Zodiac Animals & Year Pillar — Born Hour
Folk zodiac years turn at Lunar New Year; the Four Pillars year pillar usually turns at Li Chun. Related, not identical — Born Hour surfaces the mismatch.
Twelve branches, twelve animals
Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig — folk faces of the twelve earthly branches.
Each branch also carries yin/yang, hidden stems, and directional lore. Animal stories are the doorway; structural reading returns to branches and pillars.
Midnight; Gui. Folk Rat.
Chou hour; Ji/Gui/Xin. Folk Ox.
First month; Jia/Bing/Wu. Folk Tiger.
Second month; Yi. Folk Rabbit.
Late spring; Wu/Yi/Gui. Folk Dragon.
Fourth month; Bing/Wu/Geng. Folk Snake.
Fifth month; Ding/Ji. Folk Horse.
Late summer; Ji/Ding/Yi. Folk Goat.
Late autumn; Wu/Xin/Ding. Folk Dog.
Tenth month; Ren/Jia. Folk Pig.
Lunar New Year vs Li Chun
Folk practice often changes the animal at Lunar New Year. The Year Pillar more often follows Li Chun, which drifts relative to the festival — creating a short window where folk animal and Year Branch disagree.
Born Hour labels that mismatch so “what animal am I?” is never silently equated with the Year Pillar. Ask which ruler you mean first.
Six Harmony, Triads, Six Clash
Six Harmony pairs, seasonal triads, and six clashes are folk relationship maps among branches — cultural browsing, not marriage verdicts. For full structure, use BaZi compare (love/hehun = 2 people; family/partnership/friendship up to 5; birth times required).
Paired combinations; coordination themes.
Three-branch frames tied to an element.
Opposing pairs; tension and change themes.
Animal pairing vs BaZi compare
Animal pairing pages are cultural entry points. Four Pillars compare overlays Ziwei palaces and transformations: love/hehun is two people; family, partnership, and friendship allow 2–5. Each chart is calibrated to celestial time first.
Where to go next
Open the animal index below for branch folklore; for structural relations, cast a chart or open compare; Five Elements and Ten Gods supply the substrate language.