What is Tam Hợp?

What is Tam Hợp?

Tam Hợp (三合) is the name for four groups of three zodiac animals within the system of the 12 Earthly Branches. Each group consists of three branches four positions apart, combining into a distinct Five Elements frame. The four Tam Hợp groups are:

• Thân - Tý - Thìn: Water frame
• Hợi - Mão - Mùi: Wood frame
• Dần - Ngọ - Tuất: Fire frame
• Tỵ - Dậu - Sửu: Metal frame

Each group has a leading branch (often called the "birth"), a middle branch (the "prosperity") and a closing branch (the "tomb"), forming a closed cycle of one element^[1].

Origin and formation of Tam Hợp

Tam Hợp is formed on the basis of the yin-yang principle and the positions of the 12 Earthly Branches on the circle. The three branches in a group always combine harmoniously in yin-yang and Five Elements, and are regarded as a trio that complements one another in temperament, goals and capabilities. In feng shui, Tam Hợp is also tied to the 24 mountain directions, each mountain belonging to a particular Tam Hợp frame, which helps in interpreting house directions and grave sites.

How is Tam Hợp applied?

In Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology) and in choosing ages, Tam Hợp is often used to assess the degree of compatibility between birth years. People in the same Tam Hợp group are generally said to find it easy to empathise with and support one another in work and life. In feng shui, Tam Hợp is the basis for determining the frame of a mountain direction, choosing dates and times, and arranging space. In Western astrology, the "Trine" is the 120-degree aspect between two planets, symbolising harmony and innate talent.

Distinguishing Tam Hợp from easily confused terms

• Tam Hợp and Tứ Hành Xung: Tứ Hành Xung is the four groups of three zodiac animals that clash (Tý-Ngọ-Mão-Dậu, Dần-Thân-Tỵ-Hợi, Thìn-Tuất-Sửu-Mùi), the opposite of Tam Hợp.
• Tam Hợp and Lục Hợp: Lục Hợp is the six pairs of Earthly Branches that combine (Tý-Sửu, Dần-Hợi, Mão-Tuất, Thìn-Dậu, Tỵ-Thân, Ngọ-Mùi), different from the three-branch groups of Tam Hợp^[1].
• Tam Hợp in the Earthly Branches and Tam Hợp in Western astrology: Two concepts share a name but belong to two different systems, one based on the 12 zodiac animals, the other on the 120-degree angle between planets.

What should be kept in mind about Tam Hợp?

Tam Hợp is traditional knowledge of a reference nature and has not been verified by science. Readers should take it as part of spiritual culture, and should not treat it as an absolute basis for every choice in life.

How do different schools understand Tam Hợp?

• The Earthly Branch school: Tam Hợp is four groups of three zodiac animals forming Five Elements frames, used to interpret ages, choose dates and examine compatibility in Tử Vi (Vietnamese astrology).
• The Feng Shui school: Tam Hợp is the basis for assigning frames to the 24 mountain directions, applied in the Tam Hợp compass to measure house directions and grave sites.
• The Western Astrology school: The Trine is the 120-degree aspect between two planets, symbolising harmony and innate talent, and is unrelated to the 12 zodiac animals.

Related articles

• What are the 12 zodiac animals? Meaning and how to calculate ages by Earthly Branch
• The Giáp mountain direction among the 24 feng shui mountain directions: meaning and how to interpret
• Tam Hợp Thân - Tý - Thìn (Water frame): Meaning, nature and application in Tử Vi
• The Tý mountain direction among the 24 feng shui mountain directions: meaning and how to interpret
• The Ất mountain direction among the 24 feng shui mountain directions: meaning and in-depth interpretation
• Tam Hợp Hợi - Mão - Mùi (Wood frame): Exploring the Tam Hợp group in the 12 zodiac animals
• Tam Hợp Tỵ - Dậu - Sửu (Metal frame): Meaning, nature and application in Tử Vi
• What is the Trine aspect in astrology
• The Tuất mountain direction among the 24 feng shui mountain directions: meaning and in-depth interpretation
• Tam Hợp Dần - Ngọ - Tuất (Fire frame): The Tam Hợp group in the 12 zodiac animals
• The Luo Pan Compass: Directional Tool in Feng Shui

What do the four Tam Hợp groups consist of?

Each group consists of three branches exactly four steps apart on the circle of 12. This is a table lookup relationship, not a conclusion about people born in those years.

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