Bazi 101: Understanding the Ten Deities in Bazi Analysis
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Published: 5 Feb 2025
Have you ever wondered what makes you the person you are today? A person’s development from birth to adulthood is influenced by many factors – from genetics, family environment to society’s customs and values, relationships, etc.
While psychotherapy can help one to better understand early life experiences to address present issues, the Ten Deities (十神) in Bazi can help you to discover an individual’s strengths, weaknesses, and potential life path. In this article, we shall explain this core concept in Chinese Metaphysics, particularly in Bazi.
Don’t miss the upcoming Strategic Bazi Courses by Way Academy. Message us via WhatsApp for more information.
Understanding the Ten Deities in Bazi
Most of you are familiar with Bazi, a form of Chinese astrology that looks into the unique set of characteristics surrounding the date and hour of one’s birth. It is commonly used as a tool to interpret people, situations and objects in one’s life. If you’ve been to a Bazi consultation, you’ve probably heard of the Ten Deities.
The Ten Deities (commonly known as ‘Ten Gods’) represent different energies and relationships in one’s life path. They are a symbolic way of describing various influences in a person’s life. They are not literal gods or deities though, and in no way affiliated to any religion.
Deriving from the Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water) and their Yin and Yang polarities, the Ten Deities represent the interaction between the ten Heavenly Stems, which is determined by one’s Daymaster. Let’s take a look at the Bazi chart below:
Did you notice the Heavenly Stems? The highlighted box reflects the Daymaster, and the Ten Deities are also reflected in this Bazi chart.
As mentioned earlier, the Ten Deities derived from each of the Five Elements in their Yin and Yang forms. In general, they are segregated into five categories to interpret their interactions with the Daymaster. Here are the five categories of the Ten Deities:
- Authority Stars (官杀)
- Talent Stars (食伤)
- Resource Stars (印星)
- Wealth Stars (财星)
- Friend/Rival Stars (比劫)
Ten Deities: Traits and what they represent
Authority Stars (官杀)
- Proper Authority (正官)
- Imposing Authority (七杀)
Symbolising the element that controls the Daymaster, the Authority stars (官杀) indicate leadership, discipline, and power. Interestingly, these stars are present in several authoritative figures that we analysed, including our Prime Minister, Mr. Lawrence Wong.
The Proper Authority (正官) indicates traits of honesty, fairness, and conventionalism. It can represent societal rules, responsibility, and status. On the other hand, the Imposing Authority (七杀) indicates traits of authority and extremity. It can represent ambition, decisiveness, and competitiveness.
Besides using the Authority Stars to assess one’s career ability, these stars can also represent one’s husband in a female bazi chart. When analysing a male bazi chart, it can provide insights to an individual’s child(ren).
Talent Stars (食伤)
- Implicit Talent (食神)
- Explicit Talent (伤官)
Corresponding to the element that the Daymaster creates, the Talent Stars (食伤) symbolise creativity, achievements, and individuality. In today’s fast-paced digital world, innovation and creativity are crucial to an individual’s success. Hence, these stars possess great influence. They can also represent children in a female Bazi chart.
The Implicit Talent (食神) boasts traits of gentleness and a relaxed stance. It represents refinement, strategy and thoughtfulness whereas the Explicit Talent (伤官) has traits of being dynamic and headstrong. The latter represents innovation, charisma, and bold expression – as reflected in the talented Taylor Swift.
Resource Stars (印星)
- Primary Resource (正印)
- Secondary Resource (偏印)
Symbolising the element that creates the Daymaster, the Resource Stars represent knowledge, support, and nurturing qualities. When translated, the word yin (印) means the imperial seal – bestowed by the Emperor to officers in ancient China. These stars can assess one’s academic abilities and their influences on others.
The Primary Resource (正印) has characteristics of kindness and benevolence. It is also a symbol of formal education and maternal guidance. The Secondary Resource (偏印) reflects traits of independence and grand ideas or great beauty. It can represent intuition, creativity, and unconventional thinking for those who possess this star in their Bazi chart.
Wealth Stars (财星)
- Conventional Wealth (正财)
- Unconventional Wealth (偏财)
Symbolising the element that the Daymaster controls, the Wealth Stars relate to financial management, interpersonal relationships, and values. It can also be used to assess a person’s capability and resourcefulness. In a male Bazi chart, a wealth star can also be an indication of the wife.
The Conventional Wealth (正财) reflects traits of diligence, pragmatism and thriftiness. It can also represent responsibility and practical gains. Don’t mistake the Unconventional Wealth (偏财) for windfalls. This star exhibits traits of generosity and forthrightness. It represents investments and resourcefulness.
Friend/Rival Stars (比劫)
- Amiable Deity (比肩)
- Competitive Deity (劫财)
The Friend/Rival Stars (比劫) symbolises the element that is the same as the Daymaster. They represent self-identity, social connections, and inner strength. What this means is that it can tell you about people around you and whether you will receive a helping hand (or otherwise).
The Amiable Deity (比肩) reflects independence, decisiveness, and self-confidence whereas the Competitive Deity (劫财) – also known as the Star of Aggression – can be stubborn and impulsive. The latter also represents adaptability, competitiveness and social influence.
In our recent Bazi analysis of President Trump of the United States, the Competitive Deity (劫财) was identified in his chart – reflecting his ability to attract public support, which may have contributed to his election victory.
Interpreting luck, happenings and events with the Ten Deities
If you have been following our Bazi articles, you’d know that Bazi can reveal the lucky periods and cycles in one’s life. This is where the Ten Deities come into picture, interacting with elements in one’s 10-Year Luck Pillar and Year Pillar, to forecast an individual’s potential and key life events. The deities consider multiple factors and their interactions, leading to actionable insights beyond elemental strengths and weaknesses in a Bazi reading.
Understanding the roles and interactions of the Ten Deities in a Bazi chart is essential to a holistic and accurate Bazi reading. If you are interested in learning more, stay tuned for more articles here!
Also, don’t miss Way Academy’s Bazi Courses in 2025 to gain a deeper understanding of yourself, people and happenings around you! For more information, message us via WhatsApp now.
