Chinese zodiac compatibility: the 78 animal pairs
Chinese zodiac compatibility reads each pair of animals as a possible dynamic: affinity, harmony, opposition, or neutrality, with no score and no verdict.
- relationship
- elements
- nuances
By Thomas Guilhot · updated
Chinese compatibility at a glance
An ancient vocabulary for talking about rhythms that meet, to be used as a conversation, never as a sentence.
A shared frame for naming what draws two temperaments together or rubs between them, without boxing them in.
Two animals do not make two people: age, history, and each person’s choices matter far more.
- The pairs
- 78, each with its own page
- The triangles
- 4, of three animals
- The oppositions
- 6, six years apart
- The score
- None, by choice
Your animal and theirs
Choose two animals, or enter two dates of birth: the tool shows their traditional relationship, their elements, and the detailed page for the pair.
Rat and Dragon: triangle of affinity
- Fixed elements
- Water and earth
- Between them
- Water is controlled by earth
Two complementary ambitions: one charts the road, the other lights the fire that makes you want to follow it.
The twelve animals, two by two
Each cell leads to the pair’s page; the symbol recalls the traditional relationship, never a rating.
| Rat | Ox | Tiger | Rabbit | Dragon | Snake | Horse | Goat | Monkey | Rooster | Dog | Pig | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rat | = | ♡ | · | · | △ | · | ☍︎ | ≠ | △ | · | · | · |
| Ox | ♡ | = | · | · | · | △ | ≠ | ☍︎ | · | △ | · | · |
| Tiger | · | · | = | · | · | ≠ | △ | · | ☍︎ | · | △ | ♡ |
| Rabbit | · | · | · | = | ≠ | · | · | △ | · | ☍︎ | ♡ | △ |
| Dragon | △ | · | · | ≠ | = | · | · | · | △ | ♡ | ☍︎ | · |
| Snake | · | △ | ≠ | · | · | = | · | · | ♡ | △ | · | ☍︎ |
| Horse | ☍︎ | ≠ | △ | · | · | · | = | ♡ | · | · | △ | · |
| Goat | ≠ | ☍︎ | · | △ | · | · | ♡ | = | · | · | · | △ |
| Monkey | △ | · | ☍︎ | · | △ | ♡ | · | · | = | · | · | ≠ |
| Rooster | · | △ | · | ☍︎ | ♡ | △ | · | · | · | = | ≠ | · |
| Dog | · | · | △ | ♡ | ☍︎ | · | △ | · | · | ≠ | = | · |
| Pig | · | · | ♡ | △ | · | ☍︎ | · | △ | ≠ | · | · | = |
Six relationships between two animals
Same animal 12 pairs
Two people of the same animal recognize each other quickly, with the same qualities and the same blind spots: likeness brings people together as much as it can irritate.
Triangle of affinity 12 pairs
Four or eight years separate the animals of a triangle of affinity. Tradition sees in it a kinship of temperament and drive, more than a guaranteed agreement.
Opposition 6 pairs
Six years separate two opposite animals, facing each other on the cycle. Tradition reads in it natures that complement or clash, never a fatality.
Secret friend 6 pairs
Secret harmony brings together two animals that tradition says are joined by a discreet thread. It evokes a quiet understanding, more subtle than obvious.
Harm 6 pairs
Harm describes two animals whose rhythms get in each other’s way at a low hum: misunderstandings, small hurts. Tradition mentions it to encourage vigilance.
Neither allies nor opposites 36 pairs
With no classical name, a neutral pair carries neither particular harmony nor tension. Everything then depends on the people, their elements, and their shared history.
The elements, and why there is no score
Each animal has a fixed element, and the year of birth adds another. Between two elements, tradition distinguishes generating, where one feeds the other, controlling, where one contains the other, and sameness. These relationships add nuance to the relationship between animals without replacing it.
There is no percentage and no ranking here, because no serious tradition has claimed to measure compatibility. A triangle does not prevent arguments, and an opposition does not rule out tenderness. The pages describe tendencies to question, not couples to choose or to avoid.
Compatibility animal by animal
Each animal page gathers its twelve pairs, including the animal with itself.
- RatIts 12 pairs
- OxIts 12 pairs
- TigerIts 12 pairs
- RabbitIts 12 pairs
- DragonIts 12 pairs
- SnakeIts 12 pairs
- HorseIts 12 pairs
- GoatIts 12 pairs
- MonkeyIts 12 pairs
- RoosterIts 12 pairs
- DogIts 12 pairs
- PigIts 12 pairs
Share the tool: the link leads to the page, without anything you entered.
Frequently asked questions about Chinese compatibility
How can I tell if two Chinese zodiac animals are compatible?
Look first at the traditional relationship between the two animals, then at their elements, and finally at what life has taught you about each other. The relationship gives a climate, never an answer: many duos reputed to be difficult get along very well, and some favorable duos tear each other apart.
What is a triangle of affinity?
The twelve animals fall into four families of three, spaced four years apart, called triangles. Animals in the same triangle share, according to tradition, similar impulses: they are said to understand each other without many words. This closeness guarantees nothing, but it provides common ground.
What does an opposition between two animals mean?
Two opposite animals are six years apart in the cycle, half a turn. Tradition sees in it temperaments that face each other: they can attract each other by contrast or clash on principle. Nothing is written, and many opposite duos build a fruitful complementarity.
Why is there no score?
A score would give an illusion of precision. Chinese relationships describe climates, not quantities, and no ancient source puts numbers on them. A nuanced portrait is better than a percentage that would influence your choices without foundation.
Does the element of the year matter in compatibility?
Yes, as a nuance: the same animal takes on a different color depending on the element of its year. A Wood Tiger and a Metal Tiger do not approach a conflict in the same way. The pair pages discuss the animals’ fixed elements, which the tool completes with those of the years.