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Relations · Half Combination (Ban He)

Half Combination (Ban He): every pair, derived

A half combination takes two branches from a trine: 4 trines × 3 picks = 12 combinations — 8 hold the cardinal middle god (mainstream half combinations), 4 are bow pairs (a school divergence). This page lists all 12 with their classification.

Computed facts (engine-verified + build-time assertions)

This page is generated from engine vv0.14.0; the pairs follow convention R35 on the methodology page, and the generator refuses to render if any cross-check fails. Audit item by item.

Combinations12 = 4 trines × 3 two-branch picks each (C(3,2)=3)
With the middle god8 — read as half combinations by the mainstream, weaker than a full trine
Bow pairs4 (growth + tomb, middle seat empty) — whether they count is a school divergence, printed openly
Sourcederived on the spot from BRANCH_TRINE, no second hand copy

The complete table

One row per pair or group: members, nature and a one-step derivation. Nothing omitted — the table is the full set.

PairTypeOne-step derivation
Shen · Zihalf combination (holds the middle)from the Water trine, middle god present
Zi · Chenhalf combination (holds the middle)from the Water trine, middle god present
Shen · Chenbow pair (empty middle)from the Water trine — middle god absent: not a combination for the mainstream, a bow pair for some schools
Hai · Maohalf combination (holds the middle)from the Wood trine, middle god present
Mao · Weihalf combination (holds the middle)from the Wood trine, middle god present
Hai · Weibow pair (empty middle)from the Wood trine — middle god absent: not a combination for the mainstream, a bow pair for some schools
Yin · Wuhalf combination (holds the middle)from the Fire trine, middle god present
Wu · Xuhalf combination (holds the middle)from the Fire trine, middle god present
Yin · Xubow pair (empty middle)from the Fire trine — middle god absent: not a combination for the mainstream, a bow pair for some schools
Si · Youhalf combination (holds the middle)from the Metal trine, middle god present
You · Chouhalf combination (holds the middle)from the Metal trine, middle god present
Si · Choubow pair (empty middle)from the Metal trine — middle god absent: not a combination for the mainstream, a bow pair for some schools

School differences (printed openly)

The bow-pair dispute: of the 12 two-branch pairs, 4 lack the cardinal middle god (growth + tomb, such as Shen-Chen bowing to Zi). The mainstream does not count them — no middle, no frame; another school reads them as bow pairs with a vacancy awaiting the middle. This page separates the 8 half combinations from the 4 bow pairs so you can see which reading you are using.

Scan your own four pillars

Enter your birth moment (time optional). The page finds every hit of this relation among the six pairwise combinations of your four pillars.

A note on what this page deliberately does not do: the popular versions of this material assign a fixed personality to each term — one character per branch, one destiny per stage. This site rejects that framing. What is published here is a structural position: which element sits where, on what kind of ground, with which tenants inside. The same term reads differently under a different month command, and no meaningful judgement exists without the other characters of the chart. Where the tradition offers a reading it is labelled as the tradition's; this site's own contribution is that every number and term on this page is computed, versioned and checkable against the methodology page.

Frequently asked

Half combination versus bow pair?
Both take two branches of a trine: the 8 pairs holding the cardinal middle god are half combinations (mainstream-valid); the 4 pairs without it (growth + tomb) are bow pairs — not combinations for the mainstream, a pending vacancy for another school. All 12 are listed and separately marked here.
Why 12 combinations?
Each trine offers C(3,2)=3 two-branch picks; four trines give 12 — nothing omitted, nothing added. The 8+4 split is decided on the spot by whether the middle god is present, not by memory.
How much weaker is a half combination than a full trine?
No percentages here. The structure says it: a full trine holds three branches, a half combination two with the middle god, a bow pair two without it — the mainstream reads the strength in that order, and the actual weighing follows the month command and the whole chart.

The other seven relation pages

Heavenly Stem Combination →  ·  Heavenly Stem Clash →  ·  Six Harmony (Liu He) →  ·  Six Clash (Liu Chong) →  ·  Six Harm (Liu Hai) →  ·  Three Harmony (San He) →  ·  Punishment (Xing) →

Reference index

Every enumerable component of ba zi has its own page here. Each page is computed by the same engine and can be checked item by item — none of it is a personality table.