Image: Yashima Gakutei, Art Institute of Chicago (CC0/Public Domain)
TL;DR: Seven Killings is a Ten God representing pressure, challenge, and authority, but also brings resilience and ambition. Understanding its role in BaZi helps identify personality, fortune, and ways to transform it for success.
Does Seven Killings being favorable or unfavorable depend on prosperity or decline and the Yong Shen?
Seven Killings is the element that controls the Day Master with the same yin-yang polarity, so whether it is favorable or unfavorable depends on the Day Master's capacity to bear it. When the Day Master is prosperous and encounters Seven Killings, it becomes favorable and can be the Yong Shen when the Yue Ling and the structure indicate that the Killings have enough strength to control the Day Master; at that time, fu yi leans toward suppression. When the Day Master is weak and encounters Seven Killings, it becomes unfavorable, and one needs to use Yin to mediate and transform the Killings, or adjust temperature if the birth season is cold. Bing Yao selects the element that remedies the exact spot where the Killings overwhelm, while cong ge is used only when the Day Master has no root and no Yin, and one must follow the Killings. To grasp the full chain of reasoning, see Yong Shen in Bazi and Day Master prosperous, Day Master weak.
How are chart structures named, and how does the Seven Killings structure form?
A chart structure is the mold of the chart, named after whichever god holds the monthly command and penetrates to the heavenly stems. In other words, look at what stem the month branch contains, whether that stem appears among the heavenly stems, and then take the god corresponding to the Day Master as the name of the structure. With the Seven Killings, when the Seven Killings holds the monthly command, has sufficient qi and power, and the Day Master has a strong root, the chart becomes a Seven Killings structure. The name of the structure does not yet say whether the chart is good or bad; it only says which god is playing the leading role. Good or bad must wait for the step of control and transformation and the selection of the useful god.
How to identify the Seven Killings in the four pillars
Step 1: determine the Day Master, that is, the stem of the birth day according to the stem and branch calendar. Step 2: list the remaining stems in the four pillars, including the year stem, month stem, hour stem, and also the hidden stems within the branches. Step 3: compare each stem with the Day Master. A stem that controls the Day Master and is of the same polarity is the Seven Killings. A stem that controls the Day Master but differs in polarity is the Direct Officer.
| Day Master | Seven Killings (controls the Day Master, same polarity) |
|---|---|
| Giáp (yang wood) | Canh (yang metal) |
| Ất (yin wood) | Tân (yin metal) |
| Bính (yang fire) | Nhâm (yang water) |
| Đinh (yin fire) | Quý (yin water) |
| Mậu (yang earth) | Giáp (yang wood) |
| Kỷ (yin earth) | Ất (yin wood) |
| Canh (yang metal) | Bính (yang fire) |
| Tân (yin metal) | Đinh (yin fire) |
| Nhâm (yang water) | Mậu (yang earth) |
| Quý (yin water) | Kỷ (yin earth) |
For example, with a Giáp Wood Day Master, if the stem Canh appears in any pillar, that is the Seven Killings. Branches such as Thân, which contains the hidden stem Canh, also count; the branch Dậu contains Tân, so it is the Direct Officer, not the Seven Killings.
How does the Seven Killings interact with the other Ten Gods?
The Resource star (Direct Resource, Indirect Resource) generates the Day Master and has the effect of dissolving the Seven Killings. With a strong Resource, the pressure of the Killings turns into wisdom and learning. In the framework of the useful god, this is precisely the operation of mediation when the Killings and the Day Master are locked, or the remedy when the Killings is the fault. The Eating God is generated by the Day Master and has the effect of subduing the Seven Killings, representing talent and skill, used to curb the fierceness of the Killings; in the framework of the useful god, this is the choice when the self is strong enough to bear the work of controlling the Killings. The Wealth star is controlled by the Seven Killings, so Killings that are too strong can damage wealth and fortune; conversely, strong Wealth can feed the Killings, creating power but also easily leading to risky decisions. This is the chain of Wealth generating the Killings and then the Killings controlling the self, and it is why Wealth must be considered before concluding about the Killings.
Mixed Officer and Killings is when both the Direct Officer and the Seven Killings appear together. This case is usually handled with the Resource to transform, or with the Eating God to control one side. Note: the severity of mixed Officer and Killings is a point on which the schools do not agree; some treat it as serious, some treat it as minor if the Day Master is strong enough.
Application in destiny analysis: personality, career, wealth, love
On personality, a person with strong Seven Killings is often stern, decisive, able to bear pressure, with leadership qualities. If the Killings is strong and uncontrolled, they easily become hot-tempered, rigid, authoritarian. On career, when the Killings is well controlled and transformed by the Resource or the Eating God, this person suits work demanding decisiveness such as the military, police, courts, corporate management; when the Killings is uncontrolled, they easily meet gossip, lawsuits, or create risks through impulsiveness. On wealth, because the Killings controls Wealth, Killings that are too strong can drain wealth: this person may earn a lot but also spend quickly, and easily invests rashly without a plan. On health, strong Killings is often linked with cardiovascular problems, blood pressure, nerves, and injuries from accidents; this is a traditional association, not a medical conclusion. On love, for a male chart the Seven Killings usually represents children, especially sons; for a female chart, the Seven Killings is one of the factors representing the husband or lover. A female chart with strong Killings may meet many romances or be drawn to strong, distinctive personalities, but easily comes into conflict; if Officer and Killings are mixed, love is usually regarded as more complicated.
All the conclusions above must come after the step of choosing the useful god. The same strong Seven Killings, if the useful god is the Resource, is analyzed differently than when the useful god is the Eating God, and quite differently from the case of following the Killings. Reversing the order will produce pronouncements that cannot be verified.
Special cases of the Seven Killings
The Seven Killings structure forms when the Seven Killings holds the monthly command, has sufficient qi and power, and the Day Master has a strong root. In this structure, if the Eating God controls the Killings, it is called the Eating God controlling the Killings, leaning toward martial authority and renown. If the Resource star transforms the Killings, it is called Killings and Resource generating each other, leaning toward learning and nobility. Uncontrolled Seven Killings is when the Killings is too strong with no Resource or Eating God accompanying it; this case is usually analyzed as full of setbacks, yet if the Day Master is strong enough, the Killings can still be used as motivation, only the path is more arduous. Mixed Officer and Killings was discussed above: the Resource is needed to transform it or the Eating God to control one side, otherwise career and love easily meet setbacks.
In which direction do dissolution and improvement of fortune go?
Using the Resource star: increase learning, cultivate knowledge, train the temperament; suitable professions include research, education, consulting, planning. This is the direction matching the operation of transforming the Killings by Resource in the useful god section. Using the Eating God: develop talents, learn to express emotions, take part in artistic or sports activities; this is the direction matching the operation of controlling the Killings by the Eating God.
On colors and directions, the choice is based on the element of the useful god, not on the element of the Seven Killings. If the useful god is Water, use colors belonging to Water; if the useful god is Fire, use colors belonging to Fire. Choosing by the element of the Seven Killings is choosing by the element causing pressure, not the element that needs supplementing, so it easily goes backwards. Color, number, and direction factors should only be regarded as reference suggestions; they cannot replace changing behavior and living environment.
