What are the Ten Gods? The BaZi Ten Gods explained with one table
The Ten Gods are not deities. They are the ten kinds of relationship between the Day Master and the other seven characters of a BaZi chart: Peer, Rob Wealth, Eating God, Hurting Officer, Direct and Indirect Wealth, Direct Officer, Seven Killings, and Direct and Indirect Resource. This guide shows how they are derived, with a full lookup table for the ten stems, the branches, traditional family associations and common combinations.
What the Ten Gods describe
In a BaZi chart the Heavenly Stem of the Day Pillar, the Day Master, represents you. Each of the other seven characters is compared with it: is it the same element as you, one you generate, one you control, one that controls you, or one that generates you? Split each of those by whether the yin-yang polarity matches and you get ten relationships: the Ten Gods.
"God" here means a category, not a spirit. The Ten Gods translate the element cycles into human terms: who stands beside you, how your talent comes out, what you earn and manage, what restrains you and what protects you.
Deriving the Ten Gods: two questions
First: how does this character's element relate to the Day Master's? Second: is its polarity the same? Same polarity gives the "indirect" members (Peer, Eating God, Indirect Wealth, Seven Killings, Indirect Resource); opposite polarity gives the "direct" members (Rob Wealth, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth, Direct Officer, Direct Resource).
| Relationship to the Day Master | Same polarity | Opposite polarity | Group name | Broad themes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Same element as me | Companion (比肩) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Peers (比劫) | Self, siblings and friends, competition |
| I generate it | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Output (食伤) | Expression, talent, creative output |
| I control it | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Wealth stars (财星) | Money, resources, management |
| It controls me | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Officers (官杀) | Rules, position, pressure |
| It generates me | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Resource stars (印星) | Learning, protection, elders |
For example, take a Jia Wood (yang Wood) Day Master. Bing Fire is generated by Jia and is also yang, so it is the Eating God; Ding Fire is generated by Jia but is yin, so it is the Hurting Officer. Geng Metal controls Jia with the same polarity, making it Seven Killings; Xin Metal controls Jia with opposite polarity, making it the Direct Officer.
Ten Gods lookup table for the ten stems
Find your Day Master in the left column, then read across to another stem; the cell where they meet is that stem's Ten God relative to you.
| Day Master \ other stem | Jia (甲) | Yi (乙) | Bing (丙) | Ding (丁) | Wu (戊) | Ji (己) | Geng (庚) | Xin (辛) | Ren (壬) | Gui (癸) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jia (甲), Yang Wood | Companion (比肩) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) |
| Yi (乙), Yin Wood | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Companion (比肩) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) |
| Bing (丙), Yang Fire | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Companion (比肩) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) |
| Ding (丁), Yin Fire | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Companion (比肩) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) |
| Wu (戊), Yang Earth | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Companion (比肩) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) |
| Ji (己), Yin Earth | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Companion (比肩) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) |
| Geng (庚), Yang Metal | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Companion (比肩) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) |
| Xin (辛), Yin Metal | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Companion (比肩) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) |
| Ren (壬), Yang Water | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Companion (比肩) | Rob Wealth (劫财) |
| Gui (癸), Yin Water | Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Pian Yin (Indirect Resource, 偏印) | Rob Wealth (劫财) | Companion (比肩) |
Ten Gods for the Earthly Branches
Branches are not compared directly; you look at the stems hidden inside them. The usual shortcut is each branch's main qi, the hidden stem with the most weight:
| Earthly Branch | Main qi | Earthly Branch | Main qi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zi (子) | Gui Water (癸) | Wu (午) | Ding Fire (丁) |
| Chou (丑) | Ji Earth (己) | Wei (未) | Ji Earth (己) |
| Yin (寅) | Jia Wood (甲) | Shen (申) | Geng Metal (庚) |
| Mao (卯) | Yi Wood (乙) | You (酉) | Xin Metal (辛) |
| Chen (辰) | Wu Earth (戊) | Xu (戌) | Wu Earth (戊) |
| Si (巳) | Bing Fire (丙) | Hai (亥) | Ren Water (壬) |
For a Wu Earth Day Master, a Zi branch holds Gui Water as its main qi; Wu controls Gui with opposite polarity, so this Zi counts as Direct Wealth. In a closer reading the other hidden stems also carry Ten Gods, with less weight.
A complete example
The Day Master is Wu Earth (yang Earth). Ji Earth shares the element with opposite polarity: Rob Wealth. The Hour Stem Wu is identical: Peer. Bing Fire generates Wu with the same polarity: Indirect Resource. Each Wu branch's main qi, Ding Fire, generates Wu with opposite polarity: Direct Resource. Zi's main qi, Gui Water, is controlled by Wu: Direct Wealth. Mao's main qi, Yi Wood, controls Wu with opposite polarity: Direct Officer.
At a glance the chart is rich in Resource (Bing and two Wu) and Peers (Ji and Wu), with one Wealth and one Officer. Both Resource and Peers support the Day Master, so the chart leans strong, and the next step is to find the elements that would balance it.
Ten Gods and family roles (traditional view)
Traditional texts also map the Ten Gods onto family members. Below are the most common Ziping associations. Schools differ, so treat them as a reference for reading classical material:
| Ten God | Male chart | Female chart |
|---|---|---|
| Zheng Yin (Direct Resource, 正印) | Mother | Mother |
| Pian Cai (Indirect Wealth, 偏财) | Father | Father |
| Zheng Cai (Direct Wealth, 正财) | Wife | — |
| Zheng Guan (Direct Officer, 正官) | Daughter | Husband |
| Qi Sha (Seven Killings, 七杀) | Son | — |
| Shi Shen (Eating God, 食神) | — | Daughter |
| Shang Guan (Hurting Officer, 伤官) | — | Son |
| Bi Jian (Peer), Jie Cai (Rob Wealth) | Siblings and friends | Siblings and friends |
These associations cannot be used to judge family members. One person's chart shows how that person tends to relate to a kind of relationship; it is not a reading of anyone else.
Common Ten Gods combinations
Ten Gods rarely act alone. Classical texts describe a chart's structure through pairs:
- Wealth generates Officer: resources turn into standing; traditionally linked with steady work that earns recognition.
- Officer and Resource in sequence: the Officer feeds Resource, which feeds the Day Master; rules and learning end up supporting you.
- Eating God restrains Seven Killings: talent and ingenuity defuse pressure.
- Hurting Officer with Resource: a sharp edge is tempered by learning and patience.
- Hurting Officer meets Direct Officer: a bold, outspoken streak collides with rules; the classics advise care with authority.
- Indirect Resource overpowers Eating God: overthinking can stifle natural expression.
- Peers compete for Wealth: many peers share the resources; the classics advise care with partnerships and spending.
Whether a combination applies depends on the chart itself: how strong each character is, whether they sit next to each other, and whether clashes or combinations interfere. A combination with an alarming name may suit a chart perfectly.
Each of the Ten Gods in detail
Each of the Ten Gods has its own guide covering its traditional character, what it means in each pillar, how an excess or shortage shows up, and common misunderstandings. A good place to start is the Ten God that appears most often in your chart.
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This page introduces traditional culture knowledge for reference only; it makes no predictions or guarantees about fate, health, relationships or wealth.