BAZI KNOWLEDGE BASE
Hook and Noose in BaZi: branch table, naming rules and examples
Hook and Noose (Gou Jiao Sha, 勾绞煞) starts three branches forward and three backward from the birth Year Branch. The two targets oppose each other. The classical names swap according to the text’s year-stem polarity and male/female grouping. Finding the targets and naming convention explains more than an unexplained warning about trouble.
First find the positions: which direction is forward?
Use the order Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu 午, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai, without counting the starting point as a step. Three forward from Zi reaches Mao; three backward reaches You. Stating the direction avoids ambiguity in translations of ahead and behind.
The table gives positions first. The next section assigns their names under the classical convention. Each pair is six branches apart and can be checked against the six clash pairs.
| Year Branch | Three forward | Three backward |
|---|---|---|
| Zi | Mao | You |
| Chou | Chen | Xu |
| Yin | Si | Hai |
| Mao | Wu | Zi |
| Chen | Wei | Chou |
| Si | Shen | Yin |
| Wu | You | Mao |
| Wei | Xu | Chen |
| Shen | Hai | Si |
| You | Zi | Wu |
| Xu | Chou | Wei |
| Hai | Yin | Shen |
When does the classical rule swap Hook and Noose?
Sanming Tonghui groups yang-year males with yin-year females, and yin-year males with yang-year females. Polarity belongs to the Year Stem: Jia, Bing, Wu 戊, Geng and Ren are yang; Yi, Ding, Ji, Xin and Gui are yin. The first group calls the forward target Gou and the backward target Jiao; the second reverses the names.
This describes the historical naming arrangement, not behavior inferred from polarity or gender. If that grouping is not adopted or the necessary information is absent, retain the two positions without guessing a category for the person. Clarify does not currently calculate Gou Jiao.
Jia-Zi and Yi-Chou examples: one target is not the pair
Using the text’s male grouping for illustration, Jia-Zi gives Mao as Gou and You as Jiao; Yi-Chou gives Chen as Jiao and Xu as Gou. Forward and backward positions stay fixed, while the names change. Recording the whole year pillar (the two-symbol column for the birth year) explains why zodiac-only tables can disagree.
Suppose the other known branches in the Jia-Zi illustration are only Mao, Wu 午 and Wei. Mao is present and You is absent. Comparing a later You year introduces a timing branch; it does not mean both targets existed at birth. This example checks the rule without predicting work, relationships or safety.
Why do entanglement and restraint not identify an event?
The names borrow imagery of hooking and restraint. The source also distinguishes one target from both, control from support, and other conditions; the name is not a complete conclusion even within that tradition.
An actual agreement dispute, work pressure or communication problem needs specific conduct, commitments and dates. A position derived from the Year Branch cannot establish litigation, crime, violence or an accident, or identify a person who brings trouble. Its immediate use is to clarify the symbolic relationship stated in a report.