What is Lục Hại?

What is Lục Hại and where does it come from?

Lục Hại (六害) is a concept in the can chi (Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches) system of Eastern culture, referring to six pairs of earthly branches that have a hidden, mutually antagonistic relationship. Those six pairs are: Tý Mùi, Sửu Ngọ, Dần Tỵ, Mão Thìn, Thân Hợi, Dậu Tuất. This concept originates from the theory of yin-yang and the five elements and the interaction between earthly branches, recorded in ancient texts on Eastern calendrical science and divination.

What are the six Lục Hại pairs and their characteristics?

Each Lục Hại pair expresses a distinct type of antagonism:

• Tý Mùi: hidden mutual restraint in time and space, prone to disagreement in relationships.
• Sửu Ngọ: disagreement due to differences in character, difficult to harmonise in business and marriage.
• Dần Tỵ: conflict, holding each other back, with deep-rooted causes in differences of nature.
• Mão Thìn: hidden losses, hard to see but persistent, due to the subtlety and caution of Mao differing from Thin.
• Thân Hợi: hidden mutual antagonism, likely to cause spiritual and material harm if combined over the long term.
• Dậu Tuất: hidden antagonism, difficult to harmonise in relationships.

According to traditional belief, Lục Hại does not mean absolutely bad, but points out matters that need attention so that behaviour and conduct can be adjusted.

How is Lục Hại used in practice?

In folk custom, Lục Hại is often consulted when looking at ages for marriage, business cooperation, choosing partners, or examining fortunes. People believe that if two people belong to a Lục Hại pair, the relationship may encounter hidden difficulties, hard to reveal outwardly but smouldering underneath. However, cultural researchers hold that this is only one part of a complex theoretical system, and that many other factors need to be combined, such as the five elements, heavenly stems, earthly branches, and the specific circumstances.

Distinguishing Lục Hại from easily confused terms

Lục Hại differs from Lục Xung (six pairs of earthly branches directly opposing each other, such as Tý Ngọ, Sửu Mùi, Dần Thân, Mão Dậu, Thìn Tuất, Tỵ Hợi) and Lục Hợp (six pairs of earthly branches in harmony, such as Tý Sửu, Dần Hợi, Mão Tuất, Thìn Dậu, Tỵ Thân, Ngọ Mùi). If Lục Xung is open conflict and Lục Hợp is support, then Lục Hại is hidden, silent, hard-to-detect antagonism. In addition, there are also Tam Hình and Tứ Hình, but Lục Hại consists of only six fixed pairs.

Points to note when consulting what Lục Hại is

This is traditional knowledge of a reference nature, not yet verified by science. Readers should approach it with an open spirit but should not treat it as a decisive factor in important life decisions.

How do different schools understand it?

• Folk belief: Holds that Lục Hại is a bad sign, and that marriage or business cooperation between these pairs should be avoided to prevent hidden conflict.
• The can chi theoretical perspective: Regards Lục Hại as only one part of the earthly branch interaction system, and holds that it should not be assessed in isolation but needs to be combined with many other factors.

Related articles

• Dau - Tuat harm: The Lục Hại pair among the 12 zodiac animals and how to resolve it
• Suu - Ngo harm: The Lục Hại pair among the 12 zodiac animals and a detailed perspective
• Than - Hoi harm: The Lục Hại pair among the 12 zodiac animals and how to resolve it
• Mao - Thin harm: The Lục Hại pair among the 12 zodiac animals and how to resolve it
• Dan - Ty harm: Decoding the Lục Hại pair among the 12 zodiac animals
• Ty - Mui harm: The Lục Hại pair among the 12 zodiac animals, a detailed perspective

Which pairs make up the six Lục Hại?

These six pairs cover all 12 branches, with each branch belonging to exactly one pair.

The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.