Fundamentals Bazi Lesson

1. Combinations Codes

Combinations are the relationships between two Earthly Branches. It is very important, when analyzing a Bazi Chart to consider these combinations because they indicate compatibility between two Heavenly Stems or two Earthly Branches. There are two levels of combinations: Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches. The Earthly Branches Combination refers to the union or affiliation between two of the Earthly Branches. This type of a combination has a stronger effect than a Heavenly Stems combination. Earthly Branches combination are derived from astrological phenomenon that indicates a strong union, link, bond, or connection between objects or relationships represented by the elements involved. The following are the three types of Earthly Branches combinations:

The Three Harmony Combination is derived from the Water, Fire, Metal, and Wood Elements. What they do is empower one of the Five Elements in the chart and enable it to become the dominant Element in the Bazi chart. These combinations indicates a powerful network or special relationships. When such a combination exist in a chart in the correct sequence, and it is favorable to the Day Master, the person is said to have a special connection or link to high status individuals. However, if the combination is not favorable with the chart itself, it can mean the opposite.   For example, if a Water Structure combination (Monkey, Rat, and Dragon) is found in a Bazi chart with a Fire Day Master, you can clearly see that the combination does not do this chart any good since Water is a negative element for a Fire Day Master.  If the Metal combination is found in this chart, however, it will be fantastic since Metal is the wealth element of a Fire Day Master.

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Three Harmony Combinations
Water Structure	Shen Monkey	Zi Rat	Chen Dragon
Wood Structure	Hai Pig	Mao Rabbit	Wei Goat
Fire Structure	Yin Tiger	Wu Horse	Xu Dog
Metal Structure	Si Snake	You Rooster	Chou Ox

The Directional Combination is present when all the Earthly Branches from a season are present in a Bazi chart.  These types of combinations produces one strong and dominant element in the chart. Similar to the Three Harmony combination, having this type of combination in a chart can be favorable or unfavorable.

Directional Combinations
Spring	Yin Tiger (February)	Mao Rabbit (March)	Chen Dragon (April)
Summer	Si Snake (May)	Wu Horse (June)	Wei Goat (July)
Autumn	Shen Monkey (August)	You Rooster (September)	Xu Dog (October)
Winter	Hai Pig (November)	Zi Rat (December)	Chou Ox (January)

Finally, the Six Harmony Combinations, also known as the Internal Combination, materializes during certain Luck Pillars (a 10-year cycle) or during a particular year (Annual Pillars). This types of combinations, when combined, transforms into another element, which may enhance or weaken a chart.

Six Harmony Combinations
Zi Rat	Chou OX	= Earth
Yin Tiger	Hai Pig	= Wood
Mao Rabbit	Xu Dog	= Fire
Chen Dragon	You Rooster	= Metal
Si Snake	Shen  Monkey	= Water
Wei Goat	Wu Horse	= Fire

The Heavenly Stems Combinations represent relationships, meetings, and partnerships. These types of combinations represent only the prevailing Qi and are usually not long lasting. Heavenly Stems combinations are also superficial in nature and therefore weak, unless they are rooted.

Heavenly Steams Combinations
Jia (Yang Wood)	Ji (Yang Earth)	= Earth	Merciful and Nice
Yi (Yin Wood)	Geng (Yang Metal)	= Metal	Loyalty and Altruism
Bing (Yang Fire)	Xin (Yin Metal)	= Water	Lusty and Sensual
Ding (Yin Fire)	Ren (Yang Water)	= Wood	Loyal
Wu (Yang Earth)	Gui (Yin Water)	= Fire	Non-merciful

2. Destruction Codes

Destruction relationship indicates the presence of behavior or relationships that are damaging in nature to the person. For instance, a person may drink and become an alcoholic. A Destruction relationship appearing in a Bazi chart also indicates the likelihood of a person feeling cornered or pressured. For instance, a person may be forced to do something he/she do not want to do but have no choice in the matter, e.g., firing a good friend because your boss ordered you to. This type of Destruction relationship can also result in a person finding themselves in tight situations in which they are ill-equipped to deal with but have no choice but to face up to.

Rat	Destroy	Rooster
Monkey	Destroy	Snake
Dragon	Destroy	Chou
Horse	Destroy	Rabbit
Tiger	Destroy	Pig
Dog	Destroy	Goat

The Earthly Branches that have a Destruction relationship with each other MUST be next to each other in the Bazi chart in order to be considered a Destruction. If it skips a pillar, it is not considered a Destruction. Where is a Destruction relationship between the Month (Parents) Earthly Branch of the person's Bazi and the Luck Pillar between the ages of 26-35. It is clear that the Destruction is related to this person's parents. This Destruction will likely to occur during this person's childhood period because the Earthly Branch with a Destruction relationship appeared in the Month pillar. 

Note: When a Destruction relationship appear in the Month or Year pillar, the event will occur during the person's childhood. If it appear between the Month and Day, the problem will occur during the person's youth or middle age. If the Destruction relationship appear between the Day and Hour Earthly Branches, the problem will occur during the person's old age. Each type of Destruction relationship carries a unique meaning or implication and usually results in a very specific kind of situation or scenario. See table below for a more detailed information:

Destruction Relationship
Rat vs. Rooster	This Destruction relationship relates to alcohol or alcohol abuse. People with this type of Destruction in their chart are not able to face up to their problems so they tend to abuse alcohol.
Dragon vs. OX	This Destruction relationship involves a person turning their back on their past, their family, or their principles. People with Destruction relationship in their chart may be embarrassed with their family background. This Destruction appearing in your chart can also indicate bad experiences with friends or a violation of trust between friends.
Monkey vs. Snake	This combination is what is referred to as "Combination-Destructions." It involves situations or scenarios or relationships where things can go from good to bad, or bad to good. A good example is a business partnership that started out great but later turned ugly--maybe with the other person cheating him out of his money.
Tiger vs. Pig	This combination is another "Combination-Destruction" relationship. Depending on which pillar, it may bring about feelings of animosity between two people, e.g., father and son, daughter and mother, husband and wife, etc.
Horse vs. Rabbit	This combination is what is referred to as "Clash and Destruction." This can occur when all the Peach Blossom Stars (Rat, Rooster, Rabbit, and Horse) are present in a chart.This combination will bring about sexual assault or problems caused by sex. Note: If these Peach Blossom Stars appeared in your chart in different order, the impact is different

3. Punishments Codes

A pair of Earthly Branches indicating Punishment is something you don't want to see in your chart. Essentially, a Punishment relationship is something that people refer to as "Karma." In other words, it is something that is coming back to haunt us.  The effects are psychological in nature is how you feel about something or someone. People with Punishment in their Bazi chart are usually not happy people and complains about everything and are never satisfied.Punishments have different intensity level: Full Punishment involves three Branches together in a chart, and Minor Punishment which involves two of the three Branches in a chart. Additionally, the impact depends on whether the Punishment is Internal  or External.  Internal Ungrateful Punishment involves the person's perception and way of thinking. External Ungrateful Punishment refers to something done to you, by someone else, which results in you getting into trouble. Finally, the seriousness of the Punishment will greatly depend on whether your favorable or unfavorable elements are involved. If the Punishment involves your favorable elements, the problems are usually tolerable and not too harmful. If the Punishment, however, involves your unfavorable elements, the problem will be more difficult to deal with. There are four basic types of Punishment relationships: Ungrateful, Bullying, Uncivilized, and Self Punishment.

Type of Punishment	Earthly  Branches	Effects
Ungrateful Punishment	Tiger +  Snake +  Monkey	Occurs when they appear side-by-side. If they are separated, they are referred to as "incomplete" and the effect is reduced. The effects of this type of Punishment is also greatly reduced if it appeared in the Luck Pillars. This type of Punishment involves a "lack of gratitude." It is a situation where you offer someone help, but end up getting into trouble for it.  A good example is a guy I used to know who worked hard in order to send his wife to the best Law school in the country and the wife, upon graduation, divorced him.Considering the situation, people with this type of Punishment in their chart may feel betrayed and usually do  not trust people around them. This type of Punishment, when present in a Bazi chart, will bring about long-term unhappiness, discontent, depression, and always thinking negative. This person will live life thinking everyone is out to get them. People with this type of Punishment may not get along well with their relatives, as well as their spouse. The best way to deal with this type of Punishment is for the person to realized what is happening and try to see the world and people around them in a better light. They should stop generalizing and understand that not everyone will do the same to them. Of course, it doesn't hurt to be careful and to think before you act.
Bullying Punishment	Goat + Dog + Ox	Occurs when the Earthly Branches below appear side-by-side, in any order in a chart. A person may also have this type of Punishment if it appears in their Luck Pillar. A Bullying Punishment refers to situations where a person gets into a situation due to their own carelessness.  Similar to the Ungrateful Punishment, this type of Punishment can manifest two ways: Internally (bullied by yourself) and Externally (bullied by someone else). Internal Bullying Punishment - refers to people who create problems for themselves, e.g., not being able to say "no" and creating more work for them at work. Another example is losing money because you didn't want to charge a friend too much etc. People with this type of Punishment should think twice before making a promise to anyone. External Bullying Punishment, on the other hand, refers to a situation where someone else is causing the problems for you, e.g., lawsuits. People with this type of Punishment may feel victimized and trapped.  In order to overcome this problem is to recognize the situation, maintain a positive attitude, and have confidence in oneself at all times
Uncivilized Punishment	Rat + Rabbit	Occurs only when the Earthly Branches above appear side-by-side. A person may also have this type of Punishment if it appears in their Luck Pillar. Uncivilized Punishment refers to a person who is disloyal or goes against something that they should be loyal or grateful to--usually sexual related problems. People with this type of Punishment are emotionally unstable and are not able to control their emotions or desires. In serious cases, this may involve rape, incest, or sexual abuse.
Self Punishment	Dragon+ Dragon Horse + Horse Rooster + Rooster Pig + Pig	ccurs only when a pair of the Earthly Branches above appear side-by-side. A person may also have this type of Punishment if it appears in their Luck Pillar and it may occur more than once in their lifetime. Self-Punishment is something people do to themselves, e.g., chain smoking, alcoholism, drug addiction, overeating, etc. This type of Punishment can easily be resolved with self-discipline, and again, awareness. The key to handling this type of Punishment is by knowing what the problem is and resolving it early.

4. Clash Codes

A clash in a Bazi chart involves an opposing relationship between the Branches, based on the elemental attributes. A clash brings about challenges and obstacles in one's life. Depending on the type of clash, a person can experience difficulties in relationships or even lose someone or something. Certain clashes, if present in a Bazi chart, can mean physical harm, e.g.,accidents or illness. The severity of a clash is determined by several factors:The Palace - a clash in one of the Palace indicate the severity of a clash. For instance, a clash that affects the Year Branch, manifests differently from a clash that impacts the Month, Day, and Hour Branches. Note that the Earthly Branches that have a clash relationship with each other,they must be next to each other in the Bazi chart. If the Branches skip a pillar, it is not considered a clash.For instance, in the chart below there is a clash between the Rat and the Horse.However, as the clash is separated, the impact is not severe and is usually tolerable. Should these clashes be right next to each other, they would be referred to as the Internal Clash.Finally, whenever the Rat or the Horse appears in the Luck Pillars, an External Clash will be present. 
Internal Clash- usually involve change or events forced by circumstances that are already prevailing. 
External Clash - occurs only during certain points in time in the person's life. These types of clashes are usually drastic or shocking change, that affects the person's health, relationships, wealth, or endeavors. External Clashes, however, are easier to deal with because you can see them coming and you can be proactive and avoid or prevent them from happening. Look at the following table:

Six Clashes

Rat	Vs	Horse
Ox	Vs	Goat
Tiger	Vs	Monkey
Rabbit	Vs	Rooster
Dragon	Vs	Dog
Snake	Vs	Pig

The information you see here only allows you to identify the clashes. In order to decode or understand what is going on in a Bazi chart, you must have a good understanding of the Five Elements and their interactions. It is very important to first determine which of the Five Factors (Influence, Wealth, Resource, Output, and Companion) are being affected and which Hidden Stem is involved, when trying to determine how severe a clash is.