The 12 Palaces of Zi Wei Dou Shu: What Each Palace Means
From the Life Palace to the Parents Palace, what does each of the twelve palaces in Zi Wei Dou Shu (Purple Star Astrology) cover? Plain-English meanings, alternative names and how related palaces work, with an interactive example chart.
Zi Wei Dou Shu divides life into twelve areas, the twelve palaces. The Life Palace is you; the Siblings, Spouse, Children, Friends and Parents Palaces are your relationships; the Wealth, Career and Property Palaces are money, work and home; and the Health, Travel and Inner Life Palaces are your body, the outside world and your inner self.
Here is the full set in one place. Tap any palace on the example chart below to see its stars and reading.
Want to see where your own Life Palace falls and which stars sit in each of your twelve palaces? Enter your birth date to get your free Zi Wei Dou Shu chart, then read it alongside this guide.
The twelve palaces at a glance
| Palace | Chinese | What it covers | Also called |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life | 命宮 | Your temperament, style and direction | Destiny, Self |
| Siblings | 兄弟宮 | Siblings, peers, partners | Brothers |
| Spouse | 夫妻宮 | Love, marriage, partnership | Marriage |
| Children | 子女宮 | Children, younger people, creative work | — |
| Wealth | 財帛宮 | Earning, spending, managing money | Finance |
| Health | 疾厄宮 | Energy, stress and rest | Illness |
| Travel | 遷移宮 | Moving, travel, how you do away from home | Migration |
| Friends | 交友宮 | Friends, network, team | Servants |
| Career | 官祿宮 | Work, career, your role | Official, Officials |
| Property | 田宅宮 | Home, family, real estate | Residence |
| Inner Life | 福德宮 | Inner state, interests, contentment | Fortune, Virtue |
| Parents | 父母宮 | Parents, elders, bosses | — |
Life Palace: who you are
Every reading starts here. The Life Palace describes your core temperament, how you go about things and your first reaction to events. In the example chart it holds Tian Fu and Wu Qu: steady, practical and willing to take responsibility.
Read more: How to read the Life Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Siblings Palace: you and your peers
How you get on with siblings, classmates and colleagues, and whether you support each other. Today it is often read for partnerships among equals too.
Read more: How to read the Siblings Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Spouse Palace: you in love
What you look for in a partner, how you relate and how the two of you work things out. It describes your patterns in relationships and the kind of person you are drawn to, not a verdict on your partner or a wedding date.
Read more: How to read the Spouse Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Children Palace: how you nurture
Your relationship with children and younger people, extending to the energy you put into creating, teaching and growing things.
Read more: How to read the Children Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Wealth Palace: your money style
How you earn, spend and manage resources: cautious or bold, steady or opportunistic. It shows your approach to money, not a salary figure.
Read more: How to read the Wealth Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Health Palace: your energy and rest
Traditionally read for physical health, it is more useful today for noticing your energy, sources of stress and how you rest. For health concerns, see a doctor.
Read more: How to read the Health Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Travel Palace: you out in the world
Moving, travel and how you come across away from home and in public. As the palace opposite the Life Palace, it is also read as "how others see you".
Read more: How to read the Travel Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Friends Palace: your network
Friends, colleagues, people you manage and your role in a team. Older texts call it the Servants Palace; today it is read for your network and collaborations.
Read more: How to read the Friends Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Career Palace: your work
The roles that suit you, how you take on responsibility and your working style. Never read it alone: the Life, Wealth and Spouse Palaces belong to the same career picture, as explained below.
Read more: How to read the Career Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Property Palace: your home
Your living environment, family atmosphere, property and long-term arrangements, including how you keep and build family resources.
Read more: How to read the Property Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Inner Life Palace: your inner world
Your inner state, interests and what helps you relax and feel content. Often called the Fortune or Virtue Palace, it has a lot to do with how happy you feel and how you handle pressure.
Read more: How to read the Inner Life Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Parents Palace: you and your elders
Your relationship with parents, elders and bosses, and how your upbringing shaped you. Some also read it for study and paperwork.
Read more: How to read the Parents Palace, with all fourteen main stars
Related palaces: never read one palace alone
Each palace is read together with three related palaces:
- The opposite palace: directly across the chart, such as Zi and Wu, or Chen and Xu.
- The two trine palaces: four positions away on either side, forming a triangle with it, such as Zi, Chen and Shen.
For the Career Palace, that means the Spouse Palace opposite it and the Life and Wealth Palaces in its trine. A career reading therefore also considers your personality, your finances and your partnerships. Tap the Career Palace on the example chart and the gold lines will connect all four.
The Body Palace
The Body Palace is not a thirteenth palace. It marks one of six palaces (Life, Spouse, Wealth, Travel, Career or Inner Life), chosen by your birth hour, and points to what you tend to develop through effort, especially later in life. In the example chart it shares the Life Palace.
Why everyone's palaces are arranged differently
The twelve earthly branches around the chart (Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao and so on) never move. What changes is which branch holds your Life Palace, which depends on your birth month and hour; the other eleven palaces then follow in order. That is why Zi Wei Dou Shu needs an accurate birth time.
Next steps
To see which stars sit in your twelve palaces, calculate your free Zi Wei Dou Shu chart. Then continue with:
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