Ten Gods in Bazi: Complete Shi Shen Table & Meanings

Every stem and branch in a Bazi chart has a fixed relationship to the Day Master based on the Five Element generating and controlling cycles. Yuan Hai Zi Ping names these relationships: the element that generates the Day Master is a Resource star, the element the Day Master generates is an Output star, the element the Day Master controls is a Wealth star, the element that controls the Day Master is an Authority star, and the same element as the Day Master is a Peer star.

Each family splits by polarity, giving ten roles. For Resource, Wealth, and Officer stars, opposite polarity is the direct form and matching polarity is the indirect form. Output and Peer roles use their own paired names, so the calculation should follow the element relationship first and polarity second.

Direct Resource and Indirect Resource describe support, learning, and recovery. Eating God and Hurting Officer describe output, communication, and critique. Direct Wealth and Indirect Wealth describe managed and opportunistic resources. Direct Officer and Seven Killings describe rules, authority, and pressure. Friend and Rob Wealth describe peers, competition, and shared resources.

In San Ming Tong Hui, the same Ten God can be useful or stressful depending on whether the Day Master is strong or weak, and whether the chart season supports or drains that energy.

A concrete example makes the rule easier to verify. For a Jia (甲, Yang Wood) Day Master, the same Wood element becomes Peer roles, Water becomes Resource, Fire becomes Output, Earth becomes Wealth, and Metal becomes Authority. Polarity decides the direct or indirect form.

Change the Day Master and every label changes. This is why a Ten God name cannot be assigned from an element alone: the reader must first identify the day stem, then compare element and polarity.

The most common mistake is reading a Ten God as a fixed personality trait. A strong Seven Killings does not mean a person is aggressive; it means there is significant authority or pressure energy in the chart that needs context before interpretation.

Another mistake is reading Ten Gods in isolation from season and element balance. A Wealth star in a chart that already has too much of that element can create stress rather than opportunity. Always check the Day Master strength and seasonal context first.

Use Ten Gods to understand recurring patterns rather than predict outcomes. A chart with strong Output stars often describes someone who communicates, teaches, or creates. A chart with strong Authority stars often describes someone who works within or against structure. These are tendencies, not destinies.

Compare the natal Ten Gods with the current Luck Pillar to see which roles are activated in a given decade. Then use the free calculator to see your own Ten God distribution.