What Are the Earthly Branch Six Breakings?
The Earthly Branch Six Breakings, abbreviated "Po," are destructive relationships between Earthly Branches, symbolizing damage and destruction. The force of the Six Breakings is relatively weak among Earthly Branch relationships, but they still have a certain damaging effect, primarily manifesting in the disruption of plans and the collapse of undertakings.
Six Breakings Correspondence Table
| Breaking Pair | Five Element Relationship |
|---|---|
| Zi breaks You | Water-Metal breaking |
| Chou breaks Chen | Earth-Earth breaking |
| Yin breaks Hai | Wood-Water breaking |
| Mao breaks Wu | Wood-Fire breaking |
| Shen breaks Si | Metal-Fire breaking |
| Xu breaks Wei | Earth-Earth breaking |
Effects of the Six Breakings
- Disruption of plans: Breakings indicate that matters change, plans fall through, or undertakings are cut short -- such as a negotiated cooperation suddenly fracturing.
- Relationship breakdown: When a Branch representing a relationship encounters a breaking, that relationship may suffer damage and develop fissures.
- Weaker force: The influence of the Six Breakings is generally weaker than the Six Clashes and Six Harms, serving as a supplementary indicator in chart analysis.
Practical Considerations for the Six Breakings
The Six Breakings are not a commonly used primary judgment tool and are mostly employed as supplementary analysis. When a Branch in the chart is both clashed and broken, the force represented by that Branch suffers heavier damage, and the stability of related life matters noticeably declines. When a Luck Cycle or Annual Luck activates a Six Breaking, it may portend unexpected disruptions to a plan or relationship during that period.