What Is Zi Wei Dou Shu? The Chart, 12 Palaces, Four Transformations & BaZi

In short

Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数, sometimes called Purple Star Astrology) is a traditional Chinese system of destiny analysis, traditionally attributed to the Song-dynasty sage Chen Xiyi. From your year, month, day and hour of birth it builds a chart divided into twelve palaces — Life, Spouse, Wealth, Career and so on — then reads where the fourteen main stars fall and how the Four Transformations (Lu, Quan, Ke, Ji) move, to show your innate make-up and the ups and downs of each period of your life (ten-year cycles and individual years).

We like to call the chart a personal wellness report: it doesn't pass sentence on you — it shows your strengths and weak spots, and when to push ahead or hold back.

1

How a chart is built

命盘是怎么组成的

12 palaces: twelve areas of life

The Life palace shows the person; the other eleven cover siblings, spouse, children, wealth, health, travel, friends, career, property, inner life and parents. Everything in a life lands in one of these twelve places.

14 main stars: the lead actors

Zi Wei, Tian Ji, Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Tong, Lian Zhen, Tian Fu, Tai Yin, Tan Lang, Ju Men, Tian Xiang, Tian Liang, Qi Sha and Po Jun — which palace each sits in, and with whom, sets the basic character of that palace.

Four Transformations: the chart in motion

Lu, Quan, Ke and Ji mark how things begin, who holds control, reputation, and attachment. The Flying Star school follows these transformations as they fly between palaces to trace an event from cause to outcome.

Sample Zi Wei Dou Shu chart: twelve palaces, main stars and the Four Transformations — A sample Zi Wei Dou Shu chart

Want to see the full twelve-palace layout? See the chart on the courses page.

Curious what your own chart looks like?

Book a reading

2

What it can tell you

紫微斗数能看什么

The person

Temperament, talents and blind spots, family ties; which direction suits you, how you work best, and what to watch out for.

The timing

Ten-year cycles and individual years show when to push and expand, and when to pause and build strength. Marriage, career, partnerships, property and health can all be read against time.

The space

The Property palace corresponds to where you live and work. Bring the chart into the building and you have Zi Wei Feng Shui — the same floor plan is adjusted differently for different people.

Questions about relationships, career, money or timing? Message us with your situation.

Book a consultation

3

Zi Wei Dou Shu vs BaZi

紫微斗数和八字有什么不同

	Zi Wei Dou Shu	BaZi (Four Pillars)
Input	Year, month, day and hour of birth	Year, month, day and hour of birth
The chart	Stars placed into twelve palaces	Four pairs of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches
How it reads	Star combinations in each palace, and the Four Transformations flying between palaces	Strength and balance of the Five Elements, and the Ten Gods
Strength	Separates life into twelve areas — good for reading each area and specific events	Built around the Five Elements — good for the overall structure and what favours you

Neither is simply "better" — they are different tools, and what matters is whether the reader has truly mastered one system's logic. We chose Zi Wei Dou Shu because it lets us break a question down to specific palaces and specific points in time.

Want to know how Zi Wei Dou Shu would read your question?

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4

Why we use only Zi Wei Dou Shu

一门深入

One system, in depth — no patchwork.

Readings, date selection and Feng Shui all come back to Zi Wei Dou Shu. For Feng Shui we don't read the building alone: we use the charts of the people who actually live there, or actually run the business, to place the main door, beds, stove, desks and cashier — which is why two identical units can end up with completely different arrangements.

About Zi Wei Feng Shui

Want Zi Wei Dou Shu applied to your home, shop or factory?

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5

Want to learn it yourself?

想自己学紫微斗数？

Our Zi Wei Dou Shu courses are held in Taman Connaught, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur and taught by Harry Ng. There are two levels — the Full Course and the Mastery Course — four days each, six hours a day, taught in Mandarin, one-to-one or as a group. Complete beginners start with the Full Course, from plotting the chart.

See the Zi Wei Dou Shu courses

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