Dragon in Love

The folk reading gives the dragon intensity and generosity in relationships, and pairs it with the rat, monkey and rooster. The pairings come from the branch scheme; the characterisation follows the animal's emblematic role.

It is one factor among several in the traditional system. The folk reading gives the dragon intensity and generosity in relationships, and pairs it with the rat, monkey and rooster. The year animal is the coarsest of the four pillars — the month, day and hour carry equal weight, and the classical sources never read the year alone. The dragon pairing with the rooster comes from the six harmonies rather than the affinity group — the tradition uses both mechanisms.

The three-fold affinity groups the dragon with the rat and monkey, which is the basis of the pairing. It is grouped under Earth (土) in the five-element system.