Monkey and Monkey:
a couple of mirrors

Two Monkeys are a pair that horoscopes dispose of in one line: "they understand each other at half a word, but they will compete." In BaZi this coincidence of branches is called 伏吟 (fú yín), the "hidden groan," or, a little more loosely, an "echo." The branch repeats, and everything it contains gets stronger, the good and the awkward alike.

It matters to understand what this is not. The sign 申 has no self-punishment 自刑 (zì xíng); that belongs to 辰, 午, 酉 and 亥. So two Monkeys do not "punish" each other merely by being born in Monkey years. Nor does the pair have a clash: the Monkey clashes with the Tiger 寅, not with itself. What remains? A mirror. And a mirror, as everyone knows, is merciless to those who do not like to see their own reflection.

1 What "one branch" means in practice

When the year branch matches, two people share the family background and the atmosphere of the first sixteen years of life, the things BaZi associates with the year pillar. Usually this means similar family habits, a similar view of how things "should be done," and a close sense of humor. Two Monkeys often surprise each other by using the same words and reacting to chaos in the same way.

But a shared background does not guarantee matching characters. Character is set by the Day Master 日主 (rì zhǔ, "master of the day"), and for two Monkeys it can be any of the ten stems. A Monkey with Day Master 甲 (a great tree) and another with Day Master 癸 (rain, dew) are entirely different people, though born under one sign. So identical branches are only half of the conversation. The difference is explained in detail in which sign you really are.

2 What is inside the branch 申

The Monkey holds three hidden stems 藏干 (cáng gān). Their balance explains why this sign is called resourceful and restless:

The Monkey is "Metal that gave birth to Water." The branch 申 stands at the start of autumn, when Metal gathers strength and Water is only being born (in the classics 申 is the "birth" stage 長生 for Water and the "official post" stage 臨官 for Metal 庚). Hence the mobility and sharpness: such a person grasps the essence quickly and dislikes repeating themselves. More on the branch in the article on the Monkey 申.

Two Monkeys share all three "floors." That gives mutual understanding, but also competition for the same niche: both want to be the one who "comes up with the solution" and "finds the way out." When a family or a business has two authors of ideas and no editor, chaos wins.

3 Neutrality toward 2027

2027 is 丁未 (dīng-wèi), a Goat year. Between the Monkey and the Goat there is no direct classical link: no combination, no clash, no punishment, no harm, no destruction. For both Monkeys it is a "neutral" year in branch terms. The forecast for the Monkey reads it through the cycle of elements: the Earth of the Goat generates the Monkey's Metal (土生金), so at the sign level the background is rather supportive, and it is easier to lean on structure, rules and elders. How well this works for you personally can be seen only from the full chart.

For the pair this means there are no structural blows at the year level, so any troubles in 2027, if they happen, should be sought in the charts themselves and in the monthly cycles, not in an "evil year." There is a caveat: support reaches each Monkey in its own way, and if one of you uses it while the other does not notice it, the couple easily develops a sense of inequality. Say out loud what exactly helps each of you.

The year stem 丁 (yin Fire) adds warmth and light from above, but toward Metal it is "melting": for strong Metal that is useful, like tempering, for weak Metal it is tiring. Which one applies to you depends on the Day Master, and every Monkey has its own. For a Day Master of 庚, for example, the stem 丁 is Direct Officer 正官 ("official authority"); for 辛 it is Seven Killings 七殺 (pressure). Two Monkeys with different day stems can live through the same year in completely different ways.

4 Love and marriage: two players on one team

In its romantic version, two Monkeys make an intellectual couple. They like to talk, to trade ideas, to go somewhere without a plan. Their early relationships are often swift: interesting, fun, many shared stories.

Difficulties appear when it is time to live the routine. Two Monkeys get bored equally fast, dislike long explanations equally, and are equally inclined to seek something new. If one finds a new pursuit, the other is not against it either, and as a result the shared budget turns into a collection of unfinished projects. What such a couple lacks is a natural "anchor," so it has to be created on purpose: a shared home, a child, a long project. If one of you has a lot of Earth in the chart (戊, 己, 辰, 戌, 丑, 未), that person often plays this role.

The second vulnerable spot is honesty. The Monkey is direct at the level of Metal 庚 and cunning at the level of Water 壬, and both sides know it. It is hard to deceive each other, so trying makes no sense. Better to agree at once: "if something is wrong, we say it directly." For this pair a direct conversation is a mandatory condition; without it the relationship quickly turns into a game of cat and mouse. How to read a partner beyond the sign is covered in marriage in BaZi.

A separate word on money. For the Monkey, the branch 申 is the "birth" of Water, and in BaZi Water is often tied to flow, turnover and mobility of resources. Two Monkeys can earn "on the flow," through brokering, trade and fast projects, but are worse at saving. If you live together, open a separate account that receives a fixed share of income and do not touch it without a joint decision. Boring, but it helps through periods when both are sitting on a "quiet" branch with no new ideas.

And a word about children and family. In the family life of two Monkeys a child often becomes that very "anchor": routine, obligations and clear rituals appear. But there is a subtlety here too: both Monkeys tend to raise children through play and explanation and may underestimate the value of firm boundaries. Agree in advance who is the "bad cop" on which issues, or the children will quickly learn that either of you can be talked around.

Friendship and kinship

A friendship of two Monkeys is the classic tandem of "joker and joker." They value wit, love arguing for the sake of arguing, and easily forgive barbs: each understands that a barb is part of the game. Unlike many other pairs, they are rarely offended by frankness.

If two Monkeys are brothers, sisters or colleagues, a "kinship contest" arises. Winning matters not for a prize but to prove that you are smarter. If the contest remains a joke, it spurs both. If it turns nervous, it is better to separate zones: each has their own direction, and there is nothing to compare.

5 Work and business

A business union of two Monkeys is about speed. Decisions are made fast, negotiations go easily, flexibility is extreme. They work well in projects where pace and inventiveness matter: trade, consulting, technology, brokering, services.

What they lack is depth of execution and patience for routine. Bookkeeping, quality control and long cycles must either be handed to a third person or built as a rigid procedure. It is desirable that the third person (an employee or partner) has strong Earth or Wood: Earth gives stability, Wood gives growth. Notes on business compatibility by charts are in who to go into business with, by BaZi.

6 Typical conflicts and how to defuse them

• A fight for leadership. Both want to propose the solution. Agree on zones: who handles money, who handles negotiation, who handles planning.
• Boredom. Both Monkeys cool quickly. Plan novelty in advance: a trip every quarter, a new course for two.
• Barbs that stop being jokes. Wit works while nobody is tired. Introduce a "safe word": if one says it, the other stops.
• Mutual restlessness at home. Household tasks need to be assigned to each person, not left to "work out on their own."
• Running from the hard. If both tend to escape into work or socializing, the problem accumulates in silence instead of being lived through. Set aside time each week to talk about "us."

7 The couple in 2027 by month

The year itself is neutral, but the months give several points where the links fire for both Monkeys. Boundaries are approximate, give or take a day.

What to watch: February and August are months when the pair "accelerates." In February the acceleration comes from outside (the clash with the Tiger), in August from within (the Monkey month strengthens the reflection). Plan fewer contentious topics for these periods and more shared activity. December, by contrast, suits calm conversations and taking stock.

A word on what comes right after. From 4 February 2028 the year 戊申, a Monkey year, begins, and it will be ben ming nian 本命年, your own year, for both of you at once. The mirror effect that showed in 2027 only in August will stretch over the whole year: both will want change at the same moment, and both will react more sharply to limits. If you plan a major step, such as a move, both changing jobs, or a joint business, it is sensible not to synchronize all the changes into 2028 but to space them out. Another date on the horizon is 2034, 甲寅, a Tiger year: the year branch clashes with 申 in both charts, and it will be a shake-up year common to the couple.

8 Three scenarios that come up most often

To know how "one branch" turns out in different charts, keep three typical layouts in mind. They do not describe you; they are templates that help you ask questions of your own chart.

Scenario one: the same Day Master in both. For example, both were born with 庚 (yang Metal, the axe). The similarity is maximal: identical reactions, shared directness, shared intolerance of pointless rules. Such couples quickly find a common language and just as quickly find a common opponent. The danger is that there is no "potential difference": the relationship has nothing to feed on except joint activity.

Scenario two: the Day Masters nourish each other. For example, one has 庚, the other 壬 (yang Water): Metal generates Water. Here the year branches provide a common background and the day stems provide a natural exchange: one supplies structure, the other movement. This is one of the most convenient configurations for a pair of Monkeys.

Scenario three: the Day Masters control each other. For example, 庚 and 甲: Metal chops Wood. The shared Monkey background softens the conflict, but in everyday trifles one will feel constantly "pruned." Day branches help here: if they form a combination, control turns into care; if they clash, tension grows.

9 Why the birth-year sign does not decide a couple's fate

The year branch is one character out of eight in a person's chart. Two Monkeys by year almost certainly have different day branches. Suppose one has the day on the Tiger 寅 and the other on the Monkey 申: the Spouse Palaces clash (寅申沖), and for the couple that weighs more than any coincidence of birth-year signs. And if the second partner has the day on the Pig 亥, the day branches give a combination 寅亥合, and the picture is quite different. The Day Masters may also coincide, in which case the similarity will be total and the rivalry sharp, or they may turn out to nourish each other.

That is why real compatibility is calculated from full charts and five checks: the Day Masters, the Spouse Palaces, the useful gods, the stars and the Luck Pillars. It is described in detail in the compatibility guide. BaZi has no compatibility percentage; it describes structure: where the couple has support and where it is thin. Everything said in this article about "two Monkeys" serves as a guide only until you look at your own charts.

10 Frequently asked questions

Is it good if both partners are Monkeys?

It is neither a plus nor a minus in itself. A shared year branch (伏吟) strengthens everything it contains, speed and competition alike. Character is set by the Day Master, and for two Monkeys it can be anything.

Do two Monkeys have a self-punishment?

No. The classics give self-punishment 自刑 to the branches 辰, 午, 酉 and 亥, but not to 申. Two Monkeys do not punish each other merely because the signs coincide.

How does 2027 affect a Monkey and Monkey couple?

The Goat year 丁未 is neutral for the Monkey by branches: there are no direct links. The sensitive months are 壬寅 (clash with the Tiger), 乙巳 (a complex month with the Snake), 戊申 (the Monkey's month) and 辛亥 (harm from the Pig).

What is the main danger for a pair of Monkeys?

A shortage of an "anchor": both get bored fast and drop what they started. A shared long project, fixed zones of responsibility and a regular direct conversation help.

Can a couple be judged by birth years alone?

No. The birth-year sign is the top layer. Real compatibility is shown by comparing two full charts through five checks, and there is no compatibility percentage in BaZi.