Zi Wei Dou Shu Beginner — Stars and Palaces Basics

💡 Reading time: ~9 minutes ｜ Series: Purple Star Astrology Series (Article 6/20)

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Zi Wei Dou Shu is hailed as the “number one divine calculation” of China — a synthesis of ancient Chinese astronomy and metaphysics. It uses the North Star (Zi Wei) as the center, dividing the sky into twelve palaces that correspond to the twelve domains of human life.

The Twelve Palaces:

1. Life Palace (Ming Gong): core personality, innate traits

2. Siblings Palace (Di Di Gong): sibling relationships, partnerships

3. Spouse Palace (Fu Qi Gong): romance, marriage, partner’s traits

4. Children Palace (Zi Nu Gong): children luck, creativity

5. Wealth Palace (Cai Bo Gong): ways of earning, money mindset

6. Health Palace (Ji E Gong): health, constitution

7. Travel Palace (Qian Yi Gong): luck away from home, others’ perception of you

8. Friends Palace (Jiao You Gong): friendships, subordinates

9. Career Palace (Shi Ye Gong): work attitude, career development

10. Property Palace (Tian Zhai Gong): family, real estate luck

11. Mental Palace (Fu De Gong): inner world, blessings

12. Parents Palace (Fu Mu Gong): parent-child relations, inheritance

Stars are classified into Main Stars (Zhu Xing), Support Stars (Fu Zhu), Malefic Stars (Sha Xing), and Miscellaneous Stars (Za Yao). The fourteen Main Stars are the most important — they determine the basic nature of each palace. Learning Zi Wei Dou Shu is learning how these stars manifest in different palaces, and how their combinations shift meaning.