Image: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Public Domain)
TL;DR: The Four Clash group Dragon - Dog - Ox - Goat consists of two opposing pairs in the earthly branches: Dragon clashes with Dog, and Ox clashes with Goat. In folk belief, these pairs often have opposing personalities, prone to conflict in business and marriage, but understanding their nature can turn clash into growth.
What is the Four Opposing Zodiac Signs?
In the system of the Twelve Earthly Branches comprising 12 zodiac animals, the ancients divided them into 4 groups, each group consisting of 4 zodiac animals that have an opposing relationship with each other in pairs, called the Four Opposing Zodiac Signs. Those four groups are:
- Yin - Shen - Si - Hai
- Chen - Xu - Chou - Wei
- Zi - Wu - Mao - You
The Chen - Xu - Chou - Wei group is one of the combinations most often mentioned in folk culture, especially in interpretations about Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology), marriage and business. It is necessary to distinguish clearly: in this group, there are only two pairs of direct opposition, which are Chen opposing Xu and Chou opposing Wei, while other pairs such as Chen - Chou, Chen - Wei, Xu - Chou, Xu - Wei are not considered strongly opposing.
Where does the Four Opposing Zodiac Signs theory come from?
According to the theory of Yin Yang and the Five Elements, the 12 Earthly Branches are distributed on a circle of 12 positions, and each branch separated by 6 positions will form an opposing pair, called the six oppositions. Specifically:
| Opposing pair | Distance |
|---|---|
| Zi opposes Wu | 6 apart |
| Chou opposes Wei | 6 apart |
| Yin opposes Shen | 6 apart |
| Mao opposes You | 6 apart |
| Chen opposes Xu | 6 apart |
| Si opposes Hai | 6 apart |
Thus, Chen and Xu, Chou and Wei lie opposite each other on the circle of Earthly Branches, creating a mutually opposing position. In terms of the Five Elements:
- Chen belongs to the Earth element, Xu also belongs to the Earth element, but Chen is damp Earth (containing Water), while Xu is dry Earth (containing Fire).
- Chou belongs to the Earth element, Wei also belongs to the Earth element, but Chou is damp Earth (containing Water), while Wei is dry Earth (containing Fire).
Because they share the Earth element, the opposition is not an opposition in the Five Elements, but rather an opposition in position and temperament. Chen is in the Southeast (damp Earth), Xu is in the Northwest (dry Earth), Chou is in the Northeast (damp Earth), Wei is in the Southwest (dry Earth). The opposition in position leads to an opposition in nature: one side is damp, soft and yielding, while the other is dry and hot, tough and firm.
What are the personalities of the Dragon, Dog, Ox, and Goat?
What are the characteristics of the Chen (Dragon) sign?
People born in the year of the Dragon are often described as strong, authoritative, ambitious and far-sighted. They carry the temperament of a sacred animal, like to express themselves, and have leadership qualities. However, their weakness is that they are easily arrogant, impatient, sometimes domineering, and find it hard to listen.
What are the characteristics of the Xu (Dog) sign?
People born in the year of the Dog are loyal, upright, principled in life and place great importance on honour and righteousness. They are trustworthy friends who always protect what is right. But because they are too rigid and conservative, they sometimes become difficult, suspicious, and inflexible in situations that require change.
What are the characteristics of the Chou (Buffalo) sign?
People born in the year of the Buffalo are calm, persistent, hardworking and very practical. They do not like outward show, and always contribute quietly. Their weakness is stubbornness, slowness to change, and sometimes being too conservative, which causes them to miss opportunities.
What are the characteristics of the Wei (Goat) sign?
People born in the year of the Goat are gentle, kind-hearted, emotionally rich and artistically gifted. They live with sentiment and are easy to get close to, but they lack decisiveness, tend to worry, are easily influenced by others, and sometimes live dependently.
Overall, Chen and Xu are both strong and individualistic, and easily clash because neither is willing to yield. Chou and Wei, meanwhile, differ greatly in the rhythm of life: Chou is slow and pragmatic, while Wei is sensitive and romantic, so misunderstandings easily arise.
How is the Four Opposing Zodiac Signs applied in marriage and business?
According to folk belief, people born in the years of Chen and Xu, or Chou and Wei, when combining in marriage or business cooperation, often face many challenges:
- In marriage: The Chen - Xu pair is said to be "verbally opposed", often arguing because both have a high sense of self. The Chou - Wei pair often lacks emotional resonance; the Chou person feels the Wei person is too dreamy, while the Wei person finds the Chou person dry and dull.
- In business: The opposition can lead to disagreement in strategy, difficulty reconciling interests, and easy collapse midway. However, if they know how to divide roles clearly and respect each other's strengths, they can complement each other well.
What beliefs about the Four Opposing Zodiac Signs are true or false?
It should be emphasised that the Four Opposing Zodiac Signs does not mean "fatal opposition" or "impossible to combine". In reality, many couples with opposing zodiac signs still have happy lives if they know how to yield and understand each other. The ancients had the saying "opposition that is resolved" or "self-opposition" to refer to cases of opposition that still turn out well if adjusted.
Modern feng shui experts hold that judging an entire relationship based on zodiac sign alone is one-sided. One needs to consider the overall Tử Vi chart, the Five Elements of the nạp âm, the palace of destiny, and most importantly the efforts of both sides.
How do you resolve the Chen - Xu and Chou - Wei clash?
Folk tradition has handed down many methods of resolution to minimise negative effects:
- Use the three-combination zodiac signs: The three-combination of Chen is Shen - Zi, of Xu is Yin - Wu, of Chou is Si - You, of Wei is Hai - Mao. When combined, one can choose a person of a three-combination zodiac sign as a mediator.
- Choose the direction of the house, the direction of the desk: Avoid placing feng shui objects representing opposing zodiac signs in positions directly facing each other.
- Use supporting Five Elements: Because Chen and Xu both belong to Earth, one can use the Metal element to drain the Earth energy and reduce opposition. Chou and Wei are similar.
- Understanding and yielding: This is the most important solution. Every opposition stems from difference; if both sides respect each other and learn to listen, conflict will be resolved.
