San He: The Four Three-Harmony Frames
Last updated 10/7/2026
This page performs one operation: detect whether the chart contains members of one of four San He sets. It does not decide formation status, target effect, or timing.
The four closed sets
| Frame | Branches | Associated element |
|---|---|---|
| Water | Shen–Zi–Chen (申子辰) | Water |
| Wood | Hai–Mao–Wei (亥卯未) | Wood |
| Fire | Yin–Wu–Xu (寅午戌) | Fire |
| Metal | Si–You–Chou (巳酉丑) | Metal |
The checked Zengshan Buyi chapter contains these four sets. It does not present an Earth San He frame. Keep that boundary local to this source rather than generalizing it to every branch system.
Detection worksheet
- Copy the six primary-chart branches.
- Make a second list containing each distinct branch label once.
- Compare that set with each of the four rows above.
- Record present and missing members.
- Stop before assigning status.
| Frame | Present distinct members | Missing members | Detection result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water | Shen, Zi, Chen | none | complete member set |
| Wood | Hai, Mao | Wei | two-member set |
| Fire | Yin | Wu, Xu | not detected for status work |
| Metal | none | Si, You, Chou | not detected |
These are structural labels, not claims that a frame has acted.
Duplicate-member trap
The course compares distinct branch labels when checking membership. If a branch appears on more than one line, record every line position, but do not count the repeated label as an additional member.
If a chart contains Zi twice plus Shen and Chen, its distinct Water members are Shen, Zi, and Chen. Record complete member set and list both Zi line positions. The duplicate does not create a fourth member, strengthen the set, or settle its formation status.
Use this reader-facing record:
distinct members: Shen, Zi, Chen → duplicate rows: Zi at positions __ and __ → membership: complete → formation status: evaluate in the next lesson
Deduplicating for membership while retaining every chart row is a UAYA course convention. It prevents a repeated label from being mistaken for a doctrinally new member.
Counterexamples
- Shen and Zi without Chen is not a complete Water member set.
- Shen, Zi, and Chou do not form a near-Water frame.
- Three Earth branches do not create an Earth San He frame under the checked authorities.
- A complete member set with a void or Month-Broken participant still needs the next lesson’s status check.
Trap and stopping condition
- Do not call two branches a completed frame.
- Do not describe a frame as a physical field or causal force.
- Do not infer benefit or obstruction from the associated element alone.
- With duplicates, separate distinct-member detection from line-by-line condition checking.
Source note
Received sets: Zengshan Buyi, “Three Harmonies” (三合章), chapter 21, checked composite printed p. 35. Distinct-member comparison and the duplicate-row notation are UAYA course conventions; status and effect remain separate questions.
Next, classify the detected set under a named authority: San He Frame Statuses.