Short answer
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A dynamic, not a verdict
In the five elements, compatibility is not about good or bad matches. It is about what happens between two elements. Some pairs feed each other, like rain waking up a garden. Others tame each other, like roots breaking up hard ground. Both kinds are needed for anything to grow.
Your element here means your core element: the one your birth day stands for. Classical books call it the Day Master.
For the curious: the proper names
- Generating cycle 相生
- The classical name for elements that feed each other.
- Controlling cycle 相剋
- The classical name for elements that tame each other.
- Day Master 日主
- Your core element: the top character of your day pair.
Your element, every pairing
Choose your core element to see how it meets each of the five, yours included.
Pick your element
If you're Wood: Water feeds you, Metal tames you.
Wood
Mirror
Two Wood trees, one sky. You grow side by side.
Tag the Wood friend growing right next to you.
Fire
You feed
Your Wood is the log. Fire is the bonfire.
Tag the Fire friend you keep fueling. Read the pair
Earth
You tame
Your Wood roots break up Earth so new things grow.
Tag the Earth friend you keep nudging to try something new. Read the pair
Metal
Tames you
Metal trims your Wood, and you grow back stronger.
Tag the Metal friend who edits your wildest plans. Read the pair
Water
Feeds you
Water keeps your Wood growing, even in a dry spell.
Tag the Water friend who refills you every time. Read the pair
Thinking of someone? Compare with a friend free.
Pairs that feed
These pairs support and strengthen each other.
| Wood feeds Fire | Like dry logs keeping a fire alive. Big ideas set someone else alight. Read the pair |
| Fire feeds Earth | It burns down to ash, and ash becomes soil. Excitement settles into something steady. Read the pair |
| Earth feeds Metal | Like gold and iron growing deep in the ground. Patience gives clear thinking a place to form. Read the pair |
| Metal feeds Water | Like dew gathering on cool metal. Structure gives deep feeling a channel. Read the pair |
| Water feeds Wood | Like rain waking up a garden. Quiet insight helps someone grow. Read the pair |
Pairs that tame
These pairs rub against each other, and the friction pushes both to grow.
| Wood tames Earth | Like roots breaking up hard ground. Growth shakes up a comfortable routine. Read the pair |
| Earth tames Water | Like a riverbank keeping a river on its path. Limits give strong feelings a direction. Read the pair |
| Water tames Fire | Like rain putting out a campfire. Calm cools a hot impulse. Read the pair |
| Fire tames Metal | Like a blacksmith's forge softening steel. Warmth loosens someone rigid. Read the pair |
| Metal tames Wood | Like an axe. Honest limits cut back what grows too wild. Read the pair |
The full table
Read across: how the element on the left meets the element on top.
There are no bad pairs, only pairs you understand and pairs you don't yet.