The Eight Deities (八神)
The Eight Deities form the Deity Plate, representing unseen, hidden forces — benefactors, undercurrents, deception, and harmony.
| Deity | Symbolic Meanings |
|---|---|
| Zhi Fu (值符) | The most auspicious deity: benefactors, authority, officialdom, leadership |
| Teng She (腾蛇) | False alarms, entanglement, documents, the supernatural, hidden/private matters |
| Tai Yin (太阴) | Hidden/private matters, secret unions, concealment, women, planning |
| Liu He (六合) | Harmony, marriage, intermediaries, cooperation |
| Bai Hu / Gou Chen (白虎/勾陈) | Violent harm, roads, illness, military and police |
| Xuan Wu / Zhu Que (玄武/朱雀) | Theft, ambiguity, disputes/gossip, fraudulent documents |
| Jiu Di (九地) | Kun's yielding nature, slowness, concealment, longevity |
| Jiu Tian (九天) | Vigor, soaring, long journeys, grand fanfare |
Note: During the Yin Dun (阴遁) configuration, some schools use Gou Chen (勾陈) in place of Bai Hu, and Zhu Que (朱雀) in place of Xuan Wu (Zhu Que primarily governs documents and verbal disputes). You may substitute these symbolic meanings as needed during interpretation.
Key Points of Application
- Zhi Fu (值符) arriving at the Useful God (用神) = support from benefactors and officialdom; twice the result for half the effort
- Liu He (六合) arriving at the Useful God = matters of cooperation and marriage show signs of harmony; when it arrives on buying and selling, it indicates an intermediary brokering the deal
- Xuan Wu / Teng She (玄武/腾蛇) arriving at the Useful God = guard against hidden deception, document-related disputes, and false promises
- Bai Hu (白虎) arriving at the Useful God = guard against injury, bloodshed, and dangers on the road; but when asking about military or police careers, it actually indicates being in the right position
- The Eight Deities do not determine fortune or misfortune on their own — they must be judged in combination with the Gates, Stars, and Stems