Ten Gods (Shi Shen)
The Ten Gods (Shi Shen) are 10 relationships formed by the other 7 characters relative to your Day Master (Ri Zhu).
Ten Gods (Shi Shen)
In one line: The Ten Gods are 10 relationships, formed by treating the Day Stem (e.g., you are Jia Wood) as "I" and viewing all other stems' relations to "I".
What is it?
There are 10 Heavenly Stems (Tian Gan). With the Day Stem (say you are Jia Wood) as "I", the other Heavenly Stems fall into 10 relationship categories:
| Ten God | Relationship | Element (same as me = Friend (Bi Jian)) |
|---|---|---|
| Friend (Bi Jian) | Same as me, same polarity | Same as me |
| Rob Wealth (Jie Cai) | Same as me, different polarity | Same as me |
| Food God (Shi Shen) | I generate, same polarity | Drain |
| Hurting Officer (Shang Guan) | I generate, different polarity | Drain |
| Indirect Wealth (Pian Cai) | I restrain, same polarity | Consume |
| Direct Wealth (Zheng Cai) | I restrain, different polarity | Consume |
| Seven Killings (Qi Sha) | Restrains me, same polarity | Restrain |
| Direct Officer (Zheng Guan) | Restrains me, different polarity | Restrain |
| Indirect Seal (Pian Yin) | Generates me, same polarity | Generate |
| Direct Seal (Zheng Yin) | Generates me, different polarity | Generate |
Memory Aid
Generates me = Seal, Restrains me = Officer, I generate = Output/Hurting, I restrain = Wealth, Same as me = Friend/Rob Wealth
Example (Jia Wood Day Master):
- Jia meets Jia → Friend
- Jia meets Yi → Rob Wealth
- Jia meets Bing → Food God
- Jia meets Ding → Hurting Officer
- Jia meets Wu → Indirect Wealth
- Jia meets Ji → Direct Wealth
- Jia meets Geng → Seven Killings
- Jia meets Xin → Direct Officer
- Jia meets Ren → Indirect Seal
- Jia meets Gui → Direct Seal
Why is it important?
The Ten Gods are the core tool of BaZi analysis — they map abstract "stem relationships" to concrete people and things:
| Ten God | Represents |
|---|---|
| Friend (Bi Jian) | Siblings, friends, rivals |
| Rob Wealth (Jie Cai) | Competition, financial loss, romantic rivals |
| Food God (Shi Shen) | Talent, expression, children |
| Hurting Officer (Shang Guan) | Rebellion, creativity, litigation |
| Indirect Wealth (Pian Cai) | Father, windfall, investment |
| Direct Wealth (Zheng Cai) | Wife, steady income, savings |
| Seven Killings (Qi Sha) | Power, pressure, illness, competitors |
| Direct Officer (Zheng Guan) | Career, status, husband, rules |
| Indirect Seal (Pian Yin) | Stepmother, metaphysics, special skills |
| Direct Seal (Zheng Yin) | Mother, education, mentors, support |
Common Misconceptions
❌ "More Ten Gods is better" — balance matters; excessive strength turns auspicious into inauspicious. ❌ "Only the Heavenly Stems count" — branch hidden stems also carry Ten God attributes. ❌ "Direct is always better than Indirect" — both have their auspicious and inauspicious aspects, depending on the combination.
📜 Classical source: Zi Ping Zhen Quan (《子平真诠》) Vol. 1, "On the Ten Gods" 🔗 Next lesson: Useful God (Yong Shen)