Shao Siming

Shao Siming
Master of Fate God of Destiny
Other names	Lesser Siming Lesser Master of Fate
Weapon	Changjian (Long Sword)
Texts	Jiu Ge

Shao Siming (Chinese: 少司命; pinyin: Shǎo sī mìng) is an primordial Chinese deity of fate, paired with Da Siming (大司命) as one of a dual male dyadic pair of gods representing complementary aspects of destiny.^[1] His name has also been translated as Lesser Siming or Lesser Master of Fate.

Since the mid-to-late 20th century, influenced by the spread of Western gender binary concepts, some modern Chinese popular culture and some academic circles have tended to depict Shao Siming as a female deity,^[2] while some also describe him as a deity of ambiguous gender.

Appearance

Shao Siming is often depicted as a handsome, well-dressed young gentleman, with facial hair tied into a traditional Chinese topknot bun, dressed in Hanfu (Chinese traditional clothing) and a Chinese crown or hat. Occasionally, he is also depicted as a boy or teenager.

Powers and duties

In the poem, Shao Siming is described as wielding a long sword, embracing a child, and driving a chariot into the sky to touch and capture a comet, a symbol of misfortune in Chinese culture. Mortals, filled with both sorrow and anticipation, helplessly accept and lament their being subject to his attention and choices. He is portrayed as possessing authority and impartiality, with the power to judge whether mortals should have children, the fate of their offspring, and the prosperity or decline of their families. However, due to the ambiguity of the poem, some believe he is gentle and protective, a deity with guardian and loving-children qualities, and that the verses describe him protecting children and warding off misfortune. Others believe he is cruel, bringing misfortune to mortals and children.

Currently, there is no consensus in academia regarding whether he is benevolent or cruel, as the poem's ambiguous nature allows for different interpretations from different perspectives.

Overall, Shao Siming controls whether mortals have offspring and the fate of children themselves, while Da Siming, who corresponds to him, is responsible for different aspects of destiny.

Poetry

The poems related to Shao Siming originate from the Jiu Ge (九歌) collection, written over two thousand years ago during the Warring States period (戰國時期) by Qu Yuan (屈原), a nobleman and poet of the Chu (楚).

Illustration of "Nine Songs". Ink on paper, handscroll by Li Gonglin, Mi Fu.

There are correspondences between Shao Siming's poems and Da Siming's related poems.

The narrative perspective in Shao Siming's poems may be from the viewpoint of WuXi (巫覡), a single perspective of Shao Siming himself, or a dual perspective of Shao Siming and Da Siming, or Shao Siming and WuXi. It could also be multiple perspectives from three or more individuals; the academic consensus is currently undetermined.

In addition, Jiu Ge is a poem rich in political metaphors, in which Shao Siming alludes to the king.

Original poem

Illustrated version of the poem "Lesser Master of Fate", probably fourteenth century

秋蘭兮麋蕪，羅生兮堂下。
綠葉兮素華，芳菲菲兮襲予。
夫人自有兮美子，蓀何以兮愁苦！
秋蘭兮青青，綠葉兮紫莖。
滿堂兮美人，忽獨與余兮目成。
入不言兮出不辭，乘回風兮載雲旗。
悲莫悲兮生別離，樂莫樂兮新相知。
荷衣兮蕙帶，儵而來兮忽而逝。
夕宿兮帝郊，君誰須兮雲之際？
與女遊兮九河，衝風至兮水揚波。
與女沐兮咸池，晞女髮兮陽之阿。
望美人兮未來，臨風怳兮浩歌。
孔蓋兮翠旍，登九天兮撫彗星。
竦長劍兮擁幼艾，蓀獨宜兮為民正。

— 屈原, 九歌-少司命

^[3]

Translated

Autumn orchids and fragrant miwu
bloom side by side beneath the hall’s stone steps.
Green leaves, white flowers —
their scent seeps deep into my heart and lungs.

In this world there are already children of beauty;
why must you still worry for them?
The autumn orchids flourish so lushly,
tender green leaves on violet stems.

Within the hall dwell many beauties,
yet suddenly, your eyes and brows turn toward me alone.
You come in silence, and always leave without a word,
riding the wind and drifting away among the clouds.

The saddest thing in this world is lovers parted;
the happiest, the meeting of kindred souls.
Wearing garments of lotus leaves,
a girdle of sweet hui grass —
you come in haste, and vanish just as swiftly.

At dusk you rest upon the fields of Heaven —
in that far celestial distance,
for whom do you wait?

I wish to wander with you along the Nine Rivers,
but storm winds rise and waves surge high.
I wish to wash our hair together in the Lake of Heaven,
and dry it beneath the newborn sun.

I long for you, yet you do not come.
My spirit wavers; I stand in the wind,
singing aloud to ease my sorrow.

You shade yourself with the plumes of a peacock,
your banners woven from kingfisher feathers;
ascending to the heights of heaven,
you calm the comet’s fire.

In one hand, you hold a long sword;
in the other, an infant child.
You alone command the fate of us all.

— Qu Yuan, Jiu Ge -The Lesser Master of Fate

Astronomy and Astrology

He and Da Siming are also considered celestial asterism, and they are considered an asterism called "Siming" (司命).

In Chinese astronomy and Chinese astrology, the astronomical Siming (actually part of asterism 虛, "Emptiness") consists of the Deified Judge of Life star group. Sīmìngyī: (24 Aquarii, 司命一) and Sīmìngèr (26 Aquarii, 司命二).

As an asterism, or apparent stellar constellation, Siming is associated both with the Wenchang Wang star pattern, near the Big Dipper, in Aquarius, and with a supposed celestial bureaucrat official of fate.

Art

Ancient poetry describes Shao Siming as traveling in a chariots with fluttering emerald banners, ribbons, and a peacock feather canopy, holding a long sword (長劍) in one hand and a child in the other. However, in paintings, he is not always depicted holding a weapon or a child, nor is he always depicted driving a carriage. Instead, he is depicted holding scrolls and brushes, or with nothing in his hands.

Some paintings depict him with maids or pageboys following behind, while others do not. There are even some paintings that simply depict his back.

Pop Culture

A character known as Shao Siming appears in the Chinese animated series The Legend of Qin (秦時明月).

See also

Siming (deity)
Jiu Ge

References

1. NEWSLETTER. "God of Life" (in Chinese). The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
2. Chen Weishun (December 31, 2020). "New acquaintances and partings: A brief introduction to "The Nine Songs. Lesser Siming"" (in Chinese). Orange News. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
3. Qu Yuan. Jiu Ge (in Chinese). China: Chu.

• Works related to 少司命 at Wikisource