The Six Harms (Liu Hai): the aftertaste of a harmony broken by a clash
The Six Harms are six awkward branch pairs: Zi–Wei, Chou–Wu, Yin–Si, Mao–Chen, Shen–Hai, You–Xu. Classically they are read as what remains when a Six Harmony is broken by a clash — one side of a possible harmony is pulled away, and the leftover pair becomes a harm.
Cast your chart and see your Six Harms →Free, no sign-up
At a glance
| Harm | Link to harmony and clash | In one line |
|---|---|---|
| Zi–Wei | Zi–Chou harmony, Chou–Wei clash → Zi–Wei harm | Aftertaste of a broken harmony |
| Chou–Wu | Wu–Wei harmony, Chou–Wei clash → Chou–Wu harm | Same logic |
| Yin–Si | Si–Shen harmony, Yin–Shen clash → Yin–Si harm | Same logic |
| Mao–Chen | Chen–You harmony, Mao–You clash → Mao–Chen harm | Same logic |
| Shen–Hai | Yin–Hai harmony, Yin–Shen clash → Shen–Hai harm | Same logic |
| You–Xu | Mao–Xu harmony, Mao–You clash → You–Xu harm | Same logic |
- Where we show it
- Branch relations and the scattered-branch view mark “harm”
- Vs. punishment
- Punishment is another jam set; harm stresses the “harmony pulled apart” feeling
- Weight
- Usually lighter than a clash; not automatically heavier than a harmony
- Rule
- Harming an unfavourable branch can help; harming the Useful God costs
What is harm? A hoped-for harmony that falls through
The Six Harms are not a sixth kind of clash invented from nowhere. Take Zi–Wei: Zi and Chou can form a Six Harmony, and Chou clashes Wei; when Chou is pulled away by Wei, Zi never gets its harmony, and Zi–Wei is left awkward — that is Zi–Wei harm. The other five pairs follow the same map.
So when you read a harm, keep a small harmony–clash diagram in mind: a harm often hints that a harmony or clash is nearby in the natal chart or in luck.
Is a natal harm always bad?
Not always. Which end is favourable decides whether you “tied up a problem” or “tied up a helper.” An unfavourable branch being harmed discounts its damage; the Useful God being harmed discounts its help.
About four charts in ten in our sample carry at least one Six Harm — the same order of magnitude as clashes and Six Harmonies. Having a harm is ordinary, not a red flag by itself.
When harm stacks with harmony and clash
The classic structure is harmony, clash and harm in one net. When Zi–Chou harmony, Chou–Wei clash and Zi–Wei harm all hold, read the story as “a harmony broken by a clash” first — don’t write a separate doom essay for the harm alone.
If only the harm shows, without the harmony and clash visible, treat it as two branches jamming each other, usually lighter than a clash, then close with favourable vs. unfavourable.
How to talk about harm in love and health safely
Stay mild and leave room. A harmed day branch is traditionally linked to wariness in relationships or awkward partnerships — that’s image-talk. A strong chart harming an unfavourable branch needn’t be bad; a weak chart harming Resource or Peer Useful Gods needs more communication in the matching years.
Don’t write Six Harms as a sentence of “broke Wealth, harmed the spouse” — that’s scare copy, not chart reading.
Two real charts
Gui You · Yi Chou · Ji Wei · Jia Zi (male, 2 Feb 1994, 00:45, Beijing)
Ji Earth is born in Chou, Earth in season, but Gui Indirect Wealth, Yi Seven Killings and Jia Direct Officer on the stems drain and control it. Rated weak: Fire useful, Earth favourable, Water and Metal unfavourable.
The branches form a harmony–clash–harm net: hour Zi combines with month Chou, Chou clashes day Wei, so Zi and Wei become Zi–Wei harm. The harmony tries to hold Zi–Chou; the clash knocks Chou–Wei open; the harm is the aftertaste. Favourable-wise, Zi Water is unfavourable and Wei Earth is a root of the Day Master — unfavourable and root jamming each other. Read it as “Wealth and Officer arrive awkwardly, and the root is tugged,” not “harm means doom.” When luck revisits Zi, Chou or Wei, ask whether Fire and Earth are keeping up.
Ren Yin · Ren Yin · Gui Wei · Ren Zi (female, 14 Feb 1962, 00:30, Beijing)
Gui Water is born in Yin, Wood in season draining Water; three Ren Peer stems help the Day Master; rated strong: Wood useful, Earth and Fire favourable, Metal and Water unfavourable. Hour Zi and day Wei form Zi–Wei harm, without the full Zi–Chou harmony / Chou–Wei clash chain visible — a standalone harm.
Zi Water is Peer (unfavourable) and Wei Earth is Indirect Wealth (favourable Earth direction): unfavourable and favourable jamming each other. Read it as “helping Water and draining Earth twisted together,” not “harm means the spouse is hurt.”
Data: how common are Six Harms, and how often do they meet harmony or clash?
40.9% of charts carry at least one Six Harm, the same order as clashes and Six Harmonies; only 1.9% have two or more. Pair counts: You–Xu 161, Yin–Si 155, Chou–Wu 153, Shen–Hai 135, Zi–Wei 130, Mao–Chen 120.
Among charts with a harm, 40.3% also have a Six Harmony and 39.3% also have a clash. Charts where a harm shares a branch with a Six Harmony (the “harmony tugged” structure) are 13.1% of all charts, and 32.1% of harmed charts.
The month branch takes part in a harm in 55.3% of harmed charts.
Sample: 2,000 charts cast with our own engine (birth years 1950–2010 uniformly random, random birth time, half male/half female, Beijing true solar time); fixed seed, fully reproducible.
Common view vs. our view
| Common view | Our view | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Six Harms break Wealth and harm the spouse | Aftertaste of a broken harmony; judge favourable first | Four charts in ten have a harm — they can’t all harm the spouse |
| Harm is sneakier than clash | Clash hits; harm is awkwardness — don’t rank | About four in ten harmed charts also have a clash |
| Harm without visible harmony/clash doesn’t count | Still a jam, just a shorter story | When all three appear, read “harmony broken by clash” first |
FAQ
I have Zi–Wei harm. Does that mean insomnia or low mood?
Zi Water and Wei Earth have mood and digestion images in the image bank — that’s association. Check whether Water and Earth are favourable in your chart before linking them to the body.
This year harms my day branch. What happens to my relationship?
Wariness, misunderstanding or awkward partnership topics may surface — not a guaranteed breakup or wedding. Check whether the year’s element is unfavourable and whether a natal harmony softens the day branch.
I have both a Six Harm and a Six Clash. Which one wins?
Clash usually shows more. If they share a branch, read the clash first and treat the harm as aftertaste.
Two Six Harms in one chart — am I especially unlucky?
Two or more are uncommon. Still judge each pair by favourable elements; don’t score the chart by counting harms.
Common mistakes
- Six Harms break Wealth and harm the spouse: structure aftertaste; judge favourable first.
- Harm is sneakier than clash: clash hits head-on; harm is awkwardness after a broken harmony — don’t rank “worse.”
- A harmed day branch always means bad relationships: image-talk is fine; the verdict needs the whole chart.