Six Relationships Ten Gods
SHÍ SHÉN 十神 · SIX RELATIONSHIPS · DAY MASTER MATRIX
KEY TAKEAWAYS / TL;DR
- ◈The Six Relationships in Bazi are usually taught as the Ten Gods (Shi Shen): the relationship matrix between the Day Master and every other chart element.
- ◈There are ten distinct archetypes derived from five elemental interactions (generating, controlling, etc.) split by Yin/Yang polarity.
- ◈They act as the psychological and relational layer of a chart, offering a traditional vocabulary for career inclinations, social dynamics, and priorities.
Direct answer: the Six Relationships in Bazi are the Ten Gods (十神 Shí Shén), the interpretive matrix that compares every chart element with the Day Master. While the Five Elements describe what energy is present, the Ten Gods describe how that energy relates to you: support, peers, output, wealth, and authority.
The system is mathematically elegant: take the Day Master and measure every other element in the chart against it through five types of interaction (same, generate, be generated, control, be controlled), split by Yin-Yang polarity. The result is ten distinct archetypes that provide a structured traditional vocabulary for career patterns, relationship dynamics, and psychological tendencies.
Friend / Companion
Bǐ Jiān 比肩
Element Relationship: Same element, same polarity
Your equals, peers, and competitors. Bǐ Jiān represents independence, self-reliance, and the drive to carve your own path. In excess, it produces stubbornness and inability to collaborate.
Career Archetype
Entrepreneurs, freelancers, independent consultants, athletes in individual sports.
Psychological Pattern
The archetype of the Self seeking autonomy. "I do not need anyone to complete me."
Rob Wealth
Jié Cái 劫财
Element Relationship: Same element, opposite polarity
The aggressive sibling. Jié Cái is competition with teeth — the rival who wants what you have. It represents boldness, risk-taking, and the willingness to fight for resources. A necessary force in competitive environments, but destructive when unchecked.
Career Archetype
Sales leaders, traders, competitive strategists, litigators.
Psychological Pattern
"If I don't take it, someone else will." The scarcity mindset that drives both achievement and conflict.
Eating God
Shí Shén 食神
Element Relationship: Day Master generates, same polarity
The gentle creator. Shí Shén is the output of the self expressed through joy — art, cooking, teaching, nurturing. It is talent deployed without agenda, creativity for its own sake. The happiest star in the Bazi system.
Career Archetype
Chefs, artists, kindergarten teachers, content creators, therapists.
Psychological Pattern
Flow state personified. "I create because creation itself is the reward."
Hurting Officer
Shāng Guān 伤官
Element Relationship: Day Master generates, opposite polarity
The rebel intellectual. Shāng Guān challenges authority, questions conventions, and expresses itself through provocation and brilliance. It "hurts" the Officer (authority) — hence the name. The most double-edged star: it produces both genius and self-destruction.
Career Archetype
Attorneys, critics, comedians, disruptive innovators, investigative journalists.
Psychological Pattern
"The rules are wrong, and I can prove it." Intellectual defiance as identity.
Direct Wealth
Zhèng Cái 正财
Element Relationship: Day Master controls, opposite polarity
Earned income, stable assets, and — traditionally — the wife in a male chart. Zhèng Cái represents the resources you acquire through discipline and sustained effort. It is reliable but requires continuous work to maintain.
Career Archetype
Accountants, salaried professionals, real estate managers, operations roles.
Psychological Pattern
"I build wealth through patience and consistency." The long game.
Indirect Wealth
Piān Cái 偏财
Element Relationship: Day Master controls, same polarity
Windfall money, investment returns, speculative gains, and social generosity. Piān Cái is the money that comes through opportunity rather than labor. People with strong Piān Cái are often generous to the point of carelessness — easy come, easy go.
Career Archetype
Investors, venture capitalists, event organizers, social influencers.
Psychological Pattern
"Money is a tool, not a destination." The abundance mindset.
Direct Officer
Zhèng Guān 正官
Element Relationship: Controls Day Master, opposite polarity
Authority, law, structure, and discipline imposed by the external world. Zhèng Guān represents the boss, the government, and formal rules. When well-placed, it is traditionally associated with duty and leadership. When excessive, it may symbolize anxiety, over-compliance, or fear of deviation.
Career Archetype
Government officials, corporate executives, judges, military officers.
Psychological Pattern
"I serve the institution because the institution serves order." Duty as identity.
Seven Killings
Qī Shā 七杀
Element Relationship: Controls Day Master, same polarity
Raw, unrestrained pressure. Qī Shā is traditionally treated as one of the most forceful stars because it applies pressure without mediation. Unlike the polite constraint of Zhèng Guān, Seven Killings describes direct confrontation, crisis response, and the capacity to operate under threat. Warriors, reformers, and high-risk builders are often interpreted through this archetype when it is prominent and well handled.
Career Archetype
Special forces, trauma surgeons, crisis managers, turnaround CEOs, martial artists.
Psychological Pattern
"What doesn't kill me makes me dangerous." Adversity as fuel.
Direct Seal
Zhèng Yìn 正印
Element Relationship: Generates Day Master, opposite polarity
The nurturing mother. Zhèng Yìn provides unconditional support, knowledge, protection, and spiritual foundation. It is the teacher who believes in you, the institution that shelters you, the inherited wisdom that guides you. Critical for weak Day Masters who need support.
Career Archetype
Professors, monks, archivists, mentors, traditional medicine practitioners.
Psychological Pattern
"I am protected, therefore I can grow." Security as the foundation of achievement.
Indirect Seal
Piān Yìn 偏印
Element Relationship: Generates Day Master, same polarity
The eccentric mentor. Piān Yìn is knowledge from unconventional sources — esoteric studies, self-taught expertise, alternative wisdom. It provides support, but with strings attached or unpredictable conditions. It is often associated with unusual insight, solitude, and intellectual distance.
Career Archetype
Researchers, data scientists, niche specialists, esoteric studies, codebreakers.
Psychological Pattern
"My knowledge comes from unusual sources." The outsider-scholar.
References: Yuan Hai Zi Ping 《渊海子平》; Shen Feng Tong Hui 《神峰通考》; Zi Ping Zhen Quan 《子平真诠》