The Ten Gods (十神)
Ten relationships, computed from two rules.
In short
The ten gods (十神, shí shén) are the ten ways a heavenly stem can stand to the day master. Which one applies is fixed by two things: which of the five element relations holds between the two stems, and whether they share a polarity. The names describe relationships, not deities.
| Characters | 十神 · 十星 |
|---|---|
| Pinyin | shí shén |
| Group | Reading the chart |
The name puts people off. 神 in this context means a function or an aspect rather than a god, and the ten are a classification, not a pantheon. Nothing is being worshipped and nothing is being invoked.
The two rules are simple enough to apply by hand. Take the day master's element. If the other stem is the same element it is a peer, if the day master produces it that is output, if the day master controls it that is wealth, if it controls the day master that is power, and if it produces the day master that is resource. Then check polarity: matching polarity picks one name, opposite polarity the other.
That is the whole system, and it is why the full ten by ten grid can be computed rather than memorised. The table on this page is generated from the rule at build time, so every cell can be checked against a printed chart. The 甲 day master row is the one Chinese textbooks most often print, and it matches.
The English names are where sources diverge. Wealth splits into direct and indirect in most translations, and some writers use proper and improper instead, or call the officer the official. When two sites disagree, the Chinese characters are the reliable reference, because those are fixed.
Usage is the interesting part. A reading does not count how many wealth stars you have and stop there. It asks what the day master needs and whether that arrives as resource, output, or something else. The same star helps one chart and burdens another, depending on the day master it stands against.
The five relations behind the names
Two questions decide a ten god. Which way does the element run between the two stems, and do the stems share a polarity. Five relations times two polarities is the full set.
- Same element (peer)
- Day master produces it (output)
- Day master controls it (wealth)
- It controls the day master (power)
- It produces the day master (resource)
All ten gods, from the arithmetic
Rows are day masters, columns are the other stem. Read across a row to see how every stem in a chart stands to that day master. The 甲 row is the one most often printed in Chinese textbooks, and it matches this table cell for cell.
| Day master | 甲 jiǎ | 乙 yǐ | 丙 bǐng | 丁 dīng | 戊 wù | 己 jǐ | 庚 gēng | 辛 xīn | 壬 rén | 癸 guǐ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 甲 jiǎ | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Officer 正官 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 |
| 乙 yǐ | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Friend 比肩 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Eating God 食神 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Officer 正官 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Resource 正印 | Indirect Resource 偏印 |
| 丙 bǐng | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Officer 正官 |
| 丁 dīng | Direct Resource 正印 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Friend 比肩 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Eating God 食神 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Officer 正官 | Seven Killings 七殺 |
| 戊 wù | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Officer 正官 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Wealth 正財 |
| 己 jǐ | Direct Officer 正官 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Resource 正印 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Friend 比肩 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Eating God 食神 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 |
| 庚 gēng | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Officer 正官 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 傷官 |
| 辛 xīn | Direct Wealth 正財 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Officer 正官 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Resource 正印 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Friend 比肩 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Eating God 食神 |
| 壬 rén | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Officer 正官 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫財 |
| 癸 guǐ | Hurting Officer 傷官 | Eating God 食神 | Direct Wealth 正財 | Indirect Wealth 偏財 | Direct Officer 正官 | Seven Killings 七殺 | Direct Resource 正印 | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Rob Wealth 劫財 | Friend 比肩 |
Definitions get you through a chart. Something has to be done with it.
The audit walks the nine areas of a home in the order that matters, with two or three changes per area. It is the practical half of what these terms describe.
Questions people ask about this term
Are the ten gods actually gods?
No. 神 here means function or aspect, and the ten are a way of classifying how each stem relates to the day master. Nothing in the system involves worship, and the names are closer to job titles than to deities.
How do I find my ten gods?
They are defined relative to your day master, so you need the day pillar first. Once you have it, each other stem in the chart gets its name from the two rules: the element relation between the stems, then whether the two share a polarity. A calculator does it instantly, and the grid on this page lets you check any cell by hand.
Why do different sites give different English names for the ten gods?
Because the translations were made independently and never standardised. Direct and indirect wealth, proper and improper wealth, and regular and irregular wealth all name the same two characters. The Chinese is fixed, so when two sources disagree, compare the characters rather than the English.
This page has no affiliate links and nothing to sell. The tables here are fixed by the tradition and you can check any of them against a printed almanac. What a chart means for a person is a reading of that tradition, not a finding, so treat it as a way to think about a situation rather than a prediction.