Earthly Branch Six Breaks: not the same as Clash or Harm
Six Breaks are six fixed branch pairs (Zi-You, Chou-Chen, Yin-Hai, Mao-Wu, Si-Shen, Wei-Xu). When both sides appear in the chart, we mark a Break. It does not change strength scoring; it only flags mutual friction. Reading still follows support-and-restrain.
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At a glance
| Item | Figure | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Any Six Break | 798 charts, 39.9% | 100% match with on-site table |
| Among hits, weak | 54.8% | Strong 45.1% |
| Pair touches unfavorable | 63.0% | Touches favorable 57.3%; both unfavorable 30.1% |
| Also has Six Clash | 38.7% | Also Six Harmony 57.8% |
| Also has Six Harm | 40.0% | Break often stacks with Harm/Harmony |
| Month branch in a Break | 55.3% | Day branch in a Break 60.4% |
| Two or more pairs | 1.4% | Most charts have one pair |
- Six Breaks
- Six fixed pairs, frictional
- Six Clash
- Direct opposition, heaviest
- Six Harm
- After-effect of a broken harmony
- Six Harmony
- Branch bonding
- Support-and-restrain
- Help a weak Day Master; vent a strong one
The six pairs first
Memorize the six pairs. Zi-You, Chou-Chen, Yin-Hai, Mao-Wu, Si-Shen, Wei-Xu — the same table as our chart’s interaction panel (100% agree in sample).
A Break is not a soft Clash. Clash collides head-on; Break undercuts. Among Break charts, 38.7% also Clash and 57.8% also Harmonize — name the structure before judging luck.
Broken luck depends on helpful vs harmful
Nearly 40% of charts show at least one Break. Weak and strong are close (54.8% / 45.1%).
63.0% of Break pairs touch an unfavorable element; 57.3% touch a favorable one. Breaking a harmful element can dilute damage; breaking a Useful God hurts support.
Month and day branches often join the Break
Month branch participates in 55.3% of Break charts; day branch in 60.4%. Critical seats need clearer wording, not a scarier label.
Only 1.4% hold two Break pairs. Read Clash/Harmony first when they stack.
Two real charts
丙辰 戊戌 己亥 乙丑 (female, 1976-10-14 02:00 Beijing)
Chou-Chen Break sits on Earth, which is unfavorable here. Strong Earth Day Master; Useful God Wood; favors Water/Metal; avoids Earth.
Break stacks with Chen-Xu Clash on Earth. Friction among unfavorable Earth is less damaging than breaking a favorable branch.
Read: clear excess Earth with Wood. Do not treat the word Break as a verdict.
戊午 丁巳 丁酉 戊申 (female, 1978-06-04 15:30 Beijing)
Si-Shen both Harmonize and Break — Fire helps, Metal harms. Weak Fire Day Master; Useful God Wood; favors Fire; avoids Metal/Earth.
Harmony sticks Fire to Metal; Break loosens that stickiness. Report both structures.
Read: protect Fire when Metal months arrive.
Data: how common, how it stacks
798 / 2,000 (39.9%) show Six Breaks; 100% table agree. Pair counts are close across the six.
Touch unfavorable 63.0%, favorable 57.3%, both unfavorable 30.1%. Also Clash 38.7%, Harmony 57.8%, Harm 40.0%.
Month in Break 55.3%, day in Break 60.4%; multi-pair 1.4%.
Simulated charts: our BaZi calculator generated 2,000 random birth times (birth years 1950–2010 uniformly random, random birth time, half male/half female, Beijing true solar time), cast each chart and judged strength and the Useful element by traditional rules, then counted the results. These are simulated results, not a survey of real people and not a measure of prediction accuracy. Breaks use the site's branch pair table; helpful/harmful follows the site's Useful God labels. Calculation version: our BaZi calculator after the Oct 15, 2026 update (the same rules the site uses now; rechecked with site version v73 on Oct 20, 2026), random seed 20261014. To reproduce: rerun the same version with the same seed and the results match exactly; you can check any single chart by entering the same birth time in our BaZi calculator.
Common view vs. our view
| Common view | Our view | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Break means a broken life | Ask which side is broken | Unfavorable touch 63.0%; favorable 57.3% |
| Break is a light Clash | They can co-exist | 38.7% of Break charts also Clash |
| Break equals Harm | Different tables | 40.0% also Harm |
| Software mismatch means a wrong chart | Our six pairs are fixed | 100% agree |
Common mistakes
- Break ruins marriage by name alone. Check whether the spouse palace branch is the helpful one being broken.
- Break is worse than Clash. Clash is usually heavier.
- One Break destroys the chart. Most charts have one pair; both sides unfavorable only ~30%.
- Break forbids Harmony. 57.8% of Break charts also Harmonize.
FAQ
Break or Clash first?
Usually Clash, then Break. When both appear, settle Clash’s helpful/harmful side first.
Si-Shen Harmonize and Break?
Both count. Final call follows whether Si/Shen help your Day Master.
Day-branch Break especially bad?
Common (about 60% of Break charts), not a fate label — element role still leads.
Where on the chart page?
Stem–branch interactions, listed with Clash/Harmony/Punishment/Harm.