Reference
The Ten Gods
十神
The Ten Gods are not ten kinds of person, and they are not a ranking. Each one names how another stem in a chart stands relative to the Day Master — the same element, what it produces, what it controls, what controls it, or what produces it. Five relationships, each split by polarity, gives ten. What varies between them is the relationship, not your worth.
Five relationships, ten names
Peer — the same element as the Day Master
The same element as the Day Master. This is the only family where the other stem is the same kind of thing as you, which is why it reads as a sibling, a rival, or a colleague rather than as a resource or a demand.
比肩 Peer · 劫财 Companion
Output — what the Day Master produces
What the Day Master produces, in the generating cycle. It is the element you give out: expression, work, craft, the thing that leaves you and exists afterwards.
食神 Expression · 伤官 Disruption
Wealth — what the Day Master controls
What the Day Master controls, in the controlling cycle. It is the element you act on and take responsibility for — resources, results, and the practical world you manage.
偏财 Windfall · 正财 Stewardship
Authority — what controls the Day Master
What controls the Day Master, in the controlling cycle. It is the element that acts on you: constraint, structure, standards, obligation, and the things you answer to.
七杀 Pressure · 正官 Structure
Resource — what produces the Day Master
What produces the Day Master, in the generating cycle. It is what comes toward you and sustains you: support, knowledge, care, and the people who back you.
偏印 Curiosity · 正印 Nurture
比肩
bǐ jiānPeerAnother stem of the same element and the same polarity as the Day Master: an equal, standing beside you.
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劫财
jié cáiCompanionThe same element as the Day Master but the opposite polarity: an equal who is not quite the same, and who moves differently.
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食神
shí shénExpressionWhat the Day Master produces, in the same polarity: output that flows without friction.
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伤官
shāng guānDisruptionWhat the Day Master produces, in the opposite polarity: output that pushes against what constrains it.
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偏财
piān cáiWindfallWhat the Day Master controls, in the same polarity: resources handled with a light, mobile grip.
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正财
zhèng cáiStewardshipWhat the Day Master controls, in the opposite polarity: resources held deliberately and maintained.
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七杀
qī shāPressureWhat controls the Day Master, in the same polarity: force meeting force.
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正官
zhèng guānStructureWhat controls the Day Master, in the opposite polarity: a standard that is accepted rather than fought.
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偏印
piān yìnCuriosityWhat produces the Day Master, in the same polarity: support that comes in an oblique form.
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正印
zhèng yìnNurtureWhat produces the Day Master, in the opposite polarity: support that arrives as care, plainly given.
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Where you see these
The Four Pillars chart labels each stem in your chart with one of these ten, including the stems hidden inside each branch. That is why a chart looks full of unfamiliar words: every one of them is telling you how that stem stands relative to your Day Master.
Cast a Four Pillars chartFor entertainment and self-reflection only. These are traditional labels for structural relationships, not predictions, diagnoses, or professional advice. No god is better than another.