Clash and Sha in the Almanac: Clash Is About Your Sign, Sha Is About Direction
Every day in the almanac carries a line such as "clashes Rat (Geng-Zi), sha North." It is really two things: the clash (chong 沖) tells you which zodiac sign the day clashes with, and the sha (煞) tells you which direction should not be disturbed that day. Both are derived from the day's Earthly Branch, and the rules are fixed.
Clash: which sign the day's branch clashes with
The twelve Earthly Branches sit in opposing pairs, six places apart, and each pair clashes: Zi–Wu, Chou–Wei, Yin–Shen, Mao–You, Chen–Xu, Si–Hai. On a Wu day, people born in a Rat (Zi) year are clashed; on a Zi day, it is people born in a Horse year.
| Day branch | Clashes | Day branch | Clashes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zi day | Horse (Wu) | Wu day | Rat (Zi) |
| Chou day | Goat (Wei) | Wei day | Ox (Chou) |
| Yin day | Monkey (Shen) | Shen day | Tiger (Yin) |
| Mao day | Rooster (You) | You day | Rabbit (Mao) |
| Chen day | Dog (Xu) | Xu day | Dragon (Chen) |
| Si day | Pig (Hai) | Hai day | Snake (Si) |
Almanacs often write "clashes Pig (Xin-Hai)" or "clashes Xin-Hai Pig." The stem and branch in brackets are the pair being clashed: on a Ding-Si day, Ding controls Xin and Si clashes Hai, stem against stem and branch against branch, hence Xin-Hai. For most people, the zodiac sign is all you need.
The branches cycle every twelve days, so each sign is clashed about once every 12 days, around 30 days a year. These are not unlucky days; they are simply not suited to that person holding a wedding, moving or opening a business. For the principle behind branch clashes, see the six clashes.
Sha: the day's Three Killings direction
The Three Killings (san sha) direction comes from the three-harmony frame the day branch belongs to. Find the frame's central branch (Zi, Wu, You or Mao); the sha lies in the direction of the branch that clashes with it. For example, the Shen-Zi-Chen Water frame centers on Zi, Zi clashes Wu, and Wu is in the south, so the sha is South.
| Day branch | Three-harmony frame | Sha direction |
|---|---|---|
| Shen, Zi, Chen | Water frame | South |
| Yin, Wu, Xu | Fire frame | North |
| Si, You, Chou | Metal frame | East |
| Hai, Mao, Wei | Wood frame | West |
Traditionally, you avoid breaking ground, building or moving toward the sha direction on that day. Everyday life can ignore it; only for groundbreaking or moving into a new home do people who follow the custom closely pay attention.
Hours clash too
Each two-hour period has its own Earthly Branch, so hours also clash with zodiac signs: the Zi hour clashes the Horse, the Wu hour the Rat, and so on. Once you have a good day, it is best to keep the key ceremony out of hours that clash with the people involved. The good hours our finder lists already leave out any hour that clashes with the signs you enter.
Find a good date: pick the occasion, add zodiac signs, see dates and hours
We filter by the almanac's favorable and unfavorable activities, drop days that clash with the people involved, and list each day's Yellow Path hours. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
Zodiac signs change at the Start of Spring (around February 4), so if you were born in January or early February your sign may belong to the previous year; check the year pillar with the free chart calculator if unsure. To avoid clashes for more family members, run the search again with their signs.
How this differs from offending Tai Sui
A clash day is a single day that clashes with your sign, around 30 a year. Offending Tai Sui (fan tai sui) is when a whole year's branch clashes, punishes, harms or breaks your sign, affecting the rhythm of the entire year. The principle is the same; only the time scale differs. For which signs offend Tai Sui in 2027, the Ding-Wei year, see 2027: Year of the Goat.
A straight word: a good date brings peace of mind, not responsibility for the outcome
Date selection is a custom that goes back more than a thousand years, and it can give an important day a sense of occasion and reassurance. But whether a marriage is happy, a move goes smoothly or a business does well comes down to people. Our favorable and unfavorable activities come from almanac calendar data, and different almanac traditions differ slightly. For a truly important occasion, treat our result as a first pass and, if you like, check it with a teacher you trust. Everything on this site is for reference and entertainment.
Want to go straight to good dates?
Enter your zodiac sign and the finder automatically removes days and hours that clash with you.
Clash and sha FAQ
What does "clashes Rat, sha North" mean in the almanac?
Clashes Rat: the day is a Wu day, Wu clashes Zi, so people born in a Rat year should avoid important events that day. Sha North: the day branch belongs to the Yin-Wu-Xu Fire frame, so the Three Killings lie to the north, and breaking ground or moving toward the north is avoided that day.
Will I have bad luck on a day that clashes with my sign?
No. A clash day is not an unlucky day; tradition simply considers it unsuited to that person holding a wedding, moving or opening a business. Every sign is clashed about 30 days a year; it is part of the normal cycle.
How do I avoid the sha direction?
Traditionally, by not breaking ground, building or moving toward the sha direction that day. Daily life does not need to take it into account; only for groundbreaking or moving into a new home do people who follow the custom closely pay attention.
What is the stem-branch pair in brackets?
It is the stem-branch pair being clashed. A Ding-Si day, for example, reads "clashes Xin-Hai Pig": Ding controls Xin and Si clashes Hai, stem against stem and branch against branch. For most people the zodiac sign is all you need.