Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology) is a Chinese tradition that maps your birth data onto a square chart of twelve "palaces" (宫). Each palace governs one domain of life, and the stars that sit in each palace color how that domain tends to unfold for you.
It reads differently from BaZi: where BaZi is built from a timeline of eight characters, Zi Wei is a map — you look at where the stars landed across different areas of your life. It is a rich framework for self-reflection.
Generate Your Own Purple Star ChartFree · 30 seconds| Palace | Chinese | What it traditionally governs |
|---|---|---|
| Life Palace | 命宫 | Core self — character, temperament, life direction; the anchor |
| Siblings Palace | 兄弟宫 | Brothers, sisters, and your close support network |
| Spouse Palace | 夫妻宫 | Marriage, partnership and romance |
| Children Palace | 子女宫 | Children, offspring, and creative projects |
| Wealth Palace | 财帛宫 | Worldly resources, earning style, how money is handled |
| Health Palace | 疾厄宫 | Physical constitution and well-being |
| Travel Palace | 迁移宫 | Moving, travel, adaptability, and how you appear to outsiders |
| Friends Palace | 交友宫 | Friends, colleagues, social circle and alliances |
| Career Palace | 官禄宫 | Career, reputation, public role and achievement |
| Property Palace | 田宅宫 | Property, home, family holdings and stability |
| Happiness Palace | 福德宫 | Inner life, spiritual outlook, contentment |
| Parents Palace | 父母宫 | Parents, elders, early influences and lineage |
A meaningful reading does not stop at the Life Palace. Practitioners look at Career, Wealth and Happiness together as a working axis — your public role, your resources, and your inner satisfaction. When they support each other, the chart feels coherent; when they pull apart, it hints at areas to consciously balance.
Each palace is colored by its main stars (such as Zi Wei, the Emperor; Tian Ji, the strategist; Tai Yin, the Moon) and by the Four Transformations — Lu (gaining), Quan (control), Ke (recognition), Ji (the lesson). These trace the active flow of the chart.
💡 Beginner tip: do not memorize all stars at once. First find your Life Palace, read the star there, then glance at your Career, Wealth and Happiness palaces. That is already a meaningful first pass.
Read Your Full Chart Across All 12 PalacesFree basics · optional $9.9 in-depth report🧭 Positioning note: Zi Wei Dou Shu is a long-lived cultural art studied for self-awareness and reflection, not a promise of prediction or a basis for major decisions. Consult professionals for real-world choices.