the twelve Earthly Branches, not by arbitrary pairing.

The use of a clash has both favorable and unfavorable aspects — clashing away a harmful god is auspicious; clashing away a supporting god is inauspicious.
冲之用，有宜有忌——冲去忌神则吉，冲去喜神则凶。
— General principle of clash usage in Zi Ping method (see San Ming Tong Hui, "On Clashes")

This statement points to the core principle of reading a clash: the clash itself is neutral — what determines good or ill is the role played by the branch being struck. In life configuration theory, "clash" has never been merely a label of "inauspiciousness"; it is a tool that requires careful examination of its target.

Common misconceptions about Six Clashes

A common error: treating all "clashes" as necessarily inauspicious. In fact: a clash is merely an intense collision of energies — whether it is auspicious or inauspicious depends on whether the struck branch is a Useful God or a harmful god in the life configuration. Clashing away something that obstructs the native is a good thing; clashing away a resource the native relies on is truly inauspicious.

A common error: looking only at the year branch (the zodiac animal) for clashes — the most widespread folk practice of "zodiac incompatibility." In fact: a year-branch clash is only one possible clash among the eight branches in the full life configuration. A day-branch clash has a more direct effect (the Spouse Palace), and a month-branch clash concerns the energy field of one's career — both are more substantive than a simple zodiac clash. Using "zodiac incompatibility" as the sole basis for judging compatibility is a severe oversimplification.

A common error: seeing a clash in the life configuration and concluding that the native has a "bad fate." In fact: a clash is a dynamic — having a clash can actually make the life configuration easier to activate and more prone to change, which is not necessarily inauspicious. What is truly difficult to "break through" is a configuration that is completely static, with neither clashes nor combinations — energy has no outlet, and life lacks pivotal events. A clash is both an opportunity and a risk — it depends on whether the native can harness it.

Frequently asked questions

What are the six pairs of Six Clashes?

There are six pairs: Zi-Wu, Chou-Wei, Yin-Shen, Mao-You, Chen-Xu, and Si-Hai. In each pair, the two branches are directly opposite each other on the Earthly Branch sequence (six positions apart), mutually restrictive in the Five Elements, and opposite in direction.

Is a clash always bad?

Not necessarily. The essence of a clash is a violent collision between two energies — breaking open a harmful god is beneficial; breaking through a Useful God is harmful. If the struck branch is a Useful God or supporting god in the life configuration, the clash inevitably damages the foundation. If the struck branch is where a harmful god resides, the clash instead clears the path for the life configuration.

Why is a clash between the year branch and the day branch called "Spouse Palace agitation"?

The day branch is the Spouse Palace, which carries information about the spouse. When the year branch, a Major Life Cycle, or an annual flow clashes with the day branch, it often corresponds to the marriage palace being "shaken" — manifesting as events related to the spouse's health, changes in feelings, marriage, or separation. In such cases, the state of the Spouse Star must be assessed together for a comprehensive judgment.

How is a clash among the four reservoirs — Chen, Xu, Chou, Wei — different from other clashes?

Chen, Xu, Chou, and Wei are the "four reservoirs" — each serves as the tomb and repository for a particular element. When these four reservoirs clash (Chen-Xu, Chou-Wei), beyond the Wood, Earth, Water, and Fire energies of the clash itself, the clash also "opens the sealed reservoir" — activating the Five Elements originally stored within. If what is stored in the reservoir is a Useful God, opening it is beneficial; if it is a harmful god, opening it is harmful. Judging a four-reservoir clash is more complex than judging ordinary clashes.

If a life configuration already contains a clash, will a Major Life Cycle bringing another clash make it worse?

Yes. A clash already present in the original configuration is an unstable structure — when a Major Life Cycle or annual flow brings another clash in the same direction, it "triggers the old clash," and related events tend to concentrate in that period. Conversely, if a Major Life Cycle can "resolve the clash" (for example, by introducing a branch that combines with or generates the struck branch, neutralizing the original clash), the hidden danger in the life configuration may instead be alleviated during that period.

See your Six Clashes in unMing

The unMing Four Pillars tool automatically identifies all Six Clashes relationships in your life configuration after generating the chart, and annotates each with its Five Elements and palace location. A useful starting point for observation: check whether your life configuration contains a clash involving the day branch — that is the Spouse Palace, the branch where the self resides. If there is a clash, marriage or core interpersonal relationships are often a key theme in your life. If there is no clash, the relationship between the day branch and the overall configuration tends to reflect the stability of the life configuration.