The 12 Palaces of Zi Wei Dou Shu
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Quick answer: A Zi Wei chart splits life into twelve palaces, each covering one topic. The Life Palace is you, the Spouse Palace is love and partners, the Wealth Palace is how you earn and spend, the Career Palace is work. For any question, start with the matching palace.
What each palace covers
| Palace | Covers | Typical question |
|---|---|---|
| Life | Personality, talents, overall pattern | What kind of person am I? |
| Siblings | Brothers, sisters, close peers | How do I get on with siblings or partners in business? |
| Spouse | Love style, partner traits | What kind of partner suits me? |
| Children | Children, juniors, creative work | My bond with kids? |
| Wealth | Earning and spending | How do I make money? |
| Health | Constitution, weak spots | What should I look after? |
| Travel | Going out, how you show up in public | Do things go well away from home? |
| Friends | Friends, coworkers, staff | Do people help me? |
| Career | Work, study | What work suits me? |
| Property | Home, real estate | Home life, buying property? |
| Fortune | Inner state, hobbies, joy | Am I at peace inside? |
| Parents | Parents, bosses, elders | How do I get on with seniors? |
What are the "three directions and four squares"?
Never read a palace alone. Read it with its opposite palace and the two palaces four steps away on each side. For the Life Palace, that means Travel (opposite), Wealth and Career. The stars in those four palaces together give the full picture.
What is the Body Palace?
The Body Palace is marked separately and always overlaps one of six palaces: Life, Spouse, Wealth, Travel, Career or Fortune. The Life Palace leans toward what you are born with and your early years; the Body Palace shows more in midlife. Wherever it falls is often a lifelong concern.
How to read a palace
Go in this order: major stars, then minor and difficult stars, then any transformation (Lu, Quan, Ke, Ji), then the three directions and four squares. More stars is not automatically better. What matters is whether they support or restrain each other.
FAQ
Does an empty palace mean that area of life is bad?
No. An empty palace borrows from the opposite palace; that area is simply more influenced by circumstances.
Does a difficult Spouse Palace mean a bad marriage?
The Spouse Palace describes your patterns and needs in love, not a grade for your marriage. Knowing where you tend to get stuck helps you do better.
Why are the palaces arranged counterclockwise?
That is the fixed rule for setting up the chart. Our calculator lays it out for you, so you can just read along.