Affinity triangles (compatibility)
The four affinity triangles (san he 三合) group the twelve Chinese animals into four trios held to be naturally compatible. Each trio gathers signs set four steps apart on the wheel: Rat, Dragon and Monkey (the doers); Ox, Snake and Rooster (the strategists); Tiger, Horse and Dog (the independents); Rabbit, Goat and Pig (the diplomats). Conversely, animals opposite by six ranks are said to clash. This pattern is the basis for reading compatibility.
Four steps apart, one shared intent
The geometric secret is simple: take your animal, skip three places, repeat, and you have your trio. These three share one way of meeting life, a tempered, attuned disposition. That is why you feel understood there without effort, like people who speak the same inner language.
Affinities and frictions
The triangle is no guarantee, nor is the opposition a doom. The animal facing you on the wheel, six steps away, unsettles you, yet that friction is sometimes what makes you grow. Read these affinities as currents, not verdicts: they tell you where the current carries you, and where it asks for a stroke of the oar.
Sources
- , The Complete Guide to Chinese Astrology (2005)