Zi Wei Dou Shu 12 palaces: names, meanings and chart relationships

The twelve palaces in Zi Wei Dou Shu are life-domain labels placed around twelve fixed branch positions. They describe where a symbolic theme is being considered, not twelve guaranteed outcomes. The Body Palace is a marker within these twelve, not a thirteenth domain.

This reference explains every palace on one page. To find the palace positions in your own chart, use the Zi Wei tool; for reading order, use the whole-chart guide.

Palace directory and names

Career (官祿宮) is also called the Career/Work Palace (事業宮). Friends (交友宮) is also called the Servants Palace (僕役宮). Inner life is 福德宮; its Japanese form here is 福徳宮, and Career uses 官禄宮. These are aliases or language forms, not extra palaces. The English names follow the tool glossary, which shortens them to Life, Spouse, Career and so on; in English they are usually written as the Life Palace, Spouse Palace, Career Palace or Wealth Palace. Pinyin helps identify the Chinese terms.

Fixed branches, movable palace names

The branch ring is Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai. Life anchors the sequence of palace names; another input can move the labels while the branch positions stay fixed. The diagram numbers fixed positions from Yin. A palace ID such as career identifies a domain, not a fixed branch.

The fictional teaching chart uses 15 June 1995, the Si hour (09:00–10:59), male, Asia/Taipei, local civil time, with no true-solar correction. The calculation representative is 10:30; the recorded precision is an hour block, not a verified minute. Its lunar date is the non-leap fifth month, day 18, in the Yi Hai year. These are synthetic test inputs, not a real person's record.

Engine: iztro@2.6.1; rules: ziwei-tianpan-lny-half-leap-forward-zi-v1; birth-year transformations: ziwei-default-ten-stems-v1; brightness: iztro-2.6.1-brightness-v1. This version uses lunar New Year as the Zi Wei year boundary, splits a leap month after day 15, and advances the full date for late Zi (23:00–23:59). Age is nominal, increasing at lunar New Year. At the frozen observation date 30 September 2026, Asia/Taipei, the nominal age is 32; the completed age is 31. The active natal-palace decadal is Spouse, ages 26–35, lunar years 2020–2029. A decadal is not an annual forecast.

The complete example has been checked against two reference charts, Windada and com9, under matched settings. Reproducing placement is a calculation check; it does not establish the validity of predictions.

Fictional chart: mobile segment 1–4

Fictional chart: mobile segment 5–8

Fictional chart: mobile segment 9–12

Legend: numbered cells show the fixed branch, movable domain, main stars with brightness, listed auxiliary stars, birth-year transformations and nominal-age decadals. BODY marks Spouse here. Colors do not score fortune. Each palace section below includes a fictional example from this same complete chart.

All twelve palaces: facts and limits

Life (命宮) · Ming Gong

Domain: self-positioning and response style.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check branch, main/auxiliary stars, brightness and transformations; here Chou has Tai Yang [bu], Tai Yin [miao] and Tai Yin Hua Ji.

Conditional reading and limit: Discuss how public contribution and private needs might interact; do not diagnose personality.

Siblings (兄弟宮) · Xiong Di Gong

Domain: support and boundaries with siblings and peers.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check co-located stars and opposite Friends; here Zi has Wu Qu [wang], Tian Fu [miao] and Tian Kui.

Conditional reading and limit: Ask how support and duties are divided; do not judge relatives or infer a sibling count.

Spouse (夫妻宮) · Fu Qi Gong

Domain: expectations, interaction and negotiation in close relationships.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check stars, transformations and Body marker; here Hai has Tian Tong [miao] and Body.

Conditional reading and limit: Discuss an expectation of comfortable interaction; do not establish a wedding date, partner character or fidelity. This is not two-person compatibility.

Children (子女宮) · Zi Nv Gong

Domain: care, younger people and creative projects.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check the combination and opposite Property; here Xu has Po Jun [wang] and no listed auxiliary stars.

Conditional reading and limit: Ask how care or creative work allows room for revision; do not infer fertility or a number of children.

Wealth (財帛宮) · Cai Bo Gong

Domain: acquiring, allocating and managing resources.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check empty-palace context, auxiliary stars, opposite and trines; here You has no main star and has Wen Qu [miao].

Conditional reading and limit: Use Inner life’s Tian Ji Hua Lu as context for planning and expression; an empty palace establishes neither poverty nor income or returns.

Health (疾厄宮) · Ji E Gong

Domain: symbolic reflection on daily workload and rest.

Visible facts and fictional example: Observe placements without assigning medical meaning; here Shen has Lian Zhen [miao], Tian Yue and Zuo Fu.

Conditional reading and limit: Use it only as a prompt to reflect on rest; do not diagnose illness or predict lifespan or calamity, and do not substitute it for medical advice.

Travel (遷移宮) · Qian Yi Gong

Domain: unfamiliar settings, movement and outside interaction.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check this cell and opposite Life; here Wei has no listed main or auxiliary stars, while Chou has Tai Yang and Tai Yin.

Conditional reading and limit: Ask how expression and private needs might matter in a new setting; do not guarantee relocation or travel outcomes.

Friends (交友宮) · Jiao You Gong

Domain: networks, teams and reciprocity.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check co-located stars and opposite Siblings; here Wu has Qi Sha [wang], Di Kong and You Bi.

Conditional reading and limit: Discuss autonomy and division of work; do not claim a specific friend will betray you or select coworkers by star labels.

Career (官祿宮) · Guan Lu Gong

Domain: work roles, responsibility and working style.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check stars, transformations, opposite and trines; here Si has Tian Liang [xian], Wen Chang, Tian Ma and Tian Liang Hua Quan.

Conditional reading and limit: Ask how experience, standards and decision rights fit together; do not promise promotion or prescribe one occupation.

Property (田宅宮) · Tian Zhai Gong

Domain: home, household resources and long-term arrangements.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check the paired main stars, auxiliary stars and transformation; here Chen has Zi Wei [de], Tian Xiang [de], Di Jie, Qing Yang and Zi Wei Hua Ke.

Conditional reading and limit: Discuss household coordination and rules; do not infer actual ownership, property prices or inheritance.

Inner life (福德宮) · Fu De Gong

Domain: satisfaction, rest and values.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check stars and birth-year transformations; here Mao has Tian Ji [wang], Ju Men [miao], Ling Xing, Lu Cun and Tian Ji Hua Lu.

Conditional reading and limit: Discuss the balance of planning, questions and rest; do not apply mental-health labels or treat Hua Lu as guaranteed happiness.

Parents (父母宮) · Fu Mu Gong

Domain: elders, authority and upbringing.

Visible facts and fictional example: Check co-located stars and opposite Health; here Yin has Tan Lang [ping], Huo Xing [miao], Tuo Luo [xian].

Conditional reading and limit: Ask how boundaries work with authority; do not infer parents’ fate, actual character or health.

Opposite and trine positions

For a target branch, its opposite is six positions away; the two trine branches are four and eight positions away on the twelve-position ring. The target plus both trines is San Fang; adding the opposite forms San Fang Si Zheng. Physical neighbors on a rectangular screen are not necessarily these relations. Chart diagrams can rotate, so count branches rather than assume a screen direction.

In this example, Wealth at You has Life at Chou and Career at Si as trines, with Inner life at Mao opposite. Wealth has Wen Qu but no main star; Inner life has Tian Ji/Ju Men and Tian Ji Hua Lu. That permits a question about planning, expression and resource priorities, but does not place those main stars in Wealth or forecast income. Likewise, Career’s opposite is Spouse, so that relationship is a chart relation rather than proof that marriage controls a career.

Empty palaces, paired stars and the Body marker

Empty means no main star, not no life area or necessarily no auxiliary stars. Two main stars share a context: Zi Wei/Tian Xiang in Property is a combination to read with the other stars and Zi Wei Hua Ke, not two independent scores. Body is placed in one existing palace; here it marks Spouse, with no additional cell. BaZi Life and Body share some words but use different calculations; do not substitute them for Zi Wei positions.

For unfamiliar names, use the fourteen-main-star reference. For a complete evidence-reading exercise, continue with how to read the chart. Then look at your own palace positions. The AI guide explains how to copy facts without exposing birth details.

Frequently asked questions

How many palaces are there?

There are twelve domain palaces. Body marks one of them and is not a thirteenth palace.

Is Career the same as Guan Lu?

Yes, Career is the tool’s English name for 官祿宮. 事業宮 is a common alias; Friends 交友宮 also has the older alias 僕役宮.

Is an empty Wealth Palace a poverty prediction?

No. It means no main star in that cell. Check auxiliary stars, opposite and trine palaces; none establishes an income amount.

Can the Health Palace diagnose illness?

No. This guide limits it to reflection on daily workload and rest. It cannot diagnose illness or predict lifespan or calamity.

How do I find the opposite palace?

Move six positions along the fixed twelve-branch ring. The trine positions are four and eight away; screen neighbors are not the method.

Why does the same branch have a different palace in another chart?

Branches are fixed positions, while Life anchors the movable palace labels. Different inputs can change where a domain sits.

Do I need to open twelve separate pages?

No. Every palace’s domain, example and limits are included here. Use the directory anchors to jump within this page.