BaZi glossary

The Ten Gods in BaZi

The Ten Gods describe how the other stems in a chart relate to the Day Master: the same phase (Companions), the phase it produces (Output), the phase it controls (Wealth), the phase that controls it (Officer and Killings), and the phase that produces it (Resource), each split in two by matching or opposite polarity.

Each Ten God has traditional symbolism, family roles and classic combinations. They are not ten deities, and none decides a chart on its own; read them with the Day Master's strength and the overall structure.

Read: an introduction to the Ten Gods →

All Ten Gods

Parallel ShoulderThe Parallel Shoulder (Bi Jian, 比肩) is the Heavenly Stem with the same phase and the same polarity as your Day Master: in effect, another you. Traditionally it stands for self-reliance, persistence and your siblings, friends and peers. For a weak Day Master it is support; for a very strong one it tends to show up as stubbornness and competition.
Rob WealthRob Wealth (Jie Cai, 劫财) is the Heavenly Stem with the same phase as your Day Master but the opposite polarity. Traditionally it stands for drive, rivalry, sociability and risk-taking, and for peers and business partners. Because it controls Direct Wealth, old texts say it “robs” wealth; whether that matters depends on the Day Master's strength and the rest of the chart.
Eating GodThe Eating God (Shi Shen, 食神) is the Heavenly Stem your Day Master produces, with the same yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for talent, expression, good food and the enjoyment of life, with an easy-going temperament; old texts even call it the “longevity star”. It turns the Day Master's energy into work and pleasure, and is generally seen as one of the gentlest Ten Gods.
Hurting OfficerThe Hurting Officer (Shang Guan, 伤官) is the Heavenly Stem your Day Master produces, with the opposite yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for brilliance, eloquence, innovation and the urge to break with convention, with a critical, hard-to-manage side. It attacks the Direct Officer, hence the name. Used well it is creativity; left unchecked it tends to clash with rules.
Indirect WealthIndirect Wealth (Pian Cai, 偏财) is the Heavenly Stem your Day Master controls, with the same yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for opportunity, money in motion, business sense and a generous, sociable nature; among family roles it is the father star, and in a man's chart also romantic partners. Whether it works for you depends on whether the Day Master is strong enough to handle it.
Direct WealthDirect Wealth (Zheng Cai, 正财) is the Heavenly Stem your Day Master controls, with the opposite yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for steady income, practicality, thrift, responsibility and building up assets step by step; in a man's chart it is also the wife star. Whether the chart can hold on to it again depends on the Day Master's strength.
Seven KillingsSeven Killings (Qi Sha, 七杀), also called the Indirect Officer (偏官), is the Heavenly Stem that controls your Day Master with the same yin-yang polarity. Its control is the most direct and forceful of all, so traditionally it stands for pressure, challenges and rivals, and also for boldness, decisiveness and authority. Whether it becomes strength depends on whether it is tamed: tamed, it is often the mark of someone who achieves a lot.
Direct OfficerThe Direct Officer (Zheng Guan, 正官) is the Heavenly Stem that controls your Day Master and has the opposite yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for rules, order, responsibility and reputation, and in a woman's chart it is read as the husband star. It is neither good nor bad on its own: what it means depends on the Day Master's strength and the rest of the chart.
Indirect SealThe Indirect Seal (Pian Yin, 偏印), also called the Owl God (枭神), is the Heavenly Stem that produces your Day Master with the same yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for intuition, insight, independent thinking and unconventional fields such as religion, metaphysics and technical specialities, with an inward, solitary streak. It supports the Day Master too, but it attacks the Eating God, so old texts are divided about it.
Direct SealThe Direct Seal (Zheng Yin, 正印), also called the Direct Resource or 印绶, is the Heavenly Stem that produces your Day Master with the opposite yin-yang polarity. Traditionally it stands for learning, credentials, protection, tolerance and reputation, and among family roles it is the mother star. Its support is the gentlest and most unconditional of all, especially valuable for a weak Day Master, though too much of it can make a person dependent or passive.

The free calculator labels the Ten God of every pillar, including those hidden in the branches.

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