Ten Gods: Companions and Rob Wealth

Companions (比肩) and Rob Wealth (劫财) are the stems of the Day Master's own element. They represent peers, siblings, colleagues and the self's own reserves.

Two kinds of peer

• Companion (比肩, same polarity) — equals, partners, independence, steady self-reliance.
• Rob Wealth (劫财, opposite polarity) — competitors, bold risk-taking, persuasion, shared or contested resources.

When they help

For a weak Day Master, Companions and Rob Wealth are support: allies, teamwork, the strength to carry Wealth and Officer. A weak chart that gains a Companion luck pillar often feels more capable.

When they compete

For a strong Day Master, more of the same element is excess. Because they share the Day Master's element, they also control Wealth — the classic image is 比劫夺财, peers competing for the same wealth. Practitioners read this as shared costs, partnerships that split gains, or spending.

Balancing them

• Officer controls Companions and Rob Wealth, adding structure.
• Output channels them into productive work — the pattern 比劫生食伤, peers driving creation.
• Wealth gives them something to work on, but only if the Day Master can carry it.

Practical reading

Count where they sit: in the month they shape the whole chart's style; in the day branch (the Day Master's own seat) they are a root; in the hour they relate to later life and projects. Then decide by strength whether they are allies or competitors.

How Companion and Rob Wealth are derived

Both stars share the Day Master's element. The difference is polarity. For a 甲 wood Day Master, another 甲 is a Companion (same element, same polarity) and 乙 is Rob Wealth (same element, opposite polarity). For a 丁 fire Day Master, 丁 is a Companion and 丙 is Rob Wealth. The same logic applies to hidden stems: 寅 holds 甲 as main qi, so for a 甲 Day Master the 寅 branch is a strong Companion root, and 卯 (main qi 乙) is a Rob Wealth root. You can check every stem in your own chart with the Ten Gods calculator.

Branches that count as Companions

In practice the branches carrying the Day Master's element are the most important source of Companion strength, because they are roots. Two classical terms describe the strongest cases:

• 建禄 (Jian Lu): the Day Master sits in the branch of its coming-of-age stage in the month — for 甲, a 寅 month. The month itself is a Companion, so the chart starts from a strong position.
• 月刃 / 羊刃 (Yang Ren): for yang Day Masters, the peak branch — for 甲, a 卯 month; for 丙 and 戊, 午; for 庚, 酉; for 壬, 子. This is Rob Wealth at its most concentrated. Classical texts treat it as powerful and in need of Officer control.

These are traditional structure names; they summarise strength rather than predict events. The twelve growth stages explain why these particular branches are singled out.

Strength first, meaning second

Companions and Rob Wealth make sense only after you have judged Day Master strength. The same two stars in two charts can mean opposite things:

The table is a starting point. Always confirm by looking at season and roots rather than counting characters.

Rob Wealth and money themes

Because the Day Master's element controls the Wealth element, Companions and Rob Wealth control Wealth too. In a strong chart, traditional texts read this as sharing or losing resources: partnerships that split profits, spending on friends, or competition for the same opportunity. In a weak chart facing heavy Wealth, the same control is helpful, because peers take some of the load. Modern readers often phrase it neutrally: a chart with strong Rob Wealth benefits from clear agreements whenever money and other people mix.

Companions in luck and annual pillars

A Companion or Rob Wealth luck pillar strengthens the Day Master for ten years. Whether that feels supportive depends on the natal balance. A useful habit is to list the luck pillars from the luck pillar calculator and mark each one where the stem or branch main qi shares the Day Master's element. Then compare those decades with what the chart needs. For annual pillars the same method applies on a shorter scale; the annual pillar calculator lists the coming years.

Common misreadings

1. "Rob Wealth means I will lose money." It describes a dynamic between self and resources, not a forecast. In a weak chart it is often favourable.
2. "Companions mean many siblings." Traditional family associations are symbolic and inconsistent across schools; avoid literal conclusions.
3. Ignoring hidden Companions. A chart with no visible Companion can still be well supported through roots.
4. Forgetting combinations. A Rob Wealth stem can be bound by combination — for example 乙 with 庚 — which reduces its competitive effect.

A short exercise

Write down your Day Master, then mark every stem and every hidden stem with the same element. Separate them into Companion and Rob Wealth by polarity, note which pillar each sits in, and decide whether your Day Master is strong or weak. With those notes you will be able to say in one sentence whether peers act as support or as competition in your chart — which is exactly the question these two stars answer.

Frequently asked questions

Is Rob Wealth always worse than Companion? No. Rob Wealth is more forceful and more often linked to competition, but whether that is helpful depends on strength.

What controls Rob Wealth best? Officer stars, especially Seven Killings, are the classical control. Output can also redirect it into productive work.

Does a strong Companion presence mean independence? That is a common modern reading, especially when Officer is weak.

Position matters

Companions in the month are the 建禄 and 羊刃 structures described above. In the day branch they root the Day Master directly. In the year they are associated with background and peers early in life; in the hour, with collaborators later on. See pillar positions for the full scheme.

Key points

• Companion (same polarity) and Rob Wealth (opposite polarity) share the Day Master's element.
• Branches that hold the Day Master's element are roots. 建禄 and 羊刃 in the month are the strongest cases.
• For a weak Day Master they are support. For a strong one they are excess and compete for Wealth.
• Officer controls them, Output channels them, and Wealth gives them work if the Day Master can carry it.
• Rob Wealth themes around money call for clear agreements, not fear.
• Family associations are symbolic. Avoid literal conclusions about siblings.
• Combinations can bind a Rob Wealth stem and reduce its competitive effect.

Key terms in this article

Ten Gods · 十神

The Ten Gods name each stem by its element relation and polarity relative to the Day Master: Friend and Rob Wealth (same element), Eating God and Hurting Officer (output), Direct and Indirect Wealth, Direct Officer and Seven Killings, Direct and Indirect Resource.

Strong Day Master · 身强

A strong Day Master is supported by the season, has roots and is backed by companion or resource stems. Traditionally it handles pressure well and benefits from output, wealth and officer elements that use or channel its energy.

Weak Day Master · 身弱

A weak Day Master is out of season, has few roots and is surrounded by elements that drain or control it. Traditionally it benefits from resource and companion elements, and from periods that bring them.

Root · 通根

A stem is rooted when a branch in the chart contains the same element among its hidden stems. Roots in the month and day branches count most; a main-qi root is stronger than a residual one. An unrooted Day Master is easily swayed by surrounding elements.

See also: day pillar and judging Day Master strength.