Half-frames and Three Meetings: don’t mix them with San He
A half-frame is a Three Harmony missing one branch — weaker than a full frame. Three Meetings gather a whole season’s three branches (one direction of qi), a different route from birth–peak–tomb. This site records both as structure and does not auto-rewrite elements.
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At a glance
| Name | Typical sets | Vs. San He |
|---|---|---|
| Half-frame | e.g. Shen–Zi, Zi–Chen, Hai–Mao, Yin–Wu | San He minus one; better with the peak (Zi/Mao/Wu/You) |
| Three Meetings | Yin–Mao–Chen Wood, Si–Wu–Wei Fire, Shen–You–Xu Metal, Hai–Zi–Chou Water | Seasonal gathering, not birth–peak–tomb |
| Full San He | Four complete frames | Usually stronger than a half-frame |
| This site | Half-frames inform month analysis; Meetings and San He are labelled in combinations | None auto-rewrite element strength |
- Peak branch
- Zi, Mao, Wu, You — half-frames with the peak keep more shape
- No-peak half
- e.g. Shen–Chen, Hai–Wei — another notch weaker
- Full-frame rates
- Full San He and Three Meetings each ~5% of the sample
- Rule
- Whether the formed element is favourable decides help or pressure
Common view vs. our view
| Common view | Our view | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Half-frame = full frame | One link short | Full San He 5.0% vs half-frame 64.1% |
| Meetings always outrank half-frames | Weigh month, fav/unfav, completeness | Meetings are 4.7% but often tug the month |
| Half-frame transforms elements | We don’t auto-rewrite | Same rule as San He and Liu He |
Half-frame: San He missing a link
A Three Harmony wants birth, peak and tomb. Missing one is a half-frame. Birth–peak or peak–tomb pairs are common because they keep the peak; birth+tomb with a hollow middle is weaker.
Half-frames are common: 64.1% of sample charts show at least one (including no-peak); 44.0% have a half-frame with the peak. Having a half-frame is ordinary; a full frame is rare.
Three Meetings: a season gathered
Yin–Mao–Chen Wood, Si–Wu–Wei Fire, Shen–You–Xu Metal, Hai–Zi–Chou Water. No birth–peak–tomb test — only “same season, three branches.” Meetings are about 4.7% of the sample, same order as full San He (5.0%), far rarer than half-frames.
Among Meeting charts, 73.4% have the month branch inside the Meeting — so Meetings often tug the month command. Still ask whether the Meeting’s element is favourable.
How to divide labour with San He
San He = birth–peak–tomb; Meetings = seasonal qi; half-frame = unfinished San He. A chart may show a half-frame and a Meeting together; a full San He and a half-frame of the same set usually don’t both apply.
Shared site rule: record structure, don’t auto-transform. Unfavourable rings add pressure; favourable rings help.
When luck supplies the missing branch
A half-frame completed in luck or a year temporarily firms the force; same for a Meeting missing one. It acts in that decade or year only — it does not rewrite the natal chart into “always a full frame.”
Say the time scope out loud: natal half-frame, completed in 202X — so readers don’t think the chart permanently upgraded.
Data: half-frames are common; Meetings and full San He are rare
At least one half-frame: 64.1% (including no-peak); with peak 44.0% of all charts; no-peak 22.8%.
Full Three Meetings: 4.7%, full San He 5.0% — both far below half-frames. Meeting counts: Si–Wu–Wei Fire 28, Hai–Zi–Chou Water 24, Yin–Mao–Chen Wood 21, Shen–You–Xu Metal 21.
Among Meeting charts, 73.4% have the month inside the Meeting; half-frame and Meeting together only 2.8%.
Statistics: 2,000 birth times (birth years 1950–2010 uniformly random, random birth time, half male/half female, Beijing true solar time);.
Two real charts
Bing Wu · Ding You · Ji Mao · Bing Yin (female, 17 Sep 1966, 04:00, Beijing)
Ji Earth is born in You: Metal drains Earth. Wu and Yin with Fire, two Bing Direct Resource and Ding Indirect Resource; rated weak: Fire useful, Earth favourable, Wood and Metal unfavourable.
Yin–Wu is a Fire half-frame with peak Wu (missing Xu/Wei for a full Fire San He). Fire is the Useful God: the half-frame is Resource banding together, more specific than “there is a combination.” If luck brings Xu or Wei, the Fire frame firms — support for this weak chart — while still watching unfavourable Wood.
Ji Mao · Gui You · Wu Chen · Jia Yin (female, 13 Sep 1999, 04:00, Beijing)
Wu Earth is born in You: Metal drains Earth. Mao–Chen–Yin complete the Wood Three Meeting; Gui Direct Wealth and Jia Direct Officer; rated weak: Fire useful, Earth favourable, Metal and Wood unfavourable.
The Wood Meeting is unfavourable force banding: Wood Officer and Wealth pressure weak Earth. Read “one side of Wood qi tightening the pressure,” not “a Meeting is lucky.” No half-frame here; more Wood in luck adds pressure; Fire/Earth luck is the exit.
FAQ
I have Hai–Mao half Wood. Does that make me very “Wood”?
It means half a Wood frame’s shape; elements still count as written. Whether Wood is favourable matters more than “having a half-frame.”
My chart has both a Meeting and a San He. How do I read them?
See whether they share branches and whether the formed elements agree. Same direction reinforces; if they conflict, weigh month command and whether a peak is present.
If luck supplies the missing San He branch, is it a full frame?
For that decade the force activates; the natal half-frame base remains, and it reverts when that luck ends.
Should I care about no-peak half-frames (e.g. Shen–Chen)?
Note them lightly. Prioritise half-frames with a peak, and full Meetings or San He.
Common mistakes
- A half-frame equals a full San He: one link short, one notch weaker.
- Meetings are always stronger than half-frames: different routes; don’t rank blindly.
- A half-frame transforms and rewrites elements: we don’t auto-rewrite.