The Ten Gods in BaZi: a beginner's guide to Peers, Output, Wealth, Officer and Resource
Updated 10 October 2026
Once you calculate a BaZi chart, you'll see names like Friend, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth and Seven Killings. Together they're called the Ten Gods (Shi Shen, 十神). There's nothing mysterious about them: they use your Day Master as the reference point and sort every other stem into ten types by its element relationship to you. Once you know the rules, the eight characters show how a person expresses themselves and how they relate to resources and rules.
Where the Ten Gods come from
The Ten Gods start from the Day Master, the Heavenly Stem of your Day Pillar (if that's new to you, read What is the Day Master? first). Treat the Day Master as "me" and compare every other stem's element with it. There are only five possible relationships: same as me, I produce, I control, controls me and produces me.
Each relationship is then split by Yin and Yang: one type when the stem has the same polarity as the Day Master, another when it's different. Five relationships with two types each give ten: the Ten Gods.
| Relationship to the Day Master | Group | Same polarity | Different polarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same as me (same element) | Peers (Friend & Rob Wealth) | Friend | Rob Wealth |
| I produce (I feed it) | Output (Eating God & Hurting Officer) | Eating God | Hurting Officer |
| I control (I restrain it) | 财 | Indirect Wealth | Direct Wealth |
| Controls me (it restrains me) | Officer Stars | Seven Killings (Indirect Officer) | Direct Officer |
| Produces me (it feeds me) | 印 | Indirect Resource | Direct Resource |
An easy way to remember them: same polarity gives Friend, Eating God, Indirect Wealth, Seven Killings and Indirect Resource; different polarity gives Rob Wealth, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth, Direct Officer and Direct Resource.
An example: a Yang Wood (Jia) Day Master
Jia is Yang Wood. Yi is also Wood but Yin, so it's Rob Wealth. Bing is Yang Fire; Wood produces Fire with the same polarity, so it's Eating God. Ji is Yin Earth; Wood controls Earth with different polarity, so it's Direct Wealth. Geng is Yang Metal; Metal controls Wood with the same polarity, so it's Seven Killings. Gui is Yin Water; Water produces Wood with different polarity, so it's Direct Resource. Here's the full list:
- Jia WoodFriend
- Yi WoodRob Wealth
- Bing FireEating God
- Ding FireHurting Officer
- Wu EarthIndirect Wealth
- Ji EarthDirect Wealth
- Geng MetalSeven Killings
- Xin MetalDirect Officer
- Ren WaterIndirect Resource
- Gui WaterDirect Resource
In our Free BaZi Calculator, the Ten Gods row of the Four Pillars table is worked out one stem at a time with exactly this rule. A stem identical to the Day Master is a Friend, and the Day Pillar's own stem is labelled Day Master.
What the five groups of Ten Gods mean
To make them easier to remember, the Ten Gods are usually paired into five groups. Here's what they mean in everyday modern life:
Peers (Friend and Rob Wealth)
A peer energy: the self, people your own age, friends and competitors, plus teamwork and shared resources. People with prominent Peers are often independent, have their own views, are loyal and care about fairness. Something to watch: they can be stubborn or end up competing for resources when working with others.
Output (Eating God and Hurting Officer)
Expression, creativity, skill and output. Eating God leans towards relaxed enjoyment and sharing. Hurting Officer is an expressive, independent energy: sharp expression, creativity and questioning the usual rules. People with prominent Output stars often love to express themselves and have real talents. Something to watch: they can be very direct and tend to challenge rules.
Wealth (Indirect Wealth and Direct Wealth)
Resources, money and a practical grip on the real world. Direct Wealth leans towards steady, step-by-step income and management, while Indirect Wealth leans towards flexible opportunities and wide networks. People with prominent Wealth stars are often practical and business-minded. Something to watch: they can put too much energy into material things.
Officer (Direct Officer and Seven Killings)
Rules, responsibility, pressure and management. Direct Officer leans towards order, reputation and self-discipline. Seven Killings is a drive-and-pressure energy: ambition, courage, high standards and stepping up in demanding situations. People with prominent Officer stars are often responsible and respect the rules; when these stars are very heavy, they may feel a lot of pressure.
Resource (Indirect Resource and Direct Resource)
Learning, protection, support and reflection. Direct Resource leans towards acceptance, care and conventional study, while Indirect Resource leans towards unusual insight and niche expertise. People with prominent Resource stars often love learning and are patient. Something to watch: they may think more than they act, or rely on others to look after them.
No Ten God is good or bad: it depends on balance
The same Ten God works differently for different people, and the key is the Day Master's strength. When the Day Master is strong, there's energy to spare, so Output, Wealth and Officer, which draw on it, actually give that energy an outlet. When the Day Master is weak, it benefits more from the support of Resource and Peers. This idea of supporting the weak and restraining the strong is the first step we use to choose your Favourable Elements.
So there's no need to worry if your chart has Hurting Officer or Seven Killings, and Direct Wealth or Direct Officer doesn't mean everything will go smoothly. The Ten Gods are more like a guide to your personality and habits, showing what you're good at and where you tend to get stuck. To learn exactly how strength and Favourable Elements are judged, read Five Elements for Beginners. To see how the Ten Gods shift through your Luck Pillars and Annual Pillars, go to the Full Chart.
Frequently asked questions
- Are Hurting Officer, Seven Killings and Rob Wealth bad Ten Gods?
- No. The names come from tradition and carry some historical flavour, but none of the Ten Gods is good or bad in itself. Hurting Officer stands for breakthroughs and creativity, Seven Killings for drive and taking responsibility, and Rob Wealth for getting things moving and a competitive spirit. Whether they help you or add pressure depends on your Day Master's strength and the chart as a whole.
- What if my chart is missing one of the Ten Gods?
- A chart has only four Heavenly Stems, and even with the Hidden Stems in the branches it's rare to have all five groups, so missing one or two is very common. A missing group simply means that area isn't your most natural habit. You can build it up through learning and your environment, and it doesn't mean something will be missing from your life.
- Do the Earthly Branches have Ten Gods too?
- Yes. A branch isn't given a Ten God directly; instead we look at its Hidden Stems. Each branch hides one to three stems: the main one is the primary qi, and the others are the middle and residual qi. When we calculate element strength, the primary, middle and residual qi are counted with weights from heaviest to lightest.
- Can the Ten Gods describe family relationships?
- Traditionally, the Ten Gods are also linked to family members such as parents, partners and children, but different schools match them in slightly different ways. We focus on using the Ten Gods to describe personality and working style, and treat family links as a loose reference only.
Keep reading
Note: this guide introduces ideas from Chinese metaphysics, part of traditional Chinese culture. It's meant for learning about the tradition and for self-reflection, not prediction, and it isn't medical, psychological, legal or financial advice.