Most people meet the loud branch tension first — the clash (충, chung). But the twelve earthly branches also carry two subtler tensions: Wonjin (원진), a quiet, hard-to-name irritation, and Yukhae (육해, the Six Harms), a gentle wearing-down. This guide explains the six pairs of each, what they tend to describe in a chart and in compatibility, and why neither is a curse. It is a tradition meant for reflection and self-understanding, not prediction — and you can see your own branches free, in plain English, in about a minute.
The earthly branches relate to one another in several ways. Some pull together (the harmonies), and some create tension. Among the tensions there is a rough scale of loudness: the clash is the most open, the three punishments sit in the middle, and wonjin and yukhae are the quietest — background textures rather than collisions.
| Relationship | Korean | How loud | Traditional feel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clash | 충 (chung) | Loud, head-on | Friction, movement, change |
| Punishment | 형 (hyeong) | Moderate | Complication, friction that needs care |
| Wonjin | 원진 (wonjin) | Quiet, beneath the surface | Hard-to-name irritation, grating |
| Six Harm | 육해 (yukhae) | Soft, gradual | Gentle wearing-down, slight pulling-apart |
None of these is read in isolation. Each is one texture within the whole chart, weighed against the harmonies, your Day Master and your overall element balance.
Wonjin is traditionally read as a subtle, hard-to-explain friction between two branches — not an open clash, but a faint sense of grating, the kind described as "for no clear reason, these two get on each other's nerves." It comes up most in compatibility, where it can describe a tendency toward small recurring annoyances between two people. The six wonjin pairs are:
| Pair | Branches |
|---|---|
| Rat & Goat | 子 · 未 |
| Ox & Horse | 丑 · 午 |
| Tiger & Rooster | 寅 · 酉 |
| Rabbit & Monkey | 卯 · 申 |
| Dragon & Pig | 辰 · 亥 |
| Snake & Dog | 巳 · 戌 |
Tradition treats wonjin as a tendency, not an outcome. Whether it surfaces at all depends on the harmonies also present and on the whole of both charts — and many close, lasting bonds carry a wonjin pairing without trouble.
Yukhae, the Six Harms, is read as a gentle wearing-down or quiet disagreement between two branches — milder than a clash and milder than a punishment. It tends to describe a soft friction or a slight pulling-apart in the area the branches touch. The six yukhae pairs are:
| Pair | Branches |
|---|---|
| Rat & Goat | 子 · 未 |
| Ox & Horse | 丑 · 午 |
| Tiger & Snake | 寅 · 巳 |
| Rabbit & Dragon | 卯 · 辰 |
| Monkey & Pig | 申 · 亥 |
| Rooster & Dog | 酉 · 戌 |
Because it is the softest of the tensions, yukhae is usually read as a faint background note rather than a defining feature — one small thread in a much larger weave.
Honesty matters in any reading. Wonjin does not predict that a relationship will fail, and yukhae does not guarantee conflict or loss. These pairings describe tendencies and textures — quiet irritation, gentle wearing-down — within a centuries-old framework for self-reflection. They are not forecasts of events and not advice. Read alone, a single wonjin or harm pairing tells you very little; read in balance with the harmonies and the whole chart, it adds nuance to a picture meant for understanding yourself and your relationships, not for foretelling the future. Note too that the exact lists and the weight given to these pairings differ between schools and teachers.
A couple of pairs — like Rat-Goat and Ox-Horse — appear on both lists. Tradition reads these as carrying both flavors at once: a quiet irritation and a soft wearing-down. When a pairing lands on more than one list it is usually read as a slightly more noticeable friction, though still gentle compared with a clash.
Yes — this is common and is part of why saju is read as a balance. Two branches might form a harmony while also sitting in a wonjin or yukhae relationship, pulling together and grating at once. The chart as a whole shows how those mixed pulls settle out.
It uses the same idea at two scales. Within one chart, a wonjin pairing describes a quiet internal friction; between two people, the same pairs feed into how their branches interact — which is the heart of gunghap (saju compatibility). The pairings above are the same building blocks, read across two charts instead of one.
Right here. The free Cheonmyeongdang calculator turns your birth date and hour into your eight characters, four earthly branches and Five Elements distribution in plain English — everything you need to start spotting wonjin, harms and the rest of the branch relationships.