What are the Five Elements?

Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. They are the elemental qualities assigned to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and their balance describes the conditions of a chart.

What are the Ten Gods?

The ten roles derived from the relationship between the Day Master and every other character in the chart: Peer, Rob Wealth, Eating God, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Seven Killings, Direct Officer, Indirect Resource and Direct Resource.

Is a strong Day Master always better?

No. A strong Day Master can lean towards Peer and Rob Wealth, meaning self-reliance but also competition over resources. A weak Day Master leans towards Resource and Seven Killings, meaning support and pressure. Both have advantages and costs.

Do the Ten Gods predict events?

Not literally. They describe tendencies and recurring patterns, and practitioners combine them with the Five Elements, the season and the Luck Cycle before forming a judgement.

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The Five Elements and Ten Gods: A Complete Reference

Every character in a Ba Zi chart carries an element, and every relationship to the Day Master produces one of ten roles called the Ten Gods. This reference lists all five elements and all ten roles with their everyday meaning, so you can read the tables on any Chinese astrology site without guessing.

The Five Elements

Wood (Mu) grows and expands; Fire (Huo) warms and rises; Earth (Tu) centres and stabilises; Metal (Jin) contracts and cuts; Water (Shui) flows and sinks.

Each element has a yin and a yang form. Yang Wood is an upright tree, yin Wood is grass or vine; yang Fire is the sun, yin Fire is a candle; and so on. In a chart, the balance and the season of birth both matter.

The Ten Gods and what they describe

Peer (比肩): the same element as the Day Master — independence, self-reliance, a strong sense of self.

Rob Wealth (劫财): same element but opposite polarity — drive, competitiveness, a tendency to share or compete for resources.

Eating God (食神): the Day Master's output — expression, enjoyment, craft, ease.

Hurting Officer (伤官): output that challenges authority — creativity, precision, and friction with rules.

Direct Wealth (正财): what the Day Master controls — stable income, diligence, practical value.

Indirect Wealth (偏财): what the Day Master controls indirectly — opportunity, enterprise, flexible income.

Seven Killings (七杀): the element that overcomes the Day Master — pressure, decisive drive, demanding circumstances.

Direct Officer (正官): the element that restrains the Day Master — structure, responsibility, reputation.

Indirect Resource (偏印): the element that generates the Day Master with opposite polarity — intuition, unconventional learning.

Direct Resource (正印): the element that generates the Day Master — support, study, protection.

How the Ten Gods are actually judged

Two features decide which of the Ten Gods dominates: whether the element appears in a Heavenly Stem (closer to the Day Master, stronger) or in an Earthly Branch (further away, more situational), and whether it is yin or yang relative to the Day Master.

A strong Day Master leans towards Peer, Rob Wealth and Direct Officer; a weak Day Master leans towards Direct Resource, Indirect Resource and Seven Killings — this is the starting point for judging the Favourable Elements.

Common misunderstandings

The Ten Gods are not literal events or people. They describe modes of experience and behaviour, and different schools interpret their weight differently. Treat a reading as interpretation, not instruction.

Key terms

Five Elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water — the elemental qualities carried by stems and branches.
Ten Gods: The ten roles derived from the relationship between the Day Master and the rest of the chart.
Day Master: The Heavenly Stem of the day pillar, representing the person and serving as the reference point.
Direct Officer: The element that restrains the Day Master — structure, responsibility and reputation.
Eating God: The Day Master's output — expression, enjoyment and craft.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the Five Elements?: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. They are the elemental qualities assigned to the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and their balance describes the conditions of a chart.
What are the Ten Gods?: The ten roles derived from the relationship between the Day Master and every other character in the chart: Peer, Rob Wealth, Eating God, Hurting Officer, Direct Wealth, Indirect Wealth, Seven Killings, Direct Officer, Indirect Resource and Direct Resource.
Is a strong Day Master always better?: No. A strong Day Master can lean towards Peer and Rob Wealth, meaning self-reliance but also competition over resources. A weak Day Master leans towards Resource and Seven Killings, meaning support and pressure. Both have advantages and costs.
Do the Ten Gods predict events?: Not literally. They describe tendencies and recurring patterns, and practitioners combine them with the Five Elements, the season and the Luck Cycle before forming a judgement.

This guide explains a traditional Chinese cultural practice and is provided for reference and cultural interest. It is not scientific, and nothing here is medical, financial, legal or other professional advice. For a free chart of your own, see the free Ba Zi chart.