Tiger and Pig:
a contract with a termination clause

In the classical tables the Tiger and the Pig are listed twice. The pair 寅亥 stands in the list of the Six Harmonies 六合 (liù hé), and it also stands in the list of the Six Destructions 六破 (liù pò). A beginner sees a contradiction and decides someone made a mistake. An experienced reader sees what actually happens in life: people who are drawn to each other and in whom something regularly breaks. There is a contract, but it includes a termination clause.

The second feature of the pair is a shared root. 寅 is the beginning of spring, 亥 the beginning of winter. It is the Pig that opens the cold season in the yearly circle, yet a spring sprout already lies inside it: the stem 甲 (jiǎ), the Tiger's main stem, is hidden in 亥. So one specific character links the two: for the Tiger 甲 is the main stem and already at full strength, for the Pig it is hidden and only preparing to grow.

A caveat at once: this is about year signs, one branch out of eight. The picture is interesting, but treat it as a sketch. Below we go through the signs, then through both links, and then through 2027, which works out differently for the Pig and for the Tiger.

1 Who they are on their own

The Tiger 寅 is Yang Wood. Inside are three stems: 甲 (main), 丙 and 戊. This is Wood at the start of growth: plenty of strength, enough warmth, not enough experience. Initiative, readiness to take risks and independence come with it.

The Pig 亥 is Yin by polarity and Water in essence; the branch is called "deep water" or "the great sea". Inside are two stems: 壬 (rén, main, Yang Water) and 甲 (Yang Wood). In practice the Pig is often described as a person with a soft exterior and a large inner capacity: generosity, tolerance, a tendency to accept people as they are. There is Wood lying inside the Water, so the inner world is richer than it looks from outside.

Now elements. Water produces Wood: 亥 (Water) feeds 寅 (Wood). In the five-element cycle this is among the most favorable arrangements: the Pig is the "mother" for the Tiger. In everyday terms: next to a Pig the Tiger feels supported, and the Pig willingly invests in the Tiger's undertakings.

2 The first truth: 六合, Six Harmony

The 寅亥 combination is classically regarded as 合木 (hé mù), a union that tends to turn into Wood. It should be understood in the sense that the union pulls toward the shared Wood quality: growth, intention, a beginning, care. For a couple this means a natural closeness: it is easy to find a common theme, agree on shared plans and support one another.

There is a finer picture too. In the twelve growth phases, for 甲 the branch 亥 is 長生 (cháng shēng, "birth") and the branch 寅 is 臨官 (lín guān, "taking office"). The Pig "gives birth" to what the Tiger later puts to work. In couples this looks like a natural distribution: the Pig carries the idea, the Tiger launches it into the world. If they recognize the division, work goes smoothly.

For marriage a branch 合 is considered a good sign. But not every combination is equally firm: a combination can be "broken" by a clash. If the charts contain the branch 申 (it clashes with 寅 as 寅申冲) or 巳 (it clashes with 亥 as 巳亥冲), the union weakens. These things are visible only in full charts.

3 The second truth: 六破, destruction

Now what spoils the picture. 破 (pò) is the mildest of the "bad" links. It is neither a blow nor revenge but gradual wear: a couple that seems to live well slowly loses part of its agreements, promises are not carried to the end, plans "crumble". The typical signature of a 破 link is that everything is good at first, then something stops working, and the reason cannot be named.

In the Tiger and Pig pair it often shows up like this:

• the Pig is too trusting and the Tiger too impatient: the Tiger promises and hurries, the Pig believes and waits, then both are upset;
• money "leaks": no single large expense, but the total is big and hard to explain;
• shared projects start briskly and then lose focus;
• the Pig does not speak of dissatisfaction until it accumulates, and the Tiger does not notice the signals until the explosion.

A 破 does not necessarily work at full force. In practice a strong 合 is considered to mute a 破. In this pair both relationships operate at once, and which one wins in a specific chart is decided by the other pillars.

4 Love and marriage

From the start of a romance everything between Tiger and Pig goes quickly and warmly. The Pig usually answers courtship sincerely, and the Tiger immediately takes the partner under protection. Both lean toward generosity, so in the first period they give each other attention, things and time. Many couples of these signs are surprised how quickly they "grew into each other".

A year or two later quiet friction begins. The Pig sees the Tiger as someone always on the run and is saddened that so little attention is left for her. The Tiger sees the Pig as someone who accepts everything and demands nothing, and is lost: how to guess what the partner wants? A simple practice works here: once a month answer three questions for each other. What went well? What upset me? What do I want next month? It sounds like a work meeting, but exactly such conversations stop 破 from accumulating.

For children and family this is a warm pair. The Pig creates a sense of home, the Tiger provides protection. The danger is that both lean toward spoiling the children and dislike setting boundaries. Rules are better written down in advance.

5 Friendship

As friends, Tiger and Pig complement each other well. The Pig can listen and accept, the Tiger can pull someone out of a difficult situation. The friendship survives pauses if they are not stretched out: 破 shows up as lost contact without a quarrel, simply conversations get rarer. Periodic "check-in calls" work better than expecting that things will sort themselves out.

6 Work and a shared business

In working relations the picture is twofold. The plus is mutual belief and willingness to help. The minus is a tendency to leave things unsaid. The Pig may stay silent about dissatisfaction, and the Tiger may take silence for agreement.

For business, Tiger and Pig suit the scheme "development and launch" best: the Pig builds the foundation, the Tiger takes it to market. As soon as they swap roles, difficulties grow. Pigs are weaker in tough negotiation, and Tigers are worse at running routine.

A mandatory practice for a pair with a 破 in the link: put agreements in writing. Not because you do not trust each other, but because 破 works precisely through memory and detail. What is written down does not leak away.

7 How to read a double link in practice

To understand which of the two links is stronger in a specific couple, practitioners look at several signs. If the charts of both contain branches and stems that support Wood (for example 甲, 乙, or another 寅 and 卯), the Wood combination 合木 is reinforced and the destruction is felt less. If instead there is a lot of Metal that cuts Wood, or there are clashes touching 寅 and 亥, then 破 comes to the front, and the pair lives with a constant sense that something does not quite come together.

There is also an everyday method. Recall how it started. If the closeness was quick and easy and the problems came later as "tiredness" with no concrete cause, that is the signature of 合 followed by 破. If there was friction from the very beginning but parting somehow did not happen, it looks more like a strong 破 with noticeable attraction. Such observations do not replace calculation, but they help to formulate a question for the charts.

One more hint: time. The 破 link in BaZi is called slow, it accumulates its effect. So the Tiger and Pig pair gains from regular "maintenance": a holiday without obligations, a conversation once a quarter, a review of shared agreements once a year. It is not a cure but a habit, and it keeps small things from adding up into a picture of distrust.

8 Typical conflicts and how to defuse them

"You promised"

The Tiger promises on impulse, the Pig remembers forever. The best remedy is to separate intention from promise. The phrase "I want to do it" and the phrase "I will do it by Friday" should sound different. Then the Pig gets fewer reasons for disappointment, and the Tiger does not let himself down.

"You don't say what you want"

The Pig waits for her wishes to be guessed. The Tiger does not guess. A simple rule: ask directly and for one thing at a time. A Tiger who gets a concrete request usually fulfills it gladly.

"The money goes somewhere"

Shared bookkeeping and a limit on spontaneous spending are needed. This is not distrust but protection against that very 破. It is worth starting a shared spreadsheet or an account into which a fixed sum goes.

9 Tiger and Pig in 2027

2027 is 丁未 (dīng-wèi), the Fire Goat, beginning with 立春 (lì chūn) around February 4. For the Tiger the year branch 未 forms no direct link. For the Pig it is warmer: 亥 and 未 belong to the Wood Three Harmony 亥卯未, and in 2027 the Pig receives a half-triangle (the Rabbit 卯 is missing). This is usually described as support and strengthening of the Wood element: for people with 亥 in the chart the year can give a feeling that "things are moving" and help appears.

For the couple this means that the shared Wood root linking Tiger and Pig gets extra nourishment in 2027. If your charts contain a Rabbit 卯 (in the year, month, day, hour or a Luck Pillar), the triangle 亥卯未 closes, and the shared Wood energy becomes especially visible. In the monthly calendar the Rabbit arrives in the month 癸卯 (March 6 to April 4, 2027): in those weeks the triangle in the general backdrop assembles fully, and shared plans are easier to discuss.

The months of the signs themselves are worth knowing too. The Tiger's month 壬寅 runs from February 4 to March 5, the Pig's month 辛亥 from about November 7 to December 6 (boundaries within a day). In both months one partner's branch meets the other's, and the combination 寅亥 repeats in the calendar. A convenient scheme for the couple: in the "Tiger month" launch new things, in the "Pig month" sum up and sort out which agreements are not working. One correction: 亥亥 is among the self-punishments 自刑, so in November the Pig can be stricter with herself and more easily offended than usual.

There are also months when both have a harder time at once. The month 戊申 (August 8 to September 7) gives the Tiger a direct clash 寅申冲 and the Pig a harm 申亥害. The month 乙巳 (May 6 to June 5) brings 巳亥冲 for the Pig and 寅巳害 for the Tiger. If the pair knows this in advance, it is easier not to sort out the relationship in exactly those weeks and not to take a partner's fatigue personally. The Tiger is also supported by the month 丙午 (June 6 to July 6, half of the Fire triangle 寅午戌), and the Pig by the month 丁未 (July 7 to August 7) itself, where the year branch and the month branch together with 亥 form the familiar half-triangle 亥卯未.

If a chart of either of you contains 申 or 巳, they may interfere in the 寅亥 link, and then the year will read differently. So everything said about 2027 is a general backdrop, not a prediction of events. For an accurate picture you need the annual context on your own pillars.

10 Why the year sign is only the top layer

Tiger and Pig by year are two branches of eight. They show the environment you came from and a general coloring, but do not determine how exactly you will live together. These are the five checks made on full charts.

1. The Day Masters 日主 (rì zhǔ). How the elements of the two "selves" relate. If, say, your Day Masters are 壬 and 甲, the link "Water to Wood" is strengthened regardless of birth years.
2. The day branches, the Spouse Palaces 夫妻宮. Whether they form a combination, clash, punishment or harm. A day-branch 寅亥 is a special situation: powerful attraction and powerful vulnerability.
3. Elemental balance: whether Wood needs water, whether water needs Wood's output, and whether either chart has an excess of cold or heat.
4. Links between all pillars. One link says nothing; the whole network is examined, including whether a 合 is broken by a clash.
5. Luck Pillars 大運 (dà yùn): whether the next ten years of the two are in sync.

There is no compatibility percentage in BaZi. There is a description of where the pair has supports and where attention is needed.

An honest caveat. The double link 寅亥 does not mean "a love that will fall apart". It is a pair that benefits from knowing its weak points. The year sign does not decide fate, and decisions about marriage and shared affairs are better made from two full charts. For a first look at two dates there is the compatibility tool, and the method is laid out in the five layers of BaZi compatibility.

You can open your own chart without a partner for free: free BaZi chart. To see how the coming year sits on your chart, there is the Year Ahead Context 2027 (PDF, $19.90). To compare two birth dates first, try the compatibility tool.

11 Frequently asked questions

Are Tiger and Pig compatible?

Two classical links act between 寅 (yín) and 亥 (hài): a Six Harmony 六合 (leaning toward Wood) and a destruction 六破. By element Water (Pig) produces Wood (Tiger), which is favorable. The pair is usually strong in attraction and support but vulnerable to leaks and unspoken things. The result depends on the other pillars.

Which matters more in a Tiger and Pig pair, the harmony or the destruction?

In practice a strong harmony 合 can mute a destruction 破. But which one outweighs the other is decided by other links in the charts: for example, the appearance of 申 or 巳 can weaken the union. It cannot be decided by year signs.

How does a Tiger and Pig couple go through 2027?

For the Tiger the year branch 未 (wèi) forms no link. For the Pig, 亥 and 未 make a half of the Wood triangle 亥卯未, usually described as added support. It is a general backdrop, not a forecast of events.

Can money be shared in a Tiger and Pig couple?

Because of the destruction link, shared accounting and written agreements are useful. They protect against the "leaks" typical of branches in 破. They give no guarantee, but there are fewer disputed situations.

How reliable is a year-sign forecast for a couple?

It describes only one layer. A reliable conclusion needs two full charts: Day Masters, Spouse Palaces, elemental balance, links between all pillars and Luck Pillars.