Tiger and Rooster Compatibility
The Tiger (yín, Wood, Yang) and Rooster (yǒu, Metal, Yin) miss all six classical branch relations — no special relation is recorded between them on the zodiac wheel. Almanacs instead note the underlying five-element link: Metal restrains Wood in the controlling cycle, a secondary reading brought in once harmony, clash, trine, association, punishment, and harm are all ruled out.
| Signs | Tiger × Rooster |
|---|---|
| Traditional relation | No notable traditional relation |
The Tiger's branch is yín (寅, Wood, Yang); the Rooster's branch is yǒu (酉, Metal, Yin). This pair falls outside all six classical branch relations: no Six Harmonies (liu he) pairing, no clash, no shared trine or association, and no punishment or harm listing links them. Rather than stopping there, folk tradition typically brings in the five elements as a secondary note: Metal restrains Wood in the controlling (ke) cycle, since a blade of Metal can cut through Wood, a milder reading than a named clash but still worth a mention.
In personality, the two read as fairly different operators. The Tiger tends to be bold, competitive, and comfortable improvising on the fly, while the Rooster is precise, hardworking, and candid, generally more comfortable with order, routine, and a job done properly. Where the Tiger wants to move fast and adjust later, the Rooster prefers to plan the details first — a difference in method more than a conflict of aims, and one that older matchmakers treated as manageable rather than disqualifying.
As with any pairing outside the six named relations, the element reading is offered as folk-calendar color rather than a verdict; the full birth chart, not one element link, is what a complete Ba Zi reading actually weighs.
The Tiger and Rooster miss every named relation — how seriously should the Metal-restrains-Wood note be taken?
Not very seriously: Metal restraining Wood is a real secondary note in the controlling cycle, but it sits outside the six named relations and carries far less weight than a formal warning.
What does the five-element link say instead?
The Tiger's yín branch is Wood and the Rooster's yǒu branch is Metal; Metal restrains Wood in the controlling (ke) cycle, a milder secondary note.
How do the two temperaments compare?
The Tiger is bold and quick to lead; the Rooster is precise, hardworking, and image-conscious, often preferring order to the Tiger's improvising.
Does having no named relation mean this pairing is inherently weak?
No — a large share of the 78 sign pairs (33 of them) fall outside the six categories; the wider birth chart is traditionally consulted to say more in cases like this.
Zodiac, year pillar (Gānzhī) and na yin element are computed from the lunar calendar with lunar-typescript · Last updated 2026-09-11