Saju Ten Gods, Ten Stars & Six Relationships
In the world of Saju (Four Pillars of Destiny), the Ten Gods (十神, Sipsin), Ten Stars (十星, Sipseong), and Six Relationships (六親, Yukchim) are not just abstract theories — they are the master keys to understanding your personality, career, relationships, and wealth. Once you grasp these three concepts, you’ve essentially unlocked 80% of how a Saju reading works. This guide breaks everything down in plain English, from the basics to real-world interpretation, so even complete beginners can follow along.
What Are the Ten Gods?
The Ten Gods are a system that classifies the relationship between the Day Master (your core self in Saju) and every other element in your chart using Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory. Each character in your chart isn’t just an element — it represents a specific relationship with you, making this the very starting point of any Saju reading.
- Bigyeon (比肩) — Rob Wealth’s Peer: Same element, same polarity as Day Master → rivals, colleagues, siblings
- Geopjae (劫財) — Robbing Wealth: Same element, opposite polarity → greed, competitive drive, financial rivalry
- Sikshin (食神) — Eating God: Day Master generates it, same polarity → talent, self-expression, abundance
- Sanggwan (傷官) — Hurting Officer: Day Master generates it, opposite polarity → creativity, rebelliousness, artistic flair
- Pyeonjae (偏財) — Indirect Wealth: Day Master controls it, opposite polarity → speculation, business, romantic connections
- Jeongjae (正財) — Direct Wealth: Day Master controls it, same polarity → stable income, diligence, reliability
- Pyeongwan (偏官) — Indirect Officer: Controls Day Master, opposite polarity → power, stress, career drive
- Jeongwan (正官) — Direct Officer: Controls Day Master, same polarity → honor, stable career, rule-following
- Pyeonin (偏印) — Indirect Seal: Generates Day Master, opposite polarity → study, solitude, unconventional thinking
- Jeongin (正印) — Direct Seal: Generates Day Master, same polarity → documents, qualifications, maternal care
How to Identify the Ten Gods
To find the Ten God for each character in a chart, you need to assess two things relative to the Day Master: the Five Elements generating/controlling relationship, and whether their Yin-Yang polarity matches. It looks complex at first, but once you learn the rules below, you can apply them to any chart.
- Day Master as the reference point: Among the 8 characters in a Saju chart, the Day Stem (top character of the Day Pillar) represents “you” — all other 7 characters are classified relative to it
- Yin-Yang split: Gab, Byeong, Mu, Gyeong, Im = Yang (陽); Eul, Jeong, Gi, Sin, Gye = Yin (陰)
- Five Elements generation cycle: Wood → Fire → Earth → Metal → Water → Wood
- Five Elements control cycle: Wood → Earth, Fire → Metal, Earth → Water, Metal → Wood, Water → Fire
- Same polarity = “Direct” (正) form, opposite polarity = “Indirect” (偏) form — this rule applies to all five categories
- Earthly Branches: Break each branch down into its hidden stems (지장간), then assign a Ten God to each hidden stem
Ten Gods vs. Ten Stars: What’s the Difference?
Ten Gods and Ten Stars are largely the same concept and are used interchangeably in most modern Saju practice. However, some schools of thought draw a subtle distinction: Ten Gods are based on Heavenly Stems, while Ten Stars are based on Earthly Branches. In everyday use — apps, books, and consultations — the two terms are treated as identical.
- Why they’re mixed up: Korean, Chinese, and Taiwanese schools of Ming Li each developed their own terminology, leading to widespread overlap between “Ten Gods” and “Ten Stars”
- School differences: Japyeong Ming Li (子平命理) prefers “Ten Gods”; some branches of Saju astrology prefer “Ten Stars”
- What actually matters in practice: Don’t get caught up in the terminology — focus on mastering the 10-way relational classification system based on the Day Master
- Influence level: Heavenly Stem Ten Gods = direct, outward influence; Earthly Branch Ten Gods = inner, environmental influence
- Applied to luck cycles: The same Ten Star analysis applies when reading major luck periods (대운) and annual luck (세운)
How to Read the Six Relationships
The Six Relationships take the Ten Gods and map them onto real people in your life — parents, siblings, spouse, children, and more. If the Ten Gods are the skeleton, the Six Relationships are the flesh. This is how Saju readers identify who in your life each part of the chart represents.
- Bigeop (比劫) — Bigyeon + Geopjae → siblings, friends, colleagues, rivals
- Siksang (食傷) — Sikshin + Sanggwan → children (especially for women), subordinates, students
- Jaeseong (財星) — Pyeonjae + Jeongjae → father, romantic partner (for men), wealth and assets
- Gwanseong (官星) — Pyeongwan + Jeongwan → romantic partner (for women), boss or authority, the state
- Inseong (印星) — Pyeonin + Jeongin → mother, mentor, academic knowledge, official documents
Key Point: The placement of spouse and children in the chart differs by gender:
- Men: Jaeseong (財星) = spouse | Gwanseong (官星) = career
- Women: Gwanseong (官星) = spouse | Siksang (食傷) = children
Personality & Career by Ten God
Beyond relationships, the Ten Gods are a powerful tool for understanding your natural personality traits and the careers that suit you best. Which Ten God is strong or weak in your chart directly shapes your inborn temperament and social role.
- Strong Sikshin (Food God): Easygoing, talented in arts, cooking, or education; naturally lucky with food and comfort; optimistic
- Strong Sanggwan (Hurting Officer): Highly creative with sharp verbal skills; thrives in law, the arts, teaching, or content creation
- Strong Pyeonjae (Indirect Wealth): Natural instinct for business and investment; well-suited to real estate, finance, and sales
- Strong Jeongwan (Direct Officer): Principled and highly responsible; a natural fit for government work, large corporations, or law
- Strong Pyeonin (Indirect Seal): Excels in research, philosophy, religion, or counseling — fields that go deep under the surface
- Strong Bigeop (Rob Wealth): Independent and fiercely competitive; well-suited to startups, self-employment, or athletics
Using Ten Gods in Luck Cycles
Your natal chart is just the foundation — Major Luck Periods (대운, 10-year cycles) and Annual Luck (세운, yearly cycles) determine how life actually unfolds over time. Knowing which Ten God is active in a given period lets you anticipate the themes of that season of life.
- Wealth Star Period (財星運): A time for money, business, and romantic encounters — but spending also increases, so balance is key
- Officer Star Period (官星運): Career and social responsibility grow; job changes or promotions are likely
- Seal Star Period (印星運): Strong luck for study, certifications, and documents; triggers job moves, contracts, or property deals
- Expression Star Period (食傷運): A surge in creative output, ambition, and independence; linked to career changes, startups, or childbirth
- Peer Star Period (比劫運): Increased competition and scattered resources, but also new alliances — cooperation and rivalry coexist
- Reading fortune as good or bad: When the active Ten God matches your chart’s “favorable god” (用神), expect good outcomes; when it matches the “unfavorable god” (忌神), watch for challenges
Common Mistakes When Interpreting Ten Gods
Ten Gods should never be read in isolation — accurate interpretation requires looking at the entire chart as a whole. Labeling a single Ten God as “bad” is a beginner’s mistake. In real readings, always consider the following.
- Combination, clash, punishment, and harm interactions: These can strengthen or completely neutralize a Ten God’s effect
- Too many or too few: Having 3+ of the same Ten God often creates imbalance (e.g., too much wealth weakens the self; mixed officers cause confusion)
- Favorable vs. unfavorable gods: The same Ten God can be lucky or unlucky depending on whether the Day Master is strong or weak
- Hidden stems in branches: Ten Gods hidden inside Earthly Branches play important behind-the-scenes roles
- Gender differences: The same Ten God carries different meanings for men and women in several key cases
- Luck cycle activations: A Ten God absent from the natal chart can still show up — and make itself felt — when it arrives in a luck cycle
Beginner’s Tip: How to Memorize the Ten Gods
The hardest part for beginners is simply remembering which Ten God is which. The good news is that once you understand the underlying logic, the pattern sticks naturally. Try this mental framework.
- Peers (比劫) = same element as me: Bigyeon (same polarity), Geopjae (opposite) → “beings that resemble me”
- Expression (食傷) = elements I generate: Sikshin (same), Sanggwan (opposite) → “what I create and put out into the world”
- Wealth (財星) = elements I control: Pyeonjae (opposite), Jeongjae (same) → “resources I manage”
- Officer (官星) = elements that control me: Pyeongwan (opposite), Jeongwan (same) → “forces that discipline or govern me”
- Seal (印星) = elements that generate me: Pyeonin (opposite), Jeongin (same) → “what supports and nurtures me”
- Memory shortcut: Think of the five groups in this order — Me → Expression → Wealth → Officer → Seal — as the story of “Self → Output → Gain → Discipline → Support”
Frequently Asked Questions (Q&A)
Q1. What is the difference between Ten Gods and Six Relationships?
A1. The Ten Gods are the classification system — they define the 10 types of elemental relationships relative to the Day Master. The Six Relationships then apply those Ten Gods to actual people in your life, like parents, siblings, a spouse, or children. Think of Ten Gods as the framework and Six Relationships as the human application. In practice, you always use both together.
Q2. What does it mean if a certain Ten God is completely missing from my chart?
A2. A Ten God absent from your natal chart doesn’t mean that area of life is permanently closed off. Its energy simply hasn’t been activated yet — it will emerge when that Ten God arrives in a major or annual luck cycle. For example, someone without a Wealth Star in their chart can still experience strong financial opportunities during a Wealth Star luck period. Absence is not the same as loss.
Q3. Does having many Indirect Officers (偏官) in your chart mean bad luck?
A3. Not at all. A chart with many Indirect Officers is only problematic if the Day Master is too weak to handle the pressure. When the Day Master is strong and the Indirect Officers are well-controlled by Expression Stars (食傷), the result is powerful drive, leadership ability, and career success. In Saju, good or bad is always a matter of overall balance — never a single element in isolation.
Q4. Why is the Wealth Star (財星) the spouse indicator for men?
A4. In classical Ming Li theory, the Wealth Star represents “what I control and manage” — traditionally interpreted as a wife and material assets for a man. The Officer Star, by contrast, represents “what governs me,” which maps to career and authority. Modern interpreters often reframe this not as gender roles, but as the difference between relationships you lead versus relationships that structure you.
Q5. Can I calculate my Ten Gods automatically using an app or website?
A5. Yes! Several Saju apps and websites calculate your Ten Gods instantly from your birth date and time. Look for apps or sites with a “만세력 (Manse-ryeok / Perpetual Calendar)” feature — entering your birth year, month, day, and hour will generate a full chart with Ten God labels for every pillar. Just remember: the auto-generated chart shows the structure, but meaningful interpretation always requires reading the full chart in context.
