The Ten Gods in BaZi
The Ten Gods (十神, shi shen) are the roles the characters of a chart play in relation to the Day Master. Through them, BaZi talks about money, work, study, relationships and the people around you.
How the Gods Are Derived
Each stem in the chart is compared with the Day Master on two counts: how their elements are related in the cycle of the five elements, and whether their polarity, yin or yang, is the same. Five relationships times two polarities make ten gods.
| Relationship to the Day Master's element | Same polarity | Opposite polarity |
|---|---|---|
| Same element | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫财 |
| Element it produces | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 伤官 |
| Element it controls | Indirect Wealth 偏财 | Direct Wealth 正财 |
| Element that controls it | Seven Killings 七杀 | Direct Officer 正官 |
| Element that nourishes it | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 |
For example, for a 丙 (Yang Fire) Day Master, the stem 甲 (Yang Wood) nourishes fire and has the same polarity, so it is the Indirect Resource, while 乙 (Yin Wood) is the Direct Resource. Branches get their gods through their Hidden Stems; the first and strongest of these is considered the main one.
What the Ten Gods Mean
Friend 比肩 — your peers: friends, colleagues, partners on an equal footing; independence and perseverance.
People: for a man, brothers, friends, colleagues; for a woman, sisters, female friends, colleagues. In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of independence: more reliance on yourself and your peers.
Rob Wealth 劫财 — competition and drive: rivals, the thrill of competition, a readiness to take risks. The energy to get your way; tradition advises caution with money and joint ventures.
People: for a man, brothers and sisters, rivals; for a woman, brothers and sisters, female rivals. In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of competition and drive: more energy and more rivals.
Eating God 食神 — gentle self-expression: talent, creativity, a zest for life, enjoyment of your work, easygoing generosity.
People: for a man, students and protégés; for a woman, children (in old texts, a daughter). In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of calm self-expression: creativity and enjoying your work.
Hurting Officer 伤官 — vivid self-expression: a sharp mind and a sharp tongue, rebellion against rules, creative breakthroughs. The strength of an innovator; traditionally, friction with bosses and restrictions.
People: for a man, students and subordinates; for a woman, children (in old texts, a son). In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of change through self-expression: bold ideas, breaking the mold.
Indirect Wealth 偏财 — money “from outside”: enterprise, deals, big opportunities, generosity, connections.
People: for a man, the father (in old texts, also a lover); for a woman, the father. In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of opportunity: deals, money in motion, new connections.
Direct Wealth 正财 — earned money: steady income, thrift, good household management, hard work.
People: for a man, the wife; for a woman, in old texts, the mother-in-law. In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of earning: steady income, savings, household affairs.
Seven Killings 七杀 — pressure and challenge: hardships and strong rivals, and the strength to deal with them. Decisiveness, risk, power won through struggle.
People: for a man, rivals and strict superiors (in old texts, a son); for a woman, a lover (in old texts, a second husband). In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of trials and strength: pressure, challenges, decisive steps.
Direct Officer 正官 — order and status: responsibility, discipline, reputation, a career within the system, respect for rules.
People: for a man, superiors (in old texts, a daughter); for a woman, the husband. In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of status and responsibility: career, recognition, obligations.
Indirect Resource 偏印 — unconventional knowledge: intuition, unusual interests, metaphysics, self-education. Depth, but also a tendency toward solitude.
People: for a man, outside mentors (in old texts, a stepmother); for a woman, outside mentors (in old texts, a stepmother). In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of unconventional knowledge: a change of course, learning for its own sake.
Direct Resource 正印 — support and learning: education, mentors, documents, patronage, care.
People: for a man, the mother, teachers, patrons; for a woman, the mother, teachers, patrons. In a Luck Pillar or year, it brings a time of support and learning: education, documents, help from elders.
The family meanings come from the classical table of the “six relatives”: the mother is the element that nourishes the Day Master, a man's wife is the element he controls, and a woman's husband is the element that controls her. Today they are read more broadly, as the roles of the people around you.
Where a God Sits: The Pillars and Areas of Life
| Pillar | Area of life | Stage of life |
|---|---|---|
| Year | family line, ancestors, society | childhood |
| Month | parents, brothers and sisters, career, social circle | youth |
| Day | yourself (stem) and your spouse (branch, the “Spouse Palace”) | mature years |
| Hour | children, students, plans | second half of life |
The stem is what's visible. The branch and its Hidden Stems are what's inside and shows up later. For example, Direct Resource in the month pillar traditionally points to parental support and education in youth, and Direct Wealth in a man's day branch to a thrifty, practical wife.
What the Gods Can't Tell You on Their Own
The same god reads differently depending on the strength of the chart: for a strong Day Master, Seven Killings means energy and power; for a weak one, pressure. Direct Resource means support for a weak Day Master and, for a very strong one, smothering care that gets in the way. The calculator doesn't make this assessment: schools disagree here, and it's a job for a consultant.
Frequently asked questions
Why “gods”?
It's a translation of the word 神 (shen): “spirit,” “force.” These aren't deities but ten types of relationships between the characters of a chart; “Ten Gods” is the standard name in English-language books.
Is it bad if there's no wealth in my chart?
No. A missing wealth element doesn't mean poverty: money comes through other elements, and in the decades when wealth arrives with the Luck Pillars.
Is Seven Killings dangerous?
The name is frightening, but the meaning is pressure and challenge. In a strong chart, it's a sign of decisiveness and power won through struggle.
How do I find my gods?
Build your chart in the BaZi calculator: the first row of the table shows the god of each stem, the Hidden Stems row shows the gods inside the branches, and the interpretations are below the chart.