Rabbit and Rooster Compatibility
The Rabbit (mǎo, Wood) and Rooster (yǒu, Metal) sit directly opposite each other on the zodiac wheel, forming a Six Clashes (liu chong) pairing, mǎo-yǒu clash being one of six fixed opposite-branch pairs. Metal cuts Wood in the controlling cycle, an element reading that reinforces rather than softens the clash.
| Signs | Rabbit × Rooster |
|---|---|
| Traditional relation | Six Clashes (liu chong) |
The Rabbit's branch is mǎo (卯, Wood, Yin); the Rooster's branch is yǒu (酉, Metal, Yin). Sitting exactly opposite each other on the twelve-branch wheel, mǎo and yǒu form one of the six fixed Six Clashes (liu chong) pairings. The elements do little to ease the tension: Metal cuts Wood in the controlling (ke) cycle, so the Rooster's element is traditionally read as working directly against the Rabbit's rather than merely standing apart from it.
In personality, the contrast is fairly direct. The Rabbit is gentle, cautious, and diplomatic, generally preferring to smooth over disagreement rather than name it outright; the Rooster is precise, candid, and image-conscious, more inclined to say exactly what it thinks and expect the same in return. That directness can read as bluntness to the Rabbit, and the Rabbit's habit of sidestepping a point can read as evasiveness to the Rooster — a mismatch of communication styles more than a difference in underlying goals, which older matchmakers treated as something to talk through openly rather than paper over.
As with any clash pairing, this is read as friction worth naming, not a verdict against the relationship; a fuller Ba Zi reading considers the whole birth chart rather than one branch relation alone.
Mǎo-yǒu is already a formal clash — why does the element reading make it sharper instead of softer?
Because Metal restrains Wood in the same direction as the clash — unlike some clash pairs softened by sharing an element, this one gets no such relief, so the element reading sharpens the tension instead.
Do the elements soften the clash reading?
No — the Rooster's Metal cuts the Rabbit's Wood in the controlling cycle, reinforcing the tension rather than easing it.
How do the two temperaments differ?
The Rabbit is gentle and diplomatic, avoiding direct confrontation; the Rooster is candid and precise, comfortable saying things plainly.
Does a Six Clashes (liu chong) pairing mean this match cannot work?
No — clash pairs are traditionally read as needing more patience and plain talk, not as a reason to avoid the relationship.
Zodiac, year pillar (Gānzhī) and na yin element are computed from the lunar calendar with lunar-typescript · Last updated 2026-09-11