The Ten Gods (十神, shi shen) are bazi's translation layer: they convert the raw elements in your Four Pillars chart into roles — the friend, the rival, the boss, the mentor, the money, the creative output. Every other heavenly stem in your chart is read relative to your day master, and the Ten Gods are those relationships. This page is a reference: a quick explanation of each god, the rules behind the mapping, and a complete lookup table for all ten day masters. If you're new to the system, start with what the day master is first.
The Logic: Five Relationships × Two Polarities
Every stem has an element (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water) and a polarity (yin or yang). Relative to your day master, any other stem falls into one of five element relationships:
- Same element as me → peers (Companions)
- Element I produce (I feed it) → output (Eating God / Hurting Officer)
- Element I control (I conquer it) → wealth
- Element that controls me (it conquers me) → authority
- Element that produces me (it feeds me) → resource/support
Each relationship then splits in two by polarity: same polarity as the day master gives the "indirect/peer" version, different polarity gives the "direct/proper" version. Five relationships × two polarities = the Ten Gods.
The Ten Gods at a Glance
| God | Chinese | Relationship | Polarity | Core meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Companion (Friend) | 比肩 | Same element | Same | Peers, self-reliance, siblings, equals |
| Rob Wealth | 劫财 | Same element | Different | Rivals, competition, shared resources |
| Eating God | 食神 | I produce | Same | Gentle output: talent, enjoyment, expression |
| Hurting Officer | 伤官 | I produce | Different | Sharp output: brilliance, rebellion, criticism |
| Indirect Wealth | 偏财 | I control | Same | Windfall money, ventures, generosity, father |
| Direct Wealth | 正财 | I control | Different | Steady income, assets, diligence, wife (male chart) |
| Seven Killings | 七杀 | Controls me | Same | Pressure, drive, danger, authority by force |
| Direct Officer | 正官 | Controls me | Different | Proper authority: status, rules, husband (female chart) |
| Indirect Resource | 偏印 | Produces me | Same | Unconventional learning, intuition, niche knowledge |
| Direct Resource | 正印 | Produces me | Different | Proper support: education, credentials, mother |
The Ten Stems: Element and Polarity Key
| Stem | Pinyin | Element | Polarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 | Jiǎ | Wood | Yang |
| 乙 | Yǐ | Wood | Yin |
| 丙 | Bǐng | Fire | Yang |
| 丁 | Dīng | Fire | Yin |
| 戊 | Wù | Earth | Yang |
| 己 | Jǐ | Earth | Yin |
| 庚 | Gēng | Metal | Yang |
| 辛 | Xīn | Metal | Yin |
| 壬 | Rén | Water | Yang |
| 癸 | Guǐ | Water | Yin |
The Complete Ten Gods Table by Day Master
Find your day master in the first column; read across to see which heavenly stem plays each god's role in your chart. (For yang day masters the pattern is a clean sequence — the gods follow the stems in order, starting from the day master itself.)
| Day Master | 比肩 Companion | 劫财 Rob Wealth | 食神 Eating God | 伤官 Hurting Officer | 偏财 Indirect Wealth | 正财 Direct Wealth | 七杀 Seven Killings | 正官 Direct Officer | 偏印 Indirect Resource | 正印 Direct Resource |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 Jiǎ (Yang Wood) | 甲 | 乙 | 丙 | 丁 | 戊 | 己 | 庚 | 辛 | 壬 | 癸 |
| 乙 Yǐ (Yin Wood) | 乙 | 甲 | 丁 | 丙 | 己 | 戊 | 辛 | 庚 | 癸 | 壬 |
| 丙 Bǐng (Yang Fire) | 丙 | 丁 | 戊 | 己 | 庚 | 辛 | 壬 | 癸 | 甲 | 乙 |
| 丁 Dīng (Yin Fire) | 丁 | 丙 | 己 | 戊 | 辛 | 庚 | 癸 | 壬 | 乙 | 甲 |
| 戊 Wù (Yang Earth) | 戊 | 己 | 庚 | 辛 | 壬 | 癸 | 甲 | 乙 | 丙 | 丁 |
| 己 Jǐ (Yin Earth) | 己 | 戊 | 辛 | 庚 | 癸 | 壬 | 乙 | 甲 | 丁 | 丙 |
| 庚 Gēng (Yang Metal) | 庚 | 辛 | 壬 | 癸 | 甲 | 乙 | 丙 | 丁 | 戊 | 己 |
| 辛 Xīn (Yin Metal) | 辛 | 庚 | 癸 | 壬 | 乙 | 甲 | 丁 | 丙 | 己 | 戊 |
| 壬 Rén (Yang Water) | 壬 | 癸 | 甲 | 乙 | 丙 | 丁 | 戊 | 己 | 庚 | 辛 |
| 癸 Guǐ (Yin Water) | 癸 | 壬 | 乙 | 甲 | 丁 | 丙 | 己 | 戊 | 辛 | 庚 |
Worked Example: A Bǐng (丙) Fire Day Master
Say your day master is 丙, Yang Fire — the sun. Reading the third row of the table:
- Another 丙 or a 丁 in your chart = peers (比肩/劫财): friends, colleagues, competitors.
- Earth stems 戊/己 = your output (食神/伤官): Fire produces Earth, so Earth is what you create and express.
- Metal stems 庚/辛 = your wealth (偏财/正财): Fire melts Metal, so Metal is what you control and earn.
- Water stems 壬/癸 = authority over you (七杀/正官): Water extinguishes Fire — 壬 yang water is your Seven Killings (pressure, challenge), 癸 yin water is your Direct Officer (structure, proper authority).
- Wood stems 甲/乙 = your resources (偏印/正印): Wood feeds Fire — support, learning, protection.
So a Bǐng day master who sees 壬水 in their year pillar is looking at a Seven Killings year: pressure, high stakes, the kind of challenge that forges or scorches depending on the rest of the chart. More on this archetype in our Bing Fire day master profile.
Two Things This Table Doesn't Cover
Earthly branches. The table maps heavenly stems only. Branches are read through their hidden stems (each branch contains one to three stems, e.g. 寅 Tiger hides 甲, 丙, 戊) — you apply the same table to each hidden stem, weighted by its strength in the branch.
Balance. No god is inherently good or bad. Seven Killings sounds ominous, but for a strong day master it's drive and distinction; Direct Officer sounds safe, but for a weak day master it can crush. Interpretation always starts from whether the day master is strong or weak overall — the Ten Gods tell you what is acting in the chart, not yet whether it helps. For the conceptual walkthrough, see our beginner's guide to the Ten Gods.
Put It to Work
To use the table, you need your four pillars — which takes your birth date, time and place. Generate your chart free with our AI bazi reading, note your day master, then come back and map every stem in your chart. If you're brand new to the whole system, what bazi is and how the four pillars work is the right first stop.