The Ten Gods: BaZi’s Map of Relationships

What Are the Ten Gods

The Ten Gods (also called the Ten Stars) are ten relational archetypes derived from how each other stem and branch generates, controls, or matches the Day Master. They are not stars in the sky — they are code names for relationship patterns.

The Ten Gods are organized into five groups, each split by whether the other character shares the same yin/yang polarity (the “peer” form) or the opposite polarity (the “rob,” “direct,” and “indirect” forms) — which is how five groups expand into ten.

The Five Basic Relationship Groups

• Friend / Rob Wealth (same element as me): self, siblings, competitors, and partners. The Friend is the same-polarity companion; Rob Wealth is the opposite-polarity one. Many Friends suggest strong independence, while many Rob Wealth stars point to financial ups and downs balanced by boldness.
• Eating God / Hurting Officer (generated by me): talent, expression, children, and students. The Eating God is gentle and fortunate; the Hurting Officer is sharp and brilliant. “Hurting Officer meeting Officer” is a classic chart pattern representing the clash between rebellion and authority.
• Indirect Wealth / Direct Wealth (overcome by me): wealth, desire, the spouse (in a man’s chart), and the father. Direct Wealth is steady income; Indirect Wealth is windfall gain. Wealth stars also represent how well you can command material resources.
• Indirect Officer / Direct Officer (overcomes me): career, pressure, law, and the husband (in a woman’s chart). The Direct Officer is orderly and temperate; the Indirect Officer (Seven Killings) is fierce and forceful. Seven Killings that are controlled become authority; when they run unchecked they become calamity.
• Indirect Resource / Direct Resource (generates me): learning, mother, helpful mentors, and protection. The Direct Resource presides over academics and the nurturing mother; the Indirect Resource (the Owl Star) presides over unconventional study and a stepmother figure. Resource stars are the Day Master’s “backing” — the support that holds you up.

The Ten Gods and Relationships

The Ten Gods’ most practical value is mapping relationships. Say your Day Master is Ding Fire and it meets Ren Water (the Seven Killings): Ren Water represents the force that disciplines you — perhaps a demanding boss, a strong-willed partner, or external pressure.

If your chart includes Wu Earth (the Hurting Officer) to control that Ren Water, this is the classic “Eating God restraining Seven Killings” pattern — your talent and expressiveness dissolve external pressure and turn it into achievement. If the Ren Water runs uncontrolled, you may feel chronically held down.

The Strength of the Ten Gods

Each Ten God’s strength depends on how often it appears in the chart and on the season. For example, a Ding Fire Day Master born in winter (when Water is at its peak) will have an especially strong Seven Killings (Ren Water), which calls for Wood (the Resource star) to resolve it — Wood drains Water while feeding Fire, making it the ideal favorable element.

Astralis’s AI readings base their judgments on the interplay of the Ten Gods’ strengths, and every reading is labeled with its source and corpus reference so you can verify it yourself.

The Ten Gods are never read in isolation. The same Seven Killings means something entirely different when controlled versus uncontrolled. Astralis’s AI readings weigh the whole chart structure rather than any single Ten God on its own.