沖 Chōng — The Six Clashes
The Major Branch Conflicts in BaZi

If the He unions are the "weddings" of a chart, then Chōng (沖) are the "wars." Six pairs of Earthly Branches, positioned opposite one another at 180°, form the most powerful conflicts in BaZi. They act like earthquakes: what was stable collapses, and what was hidden comes to the surface. Chōng is the "reboot" of destiny, without which true renewal is impossible.

In the classic 滴天髓 it is said: "逢沖則動" — "Where there is a clash, there is movement." This is the key to understanding Chōng. Without Chōng, life stagnates. With Chōng, it moves — sometimes painfully, sometimes triumphantly. The destinies of many remarkable people are threaded with Chōng that activate at their turning points: a change of country, a divorce, the founding of a company, the collapse of a career.

1 What Chōng Is — Definition and History

Chōng is the clash of two Earthly Branches positioned opposite each other in the circle of the 12 branches. The word 沖 in ancient Chinese meant "a rushing current that breaks through barriers." In the context of BaZi, it is a "head-on collision of energies," where two opposing elements meet and mutually destroy (or transform) one another.

The origin of Chōng is tied to astronomical observation: branches positioned opposite each other represent opposing points of the solar cycle (for example, the summer and winter solstices, the spring and autumn equinoxes). These points are equal in strength but opposite in nature — and that is what creates the clash.

In the treatise 三命通會 ("The Comprehensive Canon of the Three Fates") it is written: "沖者, 兩相對也, 必有破" — "Chōng is when two stand opposed to each other, and inevitably something breaks." Here is its quintessence: Chōng always breaks something. The only question is what, and how valuable it was.

2 The Complete List — The Six Clashes

All six Chōng pairs, with details of their elements and the nature of the conflict:

Note that Chou-Wei and Chen-Xu are clashes of two Earths. This is a special type: the "storages" collide and "open," releasing the elements hidden within them. This often means "the surfacing of what was concealed": secrets, inheritances, hidden talents, old traumas.

3 The Mechanics of Interaction — How the Elements Shift

Chōng is not an "equal mutual destruction." Someone always wins, and someone always loses. Understanding this is the key to practical application.

The Rule of the Winning Element

In a Chōng, the branch that controls the other by the cycle of the Five Elements wins. For example:

• Zi-Wu: Water extinguishes Fire → Zi (Water) wins, Wu (Fire) suffers.
• Yin-Shen: Metal cuts Wood → Shen (Metal) wins, Yin (Wood) suffers.
• Mao-You: the same — You wins.
• Si-Hai: Water extinguishes Fire → Hai wins, Si suffers.
• Chou-Wei, Chen-Xu: both Earth. Here the one stronger by season wins — whichever stands next to a supporting element.

What "Victory" and "Defeat" Mean

The "winning" branch keeps its energy but also expends strength. The "losing" branch is severely weakened or nearly vanishes. The hidden stems within the losing branch suffer: these "guests" flee.

Intensifying and Softening Chōng

Chōng can be softened or intensified by other combinations:

• Liù Hé softens Chōng. If there is a "peaceful pair" holding one of the conflicting branches.
• Sān Hé can "lead away" from Chōng or, conversely, provoke it (if the central branch is clashed).
• Seasonal support intensifies it. If the conflict occurs in "its own" season, the clash is more powerful.
• Triple Chōng (when the chart already contains two identical branches and the opposite one arrives) is a "multiple clash," a very heavy pattern.

4 Chōng in the Birth Chart — What It Means

Chōng in a native chart is a "built-in conflict." It will manifest throughout life in one form or another. Exactly where depends on its position.

Chōng by Position

• Year — Month. Conflict with parents, a break from one's lineage. Often emigration, moving away from one's hometown, a rupture with the family name. A search for identity.
• Year — Day. Marriage conflicts with the lineage. The family does not accept the spouse. Or the person chooses a partner "in defiance of the parents."
• Year — Hour. Children are "unlike" the grandfather/ancestors. A generational rift. Often the elder children move far away from the grandfather.
• Month — Day. The most painful position. Career and marriage cannot coexist. Divorce because of work, or work that destroys the relationship. A conflict between vocation and personal life.
• Month — Hour. Career and children "pull in different directions." People are often forced to choose.
• Day — Hour. Conflict with the spouse or the children. Or conflict between the spouse and the children (a stepmother, a divorce).

A Special Case: Chōng of the Day Branch

The Day Branch is the "spouse palace." A Chōng affecting the Day Branch is the chief indicator of a difficult marriage. Especially if it arrives in a Da Yun or Liu Nian. Divorce, affairs, remarriages are a common story. More on this in our article "Marriage in BaZi."

5 Chōng in Da Yun — Activation in the Luck Pillar

If a luck pillar brings a branch that clashes with one of the branches in your chart, it is a decade of upheaval. Exactly what gets overturned depends on which branch of the chart is involved.

Typical Activation Scenarios

• Chōng with the Year Branch in Da Yun — emigration, loss of contact with parents, the death of a grandparent, a break from one's lineage.
• Chōng with the Month Branch — a change of profession, a layoff, the start of a business, relocation for work.
• Chōng with the Day Branch — divorce, the beginning of a new marriage, a serious illness of the spouse, relocation.
• Chōng with the Hour Branch — a crisis with children, a rupture with descendants, fertility issues, changes in the younger generation.

Good Chōng in Da Yun

Not every Chōng is a catastrophe. If the clash "drives out" an unfavorable branch from the chart, it is a blessing. For example, if the chart contains a "killer" of the Day Master and a Chōng arrives against that branch, the branch is "expelled." The decade can turn out to be the best of one's life: liberation from a long-standing burden.

6 Chōng in Liu Nian — Annual Activation

Every year has a branch that can form a Chōng with one of the branches in the chart. That year becomes a "year of events."

Typical Events of an Annual Chōng

• A change of job, a layoff, a new contract.
• Relocation, renovation, the sale of property.
• Divorce, a breakup, a new marriage.
• Long journeys, emigration.
• Injuries, surgeries, accidents (especially if the Chōng touches the Day Branch).
• Financial swings — large gains or losses.
• Conflicts with loved ones, lawsuits.

An Example of Annual Activation

A woman has the Zi branch in her Day. In 2026 (丙午, Bing-Wu) the Wu-Horse arrives. Zi-Wu = Chōng. This is her "year of marital upheaval." Possible scenarios: divorce, relocating with the spouse, a serious family crisis, or, conversely, a reconsideration and renewal of the relationship (if she "works" with the Chōng consciously).

7 Positive Effects — When Chōng Works for You

Surprisingly, Chōng can be a welcome guest. This happens in several cases:

In the world of soldiers, athletes, politicians, and entrepreneurs, a Chōng in Da Yun is often a sign of ascent. They "receive the energy of the clash" and direct it toward their goals. Many generals, champions, and business founders were born with active Chōng in their charts.

8 Negative Effects — When Chōng Breaks the Balance

1. A Blow to a Favorable Branch

If Chōng destroys a branch that was your "helper" (Yong Shen), it is a loss of strength. For example, your "wealth" is Wood, and in the chart the Yin (Tiger) is its chief source. A Chōng arrives with Shen (Monkey) — the Wood is cut, and the money goes.

2. A Blow to the Day Branch (the Spouse Palace)

The most sensitive of all Chōng. The marriage is under siege. Divorce, serious quarrels, the illness of a spouse are typical scenarios. Especially if a Chōng in Da Yun overlaps with a Chōng in Liu Nian — the year can be critical.

3. Health at Risk

Chōng is a "blow" to the organs associated with the element. For example, the Zi-Wu Chōng strikes the heart (Fire) and the kidneys (Water) at once. The Mao-You Chōng strikes the liver (Wood) and the lungs (Metal). Chōng activating in years of already weakened health are especially dangerous.

4. Emotional Instability

Chōng with the Day or Month Branch often brings an emotional roller coaster: depression, anxiety, rage. The person feels "the ground is slipping out from under their feet." This is normal — but it calls for psychological support.

5. Financial Turbulence

Chōng with a branch that stores your wealth element brings sharp money swings. Large gains, large expenses, unexpected bills. There is no stability.

9 Combinations with Other Relationships

Chōng + Liù Hé (合解沖)

If a branch falling under Chōng simultaneously enters a Liù Hé with another, the union "holds" it, softening the clash. In the classics this is "hé dissolves chōng." For example, Zi-Wu is a Chōng, but the chart contains Chou — Chou forms a Liù Hé with Zi, holding Zi back from a full clash. Divorce does not occur, but there is a crisis in the marriage.

Chōng + Sān Hé

If a Chōng touches the central branch of a Three Harmonies union (Mao, Wu, You, Zi), the union is destroyed. If it touches an outer branch, the union is weakened. This is especially dramatic when a Sān Hé has already been activated and then a Chōng arrives: "everything that was being built collapses."

Chōng + Xíng (Punishment)

When Chōng combines with the Xíng punishment, it is a "violent separation." Not merely a breakup, but one with conflict, a lawsuit, a scandal. Divorce through the courts, dismissal with a scandal, a criminal case. A heavy pattern.

Double and Triple Chōng

If the chart already contains two identical branches and the opposite one arrives, it is a "blow to both at once." For example, the chart has two Zi (Year and Day), and Wu arrives in Da Yun — two Chōng simultaneously. A very heavy activation. This configuration is sometimes called a "divided destiny."

10 Practical Examples from Charts

Example 1. Divorce through a Day Chōng

A woman born in 1980, Day Pillar Yi-Hai (乙亥). In the Da Yun of 2018–2028, Si arrived — Si-Hai Chōng. In parallel, in 2023 (癸卯) Mao arrived, forming a Chōng with You (Rooster in the Hour). The double activation struck both marriage and career at once. She divorced, left her job, and moved to another city. Two years later — a new life.

Example 2. A Liberating Chōng

A man with Day Master Bing (Fire), strong by nature. His chart contains Zi (Water) — a powerful "killer" of Fire that had caused many health problems since childhood. In the Da Yun of 2010–2020, Wu arrived — Zi-Wu Chōng. Zi was "expelled," and the illnesses passed. The decade became the best of his life: he built a company, married, and restored his health.

Example 3. A Storage Chōng — an Inheritance

A woman with Chen (辰) in her chart. In 2024 Xu (戌) arrived — Chen-Xu Chōng. "The Earth storage opened." That year she received an unexpected inheritance from a distant relative, and at the same time long-forgotten skills "opened up" — she began to paint and sell paintings. An Earth Chōng is often a "surface flooding": what was hidden comes out.

Example 4. A Career Chōng through Work

A man with Shen in his Month. The year 戊寅 (Yin) arrived. Shen-Yin Chōng. His career was in danger. He resigned and started his own business. A year after a confident launch he realized: the Chōng had expelled the "toxic branch of corporate work" from his chart — he was made for entrepreneurship. The Chōng "broke what needed to be broken anyway."

Example 5. Strategic Work with Chōng

A married couple. The husband's Da Yun of 2025–2035 brings a Chōng with the Day Branch — a high risk of divorce. Learning of this two years in advance, they went to a therapist together, changed their environment (moving from the metropolis to a quiet suburb), and strengthened their communication. The Chōng "passed through" a journey and a relocation rather than through a divorce. Knowing the chart gave them the chance to choose the form of activation.

Conclusion

The Chōng clashes are at once the most fearsome and the most valuable mechanism in BaZi. Without them, life would be flat and stagnant. With them, it becomes "life with a capital L": changes, ruptures, renewals, breakthroughs. Understanding your Chōng is not a way to "avoid" them (that is impossible), but a way to live through them consciously.

A good BaZi master is not one who promises to "remove your Chōng" (no one can). He is the one who helps you understand exactly what the Chōng will bring and how to draw growth from it. Chōng is the fire of destiny. It will burn away everything unnecessary. What remains — that is you.