Earthly Branches - 3 Meetings 三会 & 3 Combinations 三合

3 Meetings 三会 , also called Directional Combination (方合)

When the 3 or 4 branches of the same season meets together, they form an extremely strong support for the element that represent the seasons.

Hai Zi Chou forms a water frame, north direction
Yin Mao Chen forms a wood frame, east direction
Si Wu Wei forms a fire frame, south direction
Shen You Xu forms a metal frame, west direction

EB 3 combinations 三合

Shen Zi Chen combines to be Water
Si You Chou combines to be Metal
Yin Wu Xu combines to be Fire
Hai Mao Wei combines to be Wood

The 3 combinations is made of 3 Qi stages of an element which are
1. The ChangSheng (Birth) stage
2. The DiWang (Imperial / Peak) stage
3. The Mu (Tomb) stage

SMTH says:

如申子辰，申乃子之母，辰乃子之子，申乃水生，子乃水旺, 辰乃水气，生即产，旺即成，库即收，有生有成有收，万物得始得终，乃自然之理，故申子辰为水局。
Like Shen Zi Chen, Shen is the mother of Zi, Chen is the child of Zi, Shen is where water is born, Zi is where water is prosperous, Chen is water Qi, to be born is to be produced, to be prosperous is to be successful, storage means to be stored. There's production, success and storage. Ten thousand beings has beginning and the end, it's the natural law. Thus Shen Zi Chen is water frame.

若三字缺一则化不成局，不可以三合化局论。
If among the three words, one is missing, the transformed frame would not be successful, it cannot be regarded as the structure 3 combinations.

盖天地间道理，两则化，一阴一阳之谓也，三则化，三生万物之谓也。
It's the natural law, 2 to be transformed has to be one Yang and one Yin, 3 to be transformed  is because 3 engenders ten thousand beings 


已酉丑、寅午戌、亥卯未皆然。Si You Chou, Yin Wu Xu, Hai Mao Wei are all like this.


五行不言土者，四行皆赖土成局，万物皆归藏于土故也；若辰戌丑未全自作土局论。
The five elements are not including Earth, all the other four elements rely on earth to establish a transformed frame, that is because ten thousand beings return to earth (at some point). If there's Chen Xu Chou Wei all complete, it's regarded as an earth structure.


凡命有合，要得局为佳。假令丙丁生人见亥卯未印、已酉丑财为得局，见寅午戌火为本局，申子辰水为官局，辰戌丑未土为伤局。
Should there be combination in the natal chart, it has to have a frame to be regarded as good. For example, a Bing or Ding person sees Hai Mao Wei as 'Seal', Si You Chou as 'Wealth', Yin Wu Xu as its own frame, Shen Zi Chen as 'Officer' structure, Chen Xu Chou Wei as the 'Hurting' structure. 

又如丙人见已酉丑，丁人见寅午戌为三位禄格，谓丙以已为禄，丁以午为禄，酉丑合已，寅戌合午故也。《珞??录子》云："禄有三会"。《壶中子》云："得一分三，折月中之仙桂"。此之谓也。余仿此例。
And also if Bing person sees Si You Chou, Ding person sees Yin Wu Xu, it's regarded as three-prosperity -structure, as Si is the 'Lu' of Bing, Wu as the Lu of Ding, You Chou combines with Si, Yin Xu combines with Wu. <LuoLu Zi> says: 'Lu' has three meetings. <Hu Zhong Zi> says: to have one but divided into three, reduces the auspiciousness in the month (EB). It's talking about this, the other (elements) are all like this.

凡六合三合入命，主人形容姿美，神气安定，好生恶死，心地平直，周旋方便，聪慧疏通。
When 6 combination or 3 combination is in the natal chart, the person is good looking, has emotional stability, likes birth and hates death, kind and straightforward, moves around conveniently, intelligent and wise.

如相生合者，举事多遂，更有福神来往，则福愈厚，一生平易，多艺多才，言和貌悦，不较是非，福祸扶持，人多见怜；
When the mutually engendering element is combined, things can work out easily, has the blessing of the fortune god, fortunate and blessed, life is stable and easy, multi-talented, talk smoothly and look pleasing, does not like gossip, support the fortunate and help the unfortunate, likable.

如相克合者，难事而易悦，多是定计，动多招损，更有凶煞相兼，横事勾连，惊暴之灾，不致深咎；
When combining the mutually controlling element, things are difficult but easily blessed, mostly has to go with a fixed plan as changes would bring upon lost, when there's inauspicious devil, bad things happen consecutively, comes suddenly, but not to the extremity.

死绝合者，主人有为未尝遂意，威武不重，精神俗陋，招人鄙薄，志卑气窄，爱小人恶君子，习下自贱，一生少得称怀；
When combining with Si (dead) and Jue (extinct), meaning the person is not perfect/likable (as in when people look at him, people would not be satisfied),  he is not formidable, his thought / consciousness / vitality is common and plain (homely), people would despise him, his aspiration / will is low and his Qi (temperament) shallow, loves petty people and hates good people, his habit is low and himself is low, he would receive little appreciation and praise in his life;

与建禄合者，多横财、意外名望之福；
When it's combined with JianLu (month's Lu), has plenty unconventional wealth, the fortune of unexpected fame. 


正印贵人合，得天恩贵人提携之福；
When combining with ZhengYin (correct seal) GuiRen (noble people),  would fortunately be assisted by noble people.


食神合，衣禄丰余，饮食厚给；
When combining with ShiShen (Food God), clothes and money would be plentiful or in excess, food and drink is given generously.


大耗合，无礼貌，言情行浊，厚于贱人，侮慢君子；
Combining with DaHao (Big waste), no manners, his words passionate (in a negative way) and his conducts dirty, generous to (or favors) lowly (bad) people, bully or humiliate people of noble character.


咸池并，奸恶私通，不良贪污之行；
With XianChi (salty pool), personally connected to those crafty and evil, engage in bribery.

与官符并，多招形狱，词讼旁牵，暗昧是非；
With GuanFu, incur punishments and imprisonment. lawsuits after one another, remain unenlightened and quarrel (right and wrong) 


天空并，动无成实，贱人欺诒。
With TianKong (sky emptiness), his action would results in nothing, would be taken advantages of by bad people.

妇人大忌合中带煞，咸池玷行淫声，大耗必致淫奔，中有贵禄者，自贱而贵也。
For women, it's a big taboo to have combination that carries 'Devil' (7K), XianChi disgrace by committing adultery, DaHo would cause elopement because of 'sex', if within there's Gui and Lu, self is lowly but is also noble.

大率合吉神则吉，合凶神则凶。
Generally, combining with auspicious god is auspicious, combining with inauspicious god is inauspicious. 

phew....