Labels for relationships
The name 십신 sipsin, ten gods or ten spirits, sounds grand. In practice it is a system of labels. Take your day master's element and polarity. Now take any other character. There are only five ways their elements can relate (same, you feed it, you control it, it controls you, it feeds you) and two ways their polarities can relate (same or different). Five times two is ten.
We give each one a plain English name next to its Korean name, because the traditional names (seizing wealth, hurting the officer, seven killings) are vivid, old fashioned and easy to misread as omens. Here they describe roles.
The five groups
Same element: Peer 비견 and Rival 겁재. The self group: friends, siblings, colleagues, independence and competition.
What you feed: Maker 식신 and Performer 상관. The output group: talent, expression, creativity, what you give to the world.
What you control: Venture 편재 and Steward 정재. The group the old texts called wealth: how you handle resources, work, and the practical world. We read it as a style of engagement, never an amount of money.
What controls you: Challenger 편관 and Order 정관. The power group: pressure, rules, responsibility, reputation.
What feeds you: Outsider mind 편인 and Mentor 정인. The resource group: learning, support, care and the inner life.
Same polarity and opposite polarity
Within each group, the same polarity version is read as more direct, raw or irregular, and the opposite polarity version as smoother and more conventional. That is why the old names pair direct and indirect wealth, direct and indirect officers, direct and indirect seals. Neither is better: direct is steadier, and indirect is freer.
Branches have ten gods too, read from their main hidden stem. On our chart the label above each stem is its ten god, and the small lines under each branch list the hidden stems with theirs.
Reading them together
No single ten god decides anything. Readers look at which groups dominate, which are missing and how they interact. Maker tames Challenger, turning pressure into skill. Mentor supports the self. Performer challenges Order. Venture feeds Challenger. These chains are where a lot of the interesting reading happens, and they are why Saju is more of a conversation than a verdict.
All ten at a glance
| Ten god | Relationship to you |
|---|---|
| Peer 비견 比肩 Bigyeon | Bigyeon 비견 比肩 means shoulder to shoulder. It is a character with your own element and polarity, a mirror of you. The tradition links it with siblings, friends, colleagues at your level and your sense of independence. Plenty of Peer energy is read as self reliant and hard to push around. Too much can mean you share or compete for the same things as the people around you. A little is read as good company. |
| Rival 겁재 劫財 Geopjae | Geopjae 겁재 劫財 means seizing wealth, an old name for a character that shares your element but not your polarity. It is read as the rival sibling: close to you, and competing with you. The tradition links it with drive, risk taking and a strong sense of self. In balance it gives courage and a competitive edge. When it dominates, the old texts warn about impulsive spending of energy and resources, a note about habits, not an event. |
| Maker 식신 食神 Siksin | Siksin 식신 食神 means eating god. It is the element your day master produces, with the same polarity. The tradition links it with talent that flows easily, good food, generosity and a relaxed kind of productivity. It is the craftsperson who enjoys the work. A chart with a clear Maker is often read as expressive and good humored. The Maker also gently holds back the Challenger, which is why the old texts liked it. |
| Performer 상관 傷官 Sanggwan | Sanggwan 상관 傷官 means hurting the officer, because it challenges Order, the character of rules and authority. It is the element you produce, with the opposite polarity. The tradition links it with sharp talent, performance, eloquence and a dislike of pointless rules. In balance it is read as brilliant and original. In excess it is read as outspoken to the point of friction, the student who corrects the teacher. |
| Venture 편재 偏財 Pyeonjae | Pyeonjae 편재 偏財 means indirect wealth. It is the element your day master controls, with the same polarity. Old texts tied it to wealth that moves, trade and opportunity. The site reads it as your relationship with the wider world: deals, travel, risk, a generous and outgoing streak. It describes a style of engaging with resources and people, never an amount of money. |
| Steward 정재 正財 Jeongjae | Jeongjae 정재 正財 means direct wealth: the element you control, with the opposite polarity. The old texts tied it to steady earnings from steady work. The site reads it as stewardship: looking after what you have, planning, keeping promises and valuing things that last. Traditionally it also stood for the wife in a man's chart, a reading many modern practitioners now treat more broadly. |
| Challenger 편관 偏官 Pyeongwan | Pyeongwan 편관 偏官, also called Chilsal 칠살 七殺 (seven killings), is the element that controls your day master with the same polarity. Its old name sounds alarming, and the tradition means pressure: hard tests, strict mentors, competition and crisis. Handled well, it is read as courage, leadership and grit. The Maker in a chart is read as taming it, turning raw pressure into skill. |
| Order 정관 正官 Jeonggwan | Jeonggwan 정관 正官 means direct officer: the element that controls you with the opposite polarity. It is read as legitimate structure: rules you accept, responsibility, reputation and the respect of a community. A chart with a clear Order is often read as principled and dependable. Traditionally it also stood for the husband in a woman's chart, a reading many practitioners now treat more broadly. |
| Outsider mind 편인 偏印 Pyeonin | Pyeonin 편인 偏印 means indirect seal. It is the element that feeds your day master, with the same polarity. The tradition links it with unconventional learning, intuition, spiritual interests and specialist skills, the knowledge you find on your own. In balance it is read as original and perceptive. In excess the old texts talk about overthinking and restlessness. It is also said to hold back the Maker. |
| Mentor 정인 正印 Jeongin | Jeongin 정인 正印 means direct seal, the seal of a document or an office. It is the element that feeds you with the opposite polarity, and the tradition links it with mothers, teachers, formal learning, qualifications and being looked after. A clear Mentor is read as a kind, studious, well supported nature. Too much, the old texts say, can make it easy to wait for help rather than move. |
Questions
Is Challenger (seven killings) bad?
No. It is the name for pressure and challenge, which the tradition sees as the source of courage and leadership when balanced.
Does Venture or Steward mean I will be rich?
No. The old name is wealth, but the tradition uses it for how you relate to resources and effort. We make no promises about money.
Why do some charts lack a ten god group?
Eight characters cannot cover ten gods, so every chart misses some. Missing groups can show up in luck pillars and years.