Once you know your Day Master, the next layer of BaZi opens: the 10 Gods (十神 Shí Shén). These aren't deities. They're relationship archetypes — they describe how the other characters in your chart relate to your Day Master. Each God represents a different life domain: wealth, career, creativity, support, competition, and more.

The 10 Gods transform abstract Stems into real-life meaning. A "Geng Metal" character in your chart isn't just metal — it becomes your "Direct Officer" (authority figure) or your "Hurting Officer" (creative rebel), depending on its relationship to your Day Master.

How the 10 Gods Are Determined

The relationship is based on two factors: the element of the other Stem relative to your Day Master, and whether they share the same polarity (Yin/Yang).

  • Same element, same polarity → Companion (Friend)
  • Same element, opposite polarity → Parallel (Rival)
  • Element that produces your Day Master, same polarity → Indirect Resource
  • Element that produces your Day Master, opposite polarity → Direct Resource
  • Element your Day Master produces, same polarity → Eating God
  • Element your Day Master produces, opposite polarity → Hurting Officer
  • Element that controls your Day Master, same polarity → Seven Killings
  • Element that controls your Day Master, opposite polarity → Direct Officer
  • Element your Day Master controls, same polarity → Indirect Wealth
  • Element your Day Master controls, opposite polarity → Direct Wealth

Wealth Gods: Direct Wealth & Indirect Wealth

Direct Wealth (正财) — The Steady Earner

Direct Wealth is a traditional category associated with regular resources and income in some readings. It does not establish savings habits, financial competence or a person's willingness to gamble. Evaluate actual budgets and choices rather than a label.

Indirect Wealth (偏财) — The Opportunist

Indirect Wealth is traditionally associated with resources outside the regular-income metaphor. This does not predict windfalls, investment skill or comfort with risk. Never treat the category as permission to invest or as evidence that someone spots opportunities.

Authority Gods: Direct Officer & Seven Killings

Direct Officer (正官) — The Responsible Authority

Direct Officer is traditionally associated with authority, rules and roles. It does not establish a person's honesty, suitability for leadership or the identity of a spouse. Historical gendered correspondences should not be treated as facts about modern relationships.

Seven Killings (七杀) — The Warrior

Seven Killings is a traditional authority/control category, often described through pressure or competition. It cannot diagnose anxiety or burnout, predict achievement or identify a natural military or business leader. If the name sounds alarming, remember that it is terminology, not a forecast of violence or danger.

Resource Gods: Direct Resource & Indirect Resource

Direct Resource (正印) — The Scholar

Direct Resource is traditionally associated with learning, support and nourishment. It does not show whether someone is a generous teacher or predict the quality of parental care. Those are questions about actual conduct and experience.

Indirect Resource (偏印) — The Intuitive Genius

Indirect Resource is associated with less conventional forms of learning in some interpretations. It does not establish brilliance, mystical perception or a family member's role. To discuss learning, examine a person's actual study methods, opportunities and work rather than infer them from a chart.

Expression Gods: Eating God & Hurting Officer

Eating God (食神) — The Creator

Eating God is a traditional output category, often associated with expression and enjoyment. The name does not measure talent, contentment or parenting. Someone can learn a creative skill regardless of which labels appear in a chart.

Hurting Officer (伤官) — The Rebel Creator

Hurting Officer is an output category with opposite polarity to the Day Master. Some readings associate it with questioning rules. That does not establish genius, rebelliousness or a problem with authority. No verified chart or biographical analysis is offered here for a public figure.

Companion Gods: Friend & Rival

Friend (比肩) — The Ally

Companion is the same-element, same-polarity relationship to the Day Master. Traditional readings may associate it with peers. It does not establish teamwork ability; look at communication and shared work instead.

Rival (劫财) — The Competitor

Rival is the same-element, opposite-polarity relationship. The name is terminology, not evidence that another person is adversarial, dishonest or a threat. Do not infer motives from a calendar classification.

Reading the Gods in Context

A single God in isolation means little. The art is in the combination. Direct Wealth + Eating God: a traditional resource/output pairing, not proof that a creator will earn money. Seven Killings + Direct Resource is another traditional pairing; its metaphor does not establish how someone handles pressure. Hurting Officer + Indirect Wealth: an interpretive pairing, not a forecast of profitable business.

Pillar position locates a label within the chart. Readers attach different life-domain metaphors to those positions, but a Year label cannot prove childhood pressure and a Month label cannot establish a financial path. Keep the position and the interpretation in separate notes.

Discover the Gods in Your Chart

Use a labelled chart to practise the stem relationships. The free interface does not promise a complete Ten Gods report, and these categories do not identify the people or events in your life.

Calculate Your Chart — Free

Read next: Using BaZi for Decisions