# BaZi ten gods: how each name is worked out

![Ten small blank wooden tags in two rows of five, pale wood above and dark wood below, one tag with a thin cinnabar edge](https://multifate.com/images/guides/bazi/ten-gods/cover-v1-1536x864.webp)

> The BaZi ten gods name how another stem relates to your day master: element direction plus yin or yang. See all ten names and how Jia reads Bing and Geng.

Canonical page: https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/ten-gods
Language: English. Content reviewed: 2026-09-23.
Also available in: [中文](https://multifate.com/zh/guides/bazi/ten-gods/index.md), [日本語](https://multifate.com/ja/guides/bazi/ten-gods/index.md), [한국어](https://multifate.com/ko/guides/bazi/ten-gods/index.md)

The BaZi ten gods are ten names for how another stem relates to your day master, worked out from the direction between their elements and whether their yin or yang matches. Bing and Ding are both Fire, yet for a Jia day master Bing is Eating God and Ding is Hurting Officer, because only Bing shares Jia's yang.

**Key points**

- A ten gods name describes another stem relative to your day master; change the day master and the name can change.
- Two things decide it: the element direction (same, I generate, I control, controls me, generates me) and whether the two stems share yin or yang.
- For a Jia day master, Bing is Eating God, Ding Hurting Officer, Geng Seven Killings and Xin Direct Officer.
- The names classify relationships: Seven Killings does not predict violence and Rob Wealth does not predict loss. The free calculator shows no ten gods panel.

## What are the BaZi ten gods?

Find the heavenly stem of the day pillar first. That stem is your [BaZi day master](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/day-master), the reference point for every name. A ten gods name is not a property fixed to a character: it describes that character relative to the day master, so the same stem can carry a different name in another chart.

![The stem Ren read against two day masters: Indirect Resource to Jia, Seven Killings to Bing](https://multifate.com/images/guides/bazi/figures/reference-shift-en-v1-1200x608.webp)

Ren stays fixed on the left\. Water generates Jia's Wood, so Ren is Indirect Resource; Water controls Bing's Fire, so Ren is Seven Killings\. All three stems are yang\.

Bing measured from Jia and Jia measured from Bing are different questions, even though the characters are the same. Keep both stems beside any name you copy, so you can still tell which comparison produced it.

## Five relationships, each split in two

The five relationships are same element, what the day master generates, what it controls, what controls it and what generates it. Each splits in two by whether the two stems share yin or yang, which gives ten names. The table below follows the same mapping Multifate uses in its calculations.

![Relations to Jia Wood: Water generates it, Wood is the same, it generates Fire and controls Earth, and Metal controls it](https://multifate.com/images/guides/bazi/figures/day-master-support-en-v1-1200x608.webp)

Arrows run into Jia from Water and Metal and out to Fire and Earth; Wood sits beside it\. Each group, from Resource to Power, still needs polarity to give one name\.

Wood generates Fire and controls Earth; Metal controls Wood, and Water generates it. [BaZi five elements](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/five-elements) lays out both cycles, and [day master element](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/day-master-elements) shows how a different day master changes the reading. Calling all four simply different elements throws away the direction a name needs.

## How do element and polarity give the ten names?

In the table, same and opposite refer to the two stems' yin and yang, not to whether two people agree. Keep the Chinese names beside the English ones when you compare glossaries. Words such as Direct, Indirect, Officer and Wealth belong to this vocabulary; their everyday meaning does not decide the calculation.

*The ten names, by element direction and polarity*

| Relation to the day master | Same polarity | Opposite polarity |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Same element | Friend 比肩 | Rob Wealth 劫财 |
| Generated by the day master | Eating God 食神 | Hurting Officer 伤官 |
| Controlled by the day master | Indirect Wealth 偏财 | Direct Wealth 正财 |
| Controls the day master | Seven Killings 七杀 | Direct Officer 正官 |
| Generates the day master | Indirect Resource 偏印 | Direct Resource 正印 |

A short traditional gloss for each name, as an association and not a description of anyone:

- Friend: same element and polarity, a peer of the day master.
- Rob Wealth: same element, opposite polarity, a rival peer.
- Eating God: output that flows easily, linked to expression.
- Hurting Officer: output that pushes against rules, linked to sharp expression.
- Indirect Wealth: a controlled element, same polarity, linked to irregular gain.
- Direct Wealth: a controlled element, opposite polarity, linked to steady means.
- Seven Killings: pressure on the day master from the same polarity.
- Direct Officer: pressure on the day master from the opposite polarity, linked to order.
- Indirect Resource: support from the same polarity, linked to unusual learning.
- Direct Resource: support from the opposite polarity, linked to learning and care.

- **Ten gods** (shí shén 十神): Ten names for how another stem relates to the day master: five element relationships, each split by same or opposite polarity.
- **Seven Killings** (qī shā 七杀): A stem whose element controls the day master's element, with the same polarity.
- **Hurting Officer** (shāng guān 伤官): A stem whose element the day master generates, with the opposite polarity.

## How does Jia read Bing, Ding, Geng and Xin?

Jia is yang Wood. Bing is yang Fire: Wood generates Fire and the polarity matches, so Bing is Eating God. Ding is yin Fire: same direction, opposite polarity, so Ding is Hurting Officer. These are examples of the rule at work, not anyone's birth chart.

![BaZi ten gods for a Jia day master: each of the ten stems with its name, from Friend to Direct Resource](https://multifate.com/images/guides/bazi/figures/ten-gods-grid-en-v1-1200x608.webp)

Rows are the element relations to Jia; the left column is yang like Jia, the right is yin\. Bing and Ding sit in the Fire row, Geng and Xin in the Metal row\.

Geng and Xin are Metal, which controls Wood. Geng is yang like Jia, so Seven Killings; Xin is yin, so Direct Officer. Changing one property at a time shows why the element alone never picks the final name.

*Four stems read against a Jia day master*

| Stem | Element and arrow | Polarity against Jia | Name |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Bing | Fire, Wood generates Fire | Same | Eating God |
| Ding | Fire, Wood generates Fire | Opposite | Hurting Officer |
| Geng | Metal, Metal controls Wood | Same | Seven Killings |
| Xin | Metal, Metal controls Wood | Opposite | Direct Officer |

## Which character does a ten gods name belong to?

A pillar has a visible stem on top and a branch that holds [BaZi hidden stems](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/hidden-stems). When a reading gives a name, ask whether it belongs to the visible stem or to one of the hidden stems. The rule is the same for each, but the position belongs in your note. Here is a Jia day master read against a Jia-Yin 甲寅 pillar:

- Visible stem Jia: Friend.
- Hidden stem Jia (Main): Friend.
- Hidden stem Bing (Middle): Eating God.
- Hidden stem Wu (Residual): Indirect Wealth.

> **What the tool shows** The calculator shows each available pillar's stem, branch and hidden stems, but it has no ten gods panel. You work the names out from the characters it shows. [free BaZi calculator](https://multifate.com/tools/bazi)

## Does Seven Killings mean something bad will happen?

The names are relationship labels. Once you can see how a name is derived, you can also see how much extra reasoning a literal reading of it would need.

*Three names that are easy to over-read*

| Name | What it classifies | What it does not tell you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Rob Wealth | Same element, opposite polarity | That someone will take your money |
| Seven Killings | The element that controls the day master, same polarity | That violence will happen or that a person is dangerous |
| Direct and Indirect Wealth | The element the day master controls | An income figure |

The same care applies in [BaZi compatibility](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/bazi-compatibility). A relationship between symbols and how two people behave are different claims, and an explanation should name the positions and assumptions that connect them.

> **Where the reading stops** The sources here define terms and a calculation. They are not evidence that income, work or a relationship outcome follows from one name.

## How to work out a ten gods name again

1. **Write the day master**: Note the day stem with its element and polarity.
2. **Write the other stem**: The same for the stem you compare.
3. **Find the direction**: Same element, I generate, I control, controls me, or generates me.
4. **Compare polarity**: Same or opposite yin and yang.
5. **Look up the name**: Only now read it from the table; add the pillar and visible or hidden.

> **Ten gods note**
>
> Day master: Jia, yang Wood
> Compared: Ding, yin Fire
> Direction: Wood generates Fire
> Polarity: opposite
> Name: Hurting Officer

With a note like this you can work a name out again if you forget it. For a stem in your own chart, add its pillar and whether it is visible or hidden; an unknown hour simply leaves the hour pillar out. A luck pillar's stem is compared the same way, still against the natal day master: see [BaZi luck cycles](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/luck-cycles).

## Common questions about the BaZi ten gods

### Does Seven Killings mean something violent will happen?

No. The name says the other stem's element controls the day master's and the two share a polarity. That calculation shows no violent event and no dangerous personality.

### Why does the same stem get a different name in two charts?

Every name is measured from the day master. When the day master changes, the element direction or the polarity comparison can change, so the same stem can receive a different name.

### What is the difference between Eating God and Hurting Officer?

Both are the element the day master generates. Eating God shares the day master's polarity and Hurting Officer has the opposite one, as Bing and Ding do for Jia.

### Where are the ten gods in the free calculator?

The calculator shows the pillars, visible and hidden stems, the day master and, when the birth hour is known, element shares. It has no ten gods table; this guide shows how to work the names out.

## Sources and scope

- [Multifate BaZi calculator](https://multifate.com/tools/bazi): Reference for finding the day stem and the hidden stems it shows. Worked names follow Multifate's stem-relation mapping; the public result has no ten gods panel.
- [6tail Tyme: TenStar and HeavenStem documentation](https://6tail.cn/tyme.html): Developer documentation confirming that ten gods names compare two stems through their element relationship. It documents terminology and computation, not predicted life outcomes.

## Continue with BaZi

- [Try the BaZi tool](https://multifate.com/tools/bazi)
- [Day master element: how the five elements relate](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/day-master-elements/index.md)
- [BaZi compatibility: what two charts can show](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/bazi-compatibility/index.md)
- [BaZi month pillar: season and your day master](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/day-master-and-month/index.md)
- [Strong vs weak day master: what BaZi checks](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/day-master-strength/index.md)
- [BaZi day master: how to find your day stem](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/day-master/index.md)
- [BaZi luck cycles: start age and 10-year periods](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi/luck-cycles/index.md)
- [All BaZi articles](https://multifate.com/guides/bazi)
- [Fortune telling guides: BaZi, tarot and more](https://multifate.com/guides/index.md)

These guides describe traditional symbolic frameworks and the current Multifate tools, not verified predictions. The chart tools are free; optional AI questions have separate limits. Check the pricing page for current terms. Interpretations do not replace medical, legal, financial or safety advice.