The Seven Killings structure

In Four Pillars of Destiny (BaZi), a chart has a Seven Killings structure when the stem taken from its month branch is Seven Killings: the stem that controls the Day Master and has the same polarity. It takes restraining use and needs to be held in check, most classically by the Food Star. Well handled, it serves the Day Master, and charts with a large structure often carry it.

The Seven Killings structure is also called the Indirect Officer structure. The True Interpretation of Ziping (子平真诠; Qing dynasty, 18th century) opens its chapter on it like this:

煞以攻身，似非美物，而大贵之格，多存七煞。

Our translation: Killings attack the Day Master and seem no good thing; yet structures of great distinction mostly keep Seven Killings.

The book’s reasoning: well controlled, Seven Killings serves the Day Master, like a hero who is hard to command but, handled properly, can achieve great things. The Deep Sea of Ziping (渊海子平; Ming dynasty, 16th century) also cautions against calling Seven Killings adverse on sight, since many charts with Seven Killings achieve a great deal. Held in check, it is called the Indirect Officer; only when unchecked is it called Seven Killings.

The True Interpretation of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer; The Deep Sea of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer, or Seven Killings; Comprehensive Guide to the Three Fates · On the Indirect Officer

The Food Star checking Seven Killings

The True Interpretation of Ziping ranks the Food Star checking Seven Killings first among Seven Killings structures: Seven Killings strong, the Food Star strong, and the Day Master strong too. Two things to be mindful of: revealed Wealth turns the Food Star’s energy toward generating Seven Killings, and revealed Resource controls the Food Star and shields Seven Killings. But if Wealth comes first and the Food Star after, the Seven Killings that Wealth generates is checked by the Food Star; and if the Food Star is too strong, Resource that controls it a little makes the structure instead. Commentary on the True Interpretation of Ziping (子平真诠评注; ROC, 1936) adds that a yang Day Master using the Food Star to check Seven Killings must itself be strong, or the control and the drain press on it together.

The True Interpretation of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer; Commentary on the True Interpretation of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer

Other ways to handle it

• Seven Killings with Resource: Seven Killings generates Resource and Resource generates the Day Master, so the two cooperate. When Seven Killings is heavy and the Day Master light, too light to bear the Food Star checking Seven Killings, Resource is used to convert Seven Killings instead.
• Seven Killings with Wealth: when Resource seizes the Food Star, Wealth removes the Resource and keeps the Food Star; when the Food Star checks Seven Killings too hard, or the Day Master is heavy and Seven Killings light, Wealth feeds Seven Killings.
• Seven Killings mixed with the Officer: remove the Officer and keep Seven Killings, or remove Seven Killings and keep the Officer. Clearing the mix is what matters.
• The Blade standing up to Seven Killings: with no Food Star to check it, a Day Master supported by its Yang Blade can also stand against Seven Killings.

The True Interpretation of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer; Commentary on the True Interpretation of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer

See also: The Yang Blade structure

Dripping Heavenly Marrow Elucidated (滴天髓阐微; Qing dynasty, 19th century), on Officer and Killings, names the same handlings: checking Seven Killings, combining it, Seven Killings generating Resource while Resource generates the Day Master, and a Day Master able to carry Wealth while Wealth feeds Seven Killings. Where Seven Killings alone is strong and the Day Master has no force, there is also a form that goes with Seven Killings; see the lesson on following structures.

Dripping Heavenly Marrow Elucidated · Officer and Killings

See also: Following structures

What to be mindful of

• Seven Killings heavy and the Day Master light, with no Food Star or Resource to handle it.
• Wealth feeding Seven Killings while Seven Killings is neither checked nor converted.
• Seven Killings checked too hard: a single Seven Killings under heavy control. The True Interpretation of Ziping says a Wealth or Resource decade phase can then turn it around, so this cannot be judged one way for every chart.
• Officer and Seven Killings mixed, with nothing to clear the mix.

What tends to ease these is Resource converting Seven Killings, Peers or the Yang Blade supporting the Day Master, or an element that combines away one side of the mix.

The True Interpretation of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer; The Deep Sea of Ziping · On the Indirect Officer, or Seven Killings; Dripping Heavenly Marrow Elucidated · Officer and Killings

Decade phases

The True Interpretation of Ziping, on decade phases for the Indirect Officer, says: when the Food Star checks Seven Killings, help the Food Star if Seven Killings is heavy and the Food Star light, help Seven Killings if Seven Killings is light and the Food Star heavy, and support the Day Master if the two are even and the Day Master’s roots are light. A Direct Officer mixing in does not suit, and Resource seizing the Food Star is to be watched. When Seven Killings uses Resource, Wealth decade phases do not suit. The rest is in the lesson on decade phases and your structure.

The True Interpretation of Ziping · On Decade Phases for the Indirect Officer

Try it on your chart

1. Confirm the pivot is Seven Killings: the stem taken from the month controls the Day Master and shares its polarity.
2. Look for the Food Star: is it present, revealed, and able to hold Seven Killings in check?
3. Look for Resource: is it converting Seven Killings, or controlling the Food Star that checks it?
4. Look for Wealth: does it stand before or after the Food Star, and does it feed Seven Killings directly?
5. Check the Day Master’s strength: if it is strong, look to the Food Star checking Seven Killings; if it is weak, look to Resource converting it.
6. See whether a Direct Officer is mixed in.

See also: Two kinds of handling: nurture and restrain

See also: The enabler: the structure’s supporting element

See also: How a structure forms, breaks and recovers