相克

相剋

xiāngkè

verb

Meanings

1 to be mutually incompatible
2 to restrain each other (Five Elements theory)

Characters

mutually, each other

to restrain, to overcome

Examples

老人说属相相克不能结婚。

Lǎorén shuō shǔxiàng xiāngkè bù néng jiéhūn.

Old folks say couples with incompatible zodiac signs shouldn't marry.

水和火相克。

Shuǐ hé huǒ xiāngkè.

Water and fire restrain each other.

有人说螃蟹和柿子相克,其实没科学依据。

Yǒurén shuō pángxiè hé shìzi xiāngkè, qíshí méi kēxué yījù.

Some say crab and persimmon don't go together, but there's no scientific basis.

Tips

culture

相克 pairs with its opposite 相生 (mutually generating) in Five Elements (五行) theory: 金生水,水生木... and 金克木,木克土.... In modern usage it also covers food taboos, zodiac pairings for marriage, and personality clashes.

Stroke Order

相 xiāng

克 kè