Children Palace in Zi Wei Dou Shu: Meaning and Main Stars

What the Children Palace means

At its most direct, the Children Palace is about parent and child: your children's personalities, how close you are and the way you tend to parent. With Tian Liang in the Children Palace, you are often a parent who worries and likes to give advice; with Tian Tong, things are relaxed and more like a friendship.

If you have no children, read the Children Palace as your relationship with younger people, students and staff, and your passion for creating and nurturing new things. Many creators, teachers and team leaders have an interesting Children Palace.

How to read it: the three-sided square

The three-sided square (三方四正) of the Children Palace is the Children Palace itself, the Property Palace opposite it, and the Friends and Parents Palaces in the trine positions. Facing the Property Palace means family and the next generation pull on each other; its trine with the Parents Palace shows how you pass the way you were raised on to the next generation.

The Children Palace is also one of the traditional palaces for reading romance. Romance stars such as Tan Lang or Lian Zhen in the Children Palace often mean you attract romantic interest easily and enjoy life's pleasures.

Views to treat with care

Traditional texts use the Children Palace to judge how many children you will have and whether they will be sons or daughters. These claims have limited value today. What is more useful is understanding your own habits in parent–child or teacher–student relationships, and finding a way of relating that suits both sides better.

The fourteen main stars in the Children Palace

Which main star sits in the Children Palace changes how it plays out. Here is what each of the fourteen main stars means in the Children Palace; tap a star for its full guide.

Zi Wei

Traditionally, Zi Wei in the Children Palace suggests high hopes for children and younger people, with weight on upbringing and appearances; remember to leave them room to make their own decisions.

Tian Ji

Traditionally, Tian Ji in the Children Palace suggests bright, quick children and younger people with changing interests; talking things through with them helps more than planning for them.

Tai Yang

Traditionally, Tai Yang in the Children Palace suggests warmth and real investment in children and younger people, with hopes that they do well; more praise and less comparison strengthen the bond.

Wu Qu

Traditionally, Wu Qu in the Children Palace suggests strictness and discipline with children and younger people; show your care openly as well, and they will feel your good intentions.

Tian Tong

Traditionally, Tian Tong in the Children Palace suggests a close, gentle bond with children and younger people and a relaxed home; rules still need to be set, gently and clearly.

Lian Zhen

Traditionally, Lian Zhen in the Children Palace suggests children and younger people with strong personalities and opinions; respect their principles, and in a clash, calm down before you talk.

Tian Fu

Traditionally, Tian Fu in the Children Palace suggests attentive care for children and younger people and a focus on a stable home for them; don't let protection stop them from trying things.

Tai Yin

Traditionally, Tai Yin in the Children Palace suggests a deep bond with children and younger people and attentive care; while you keep them company, also help them learn to express themselves.

Tan Lang

Traditionally, Tan Lang in the Children Palace suggests lively, versatile children and younger people with wide interests; encourage them to go deep in one or two things.

Ju Men

Traditionally, Ju Men in the Children Palace suggests children and younger people who keep asking why and express themselves well; answering their questions patiently works better than lecturing.

Tian Xiang

Traditionally, Tian Xiang in the Children Palace suggests careful upbringing with weight on manners and rules; encourage children and younger people to say what they really think.

Tian Liang

Traditionally, Tian Liang in the Children Palace suggests a protective, often worried and very responsible stance toward children and younger people; step back a little and let them learn from experience.

Qi Sha

Traditionally, Qi Sha in the Children Palace suggests independent, driven children and younger people; challenges and goals help them grow more than control does.

Po Jun

Traditionally, Po Jun in the Children Palace suggests creative children and younger people who don't like following the rules; make room for their experiments while making the limits clear.

Minor stars worth watching in the Children Palace

Besides the fourteen main stars, minor stars also shift how a palace plays out. Our chart lists them in every palace, so you can compare with your own chart.

Wen Chang and Wen Qu

Your children or younger people around you love to learn. Encourage them in education and the arts.

Tian Kui and Tian Yue

Your children or younger people do well for themselves and are often a help to you.

Qing Yang

Parent and child can clash in temperament. Bring a little more patience and flexibility to your conversations.

When the Children Palace has no main star

With no main star, the Children Palace is read through the main stars of the opposite palace, the Property Palace. It means your way of relating to children and younger people is more flexible and easily shaped by your home environment, and the relationship needs adjusting as your children grow.

The Four Transformations in the Children Palace

Hua Lu

A warm bond with children and younger people and an easy time together. Creating and nurturing new things also tends to bear fruit.

Hua Quan

You expect a lot from children and younger people, and the children may be strong-willed with views of their own. Listening more and directing less helps.

Hua Ke

Your children or younger people are sensible and value learning, and parent and child reason with and respect each other.

Hua Ji

You worry about your children and younger people and fuss over them more. Giving each other some space makes the relationship easier.

The Four Transformations: Hua Lu, Hua Quan, Hua Ke, Hua Ji

A ten-year period in the Children Palace

When a ten-year period (大限) reaches the Children Palace, the decade revolves around the next generation, younger people or the things you create. You may have children, teach students, lead a new team, or pour yourself into creative work or a new product. The Children Palace is also one of the romance palaces, so this decade often brings more romantic attention and more enjoyment of life.

Making the most of your Children Palace

The key to the Children Palace is to be there without taking control. With children and younger people, give them room to try things and make mistakes. Be clear about what you hope for, but let them make their own decisions. If you have no children, put this energy into mentoring younger people or building a piece of work of your own.

Frequently asked questions