The Ten Gods: Peer, Output, Wealth, Officer & Resource Made Simple
The Ten Gods are the heart of BaZi astrology. They take the relationship between your Day Master (the Heavenly Stem that stands for you) and every other stem and branch in your chart, and sort it, by the generating and controlling cycles of the Five Elements and by yin-yang polarity, into ten roles known as the Ten Gods. Together they map your natural temperament, your gifts, and the lessons your life is here to work through. There are ten gods in all, forming five pairs, grouped into five families: Peer (same as you), Output (what you generate), Wealth (what you control), Officer (what controls you), and Resource (what generates you). Once you see which Ten Gods you carry, you can read the very skeleton of your character and gifts.
Start by finding the Ten Gods in your chart
The Ten Gods depend on your full chart and its relationship to the Day Master. Cast a free chart from your birth date and see all your hidden-stem Ten Gods and month-branch main star at once.
All Ten Gods at a Glance (tap to explore)
How the Ten Gods Are Worked Out
Every Ten God is defined relative to the Day Master. Compare another stem with the Day Master, first by which element relationship links them, then by whether their Yin/Yang polarity matches:
| Relation to the Day Master | Same polarity | Opposite polarity | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same element | Friend | Rob Wealth | Peers |
| I produce | Eating God | Hurting Officer | Output |
| I control | Indirect Wealth | Direct Wealth | Wealth |
| Controls me | Seven Killings | Direct Officer | Officer |
| Produces me | Indirect Resource | Direct Resource | Resource |
The rule fits in one line: the element cycle picks the group, and polarity picks direct or indirect. Peers are the one exception in naming: same polarity is Friend, opposite is Rob Wealth.
A Worked Example: Jia Wood
For a Jia (Yang Wood) Day Master, here is what each of the ten stems becomes:
| Stem | Element | Relation to Jia | Ten God |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jia | Yang Wood | Same element, same polarity | Friend |
| Yi | Yin Wood | Same element, opposite | Rob Wealth |
| Bing | Yang Fire | I produce, same | Eating God |
| Ding | Yin Fire | I produce, opposite | Hurting Officer |
| Wu | Yang Earth | I control, same | Indirect Wealth |
| Ji | Yin Earth | I control, opposite | Direct Wealth |
| Geng | Yang Metal | Controls me, same | Seven Killings |
| Xin | Yin Metal | Controls me, opposite | Direct Officer |
| Ren | Yang Water | Produces me, same | Indirect Resource |
| Gui | Yin Water | Produces me, opposite | Direct Resource |
Switch to a Yi Wood Day Master and every direct/indirect pair flips: Jia becomes Rob Wealth, Yi becomes Friend, Bing becomes Hurting Officer, Ding becomes Eating God, and so on. Branches are converted into their hidden stems first, which is why one branch often carries two or three Ten Gods.
The Ten Gods and Family
Besides personality and working style, the classical method maps the Ten Gods onto relatives, with some differences between men's and women's charts:
| Group | Man's chart | Woman's chart |
|---|---|---|
| Peers | Siblings, friends, peers | Siblings, friends, peers |
| Output | Juniors, subordinates | Children |
| Wealth | Wife (Direct Wealth), father (Indirect Wealth) | Father (Indirect Wealth) |
| Officer | Children | Husband (Direct Officer), partner or lover (Seven Killings) |
| Resource | Mother | Mother |
This is only the star layer. A full reading also weighs the palaces: the day branch is the spouse palace, and the hour pillar is the children's palace.
No Ten God Is Good or Bad by Itself
Seven Killings, Hurting Officer and the Owl God sound alarming, while Direct Officer and Direct Wealth sound safe, but none of them is lucky or unlucky in itself. A strong Day Master facing Seven Killings gets pressure and a stage, and often achieves more for it. A weak Day Master surrounded by Wealth sees money it cannot hold. Whether a star helps or burdens you depends on how much the Day Master can carry and how the chart fits together.
The Ten Gods also point to the kind of work that suits you. Find out which ones are strongest in your own chart, then read their individual pages.
Ten Gods FAQ
Do I read the Ten Gods from the stems or the branches?
Both. A Ten God on a stem is openly displayed. Branches are read through their hidden stems: the main qi is strongest, the middle and residual qi weaker. When a hidden stem also appears on a stem, that Ten God is clearly present.
What if a Ten God is missing from my chart entirely?
It means that area is not the center of your natal chart, not that you will never meet it. Luck pillars and annual pillars bring in stems and branches your chart lacks, and the related themes appear in those years.
Is Direct Wealth better than Indirect Wealth, or Direct Officer better than Seven Killings?
Direct and indirect only describe polarity, not rank. Direct Wealth leans towards steady income, Indirect Wealth towards opportunity and flow; Direct Officer is about rules, Seven Killings about drive. Which one serves you depends on your chart strength and favorable elements.