Zi Wei Dou Shu, the basics
Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数, often called Purple Star Astrology) is the other great Chinese system of chart reading, alongside BaZi. Where BaZi works with stems, branches and the five elements, Zi Wei works with stars: from your lunar birth year, month, day and hour, it places over a hundred stars in twelve palaces, each covering one part of life.
The twelve palaces
The palaces always come in the same order:
| Palace | What it covers |
|---|---|
| 命宫 Life | You: character, gifts, the tone of your life |
| 兄弟宫 Siblings | Brothers, sisters and peers |
| 夫妻宫 Spouse | Love and partners |
| 子女宫 Children | Children and younger people; also creative work |
| 财帛宫 Wealth | How you earn and spend |
| 疾厄宫 Health | Physical tendencies |
| 迁移宫 Travel | Going out, and how you do away from home |
| 交友宫 Friends | Friends, colleagues and staff (also 仆役宫) |
| 官禄宫 Career | Work and how you go about it |
| 田宅宫 Property | Home and family life |
| 福德宫 Wellbeing | Inner life, interests and enjoyment |
| 父母宫 Parents | Parents and elders; also bosses |
Your birth month and hour fix the Life palace, and the other eleven follow in order. A separate Body palace (身宫) shows where your effort goes later in life. The Life palace’s stem and branch also set your element pattern (五行局, from 水二局 Water 2 to 火六局 Fire 6), which places the 紫微 star and sets the age your first ten-year period begins.
The fourteen main stars
Fourteen main stars carry the chart. Six belong to the 紫微 group: 紫微 Zi Wei, 天机 Tian Ji, 太阳 Tai Yang, 武曲 Wu Qu, 天同 Tian Tong and 廉贞 Lian Zhen. Eight belong to the 天府 group: 天府 Tian Fu, 太阴 Tai Yin, 贪狼 Tan Lang, 巨门 Ju Men, 天相 Tian Xiang, 天梁 Tian Liang, 七杀 Qi Sha and 破军 Po Jun.
Each has a character of its own: 紫微 leads, 天机 thinks, 太阳 shines outward, 武曲 is practical and good with money. The same star means different things in different palaces, and at different brightness.
The four transformations
Your birth year’s stem transforms four stars: 化禄 (ease, gain), 化权 (power, control), 化科 (reputation, helpful people) and 化忌 (attachment, obstacles). The four transformations (四化) are the key to reading change in Zi Wei.
How it differs from BaZi
- Calendar: Zi Wei uses the lunar month and day; BaZi uses the solar terms.
- Method: Zi Wei places stars and reads palaces; BaZi reads elements and ten gods.
- Birth time: both need the hour. Without it, Zi Wei cannot fix the Life palace, while BaZi can still draw three pillars.
The two look from different angles and often confirm each other. riffos draws both, and the full report says where they agree.