The earthly branches consist of twelve characters
The twelve earthly branches (十二支) are 子 丑 寅 卯 辰 巳 午 未 申 酉 戌 亥. The commonly known zodiac signs are associated with each of these twelve characters.
- Six-Harmony
- Clash
- Discord
In saju, each of the four pillars has one earthly branch. Inyeon-Link uses the day branch (the spouse palace) and the year branch (the zodiac animal) among them. Both positions are assessed using the relationship table below.
Entire Relationship Table
| Relationship | Corresponding Pair | Meaning | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combination (三合) | 申子辰 · 巳酉丑 · 寅午戌 · 亥卯未 | When all three characters gather, they form a complete elemental formation — a guk (局). This is considered the strongest combination. | 95 |
| Six-Harmony (六合) | 子丑 · 寅亥 · 卯戌 · 辰酉 · 巳申 · 午未 | Pairs that attract each other. This is the most common combination in compatibility as it consists of only two characters. | 90 |
| Half triad (半合) | Two characters that include a royal branch (王地) from the triad (子·酉·午·卯) | A half combination that includes the character at the center of the formation. It cannot form a complete combination with just two characters, making it lower than a full triad. | 88 |
| Same earthly branch | 子子 · 丑丑 … | Characters that are the same. This means they resemble each other, but it does not imply attraction, so it is placed in the middle. | 72 |
| Neutral | Pairs that do not belong anywhere above or below | A combination with no special relationship. This is the reference point. | 68 |
| Quiet discord (怨嗔) | 子未 · 丑午 · 寅酉 · 卯申 · 辰亥 · 巳戌 | Pairs that cannot separate despite harboring resentment. They appear quiet on the surface but are considered to last long. | 52 |
| Clash (沖) | 子午 · 丑未 · 寅申 · 卯酉 · 辰戌 · 巳亥 | Pairs that clash head-on. These are six pairs facing each other. | 45 |
Full triads do not appear in this service
A full triad requires three characters to form. However, compatibility is structured by matching the earthly branches of two people one by one, resulting in only two characters. Therefore, what appears here is always a half triad, and the full triad 95 points are reserved for when examining the formations within each saju.
The reason for separating quiet discord
The six pairs of quiet discord are seen as frequently in compatibility as clashes. If we count combinations as pairs and clashes, these six pairs would all be buried under neutral 68 points, so they are placed separately.
While clashes are overt and striking, quiet discord is subtly misaligned. Therefore, it is placed at a score of 52, which is higher than clashes (45) but definitely lower than neutral (68).
Scores are also assigned to clashes
The lowest clash score is 45. The intention is not to assign a value close to 0. In the tradition a clash is not an 'end' but a 'collision', and assigning a low score would imply the service is making a definitive statement about the relationship.
With a minimum of 45 and a maximum of 95, the range is clear, but it does not make a definitive conclusion.