Rabbit

卯 sits fourth among the twelve, a yin branch of wood, with the Rabbit as its animal. The Lunheng gives it just three characters. A little further on, the same passage asks a pointed question: if metal beats wood, why does the rooster not peck the rabbit?

A soft-spoken, peace-keeping character is what popular zodiac books assign to the Rabbit, often along with a love of comfortable rooms and a tendency to avoid quarrels. No classical passage in our collection supports that picture. The Lunheng's rabbit exists only to test a theory about elements.

卯 is one of only four branches whose triad is named for its own element, since 亥, 卯 and 未 form a wood group. Its Six Harmonies partner is 戌, its Clash is 酉, its Harm is 辰, its Breaking is 午 and its Punishment runs both ways with 子. Clash here only means the two sit opposite each other. Rabbits might start with the Lunheng's own skepticism and ask of each rule what, exactly, it would have to show before they believed it applied to them.