Subtitle: Every Ziwei chart has the same twelve palaces. Here's what each one covers, what stars thrive there, and how to read them.
Tags: Ziwei Doushu, Purple Star Astrology, Chinese Astrology, 12 Palaces, Astrology, Spirituality
Canonical URL: https://purplestar.cc/learn/ziwei-doushu-12-palaces-explained/
Estimated reading time: 9 minutes
Word count: ~2,300
When you generate a Ziwei Doushu chart, the first thing you'll see is a 4×3 grid with twelve labeled sectors. These are the 12 Life Palaces (宫位 / gōng wèi) — the foundational structure of every chart.
Unlike Western astrology's houses (which shift based on your birth time and location), Ziwei's twelve palaces are fixed in theme. Each palace covers a specific life area. The main stars move through them based on your birth month and hour.
This is a reference guide to all twelve. Bookmark it for when you need to look up what a palace means.
The 12 Palaces, In Order
Here's the standard sequence, starting with the most personal:
1. Life Palace (命宫 / Mìng Gōng)
Theme: You, your core personality, your default mode of being.
What it tells you:
- Your dominant personality archetype
- Your natural strengths and weaknesses
- How you meet the world
- Your overall life direction
What to look for:
- The main star here (Ming Zhu) is your personality's headline
- Auxiliary stars add texture
- The current decade's transformation (Lu/Quan/Ke/Ji) flying in tells you what's activating your life right now
Common mistakes:
- Putting too much weight on a single star. Life Palace has multiple influences.
2. Body Palace (身宫 / Shēn Gōng)
Theme: Your physical body, your lived experience, how you actually live your life.
What it tells you:
- Your health patterns
- How your inner self manifests in your actions
- The relationship between who you are and who you become
Body Palace vs. Life Palace:
- Life Palace = who you are at your core
- Body Palace = how you live out that core in the world
The position of Body Palace relative to Life Palace is diagnostic:
- Same palace = core and life aligned
- Opposite palace = tension between ideal and lived reality
- Adjacent palace = close harmony with some drift
3. Siblings Palace (兄弟宫 / Xiōng Dì Gōng)
Theme: Your siblings, your peer relationships, your early social environment.
What it tells you:
- The character of your siblings (or close-as-siblings friends)
- Your relationship with peers
- Your social skills and how you navigate group dynamics
- Mother figure's influence (in some sub-schools)
Common patterns:
- Strong main star here = close, supportive sibling relationships
- Empty palace with transformations flying in = peer relationships shaped by current timing
4. Spouse Palace (夫妻宫 / Fū Qī Gōng)
Theme: Your romantic partner, your marriage, your long-term intimate relationships.
What it tells you:
- The character of your future/current partner
- The nature of your marriage or long-term relationship
- How you approach intimacy and commitment
- Compatibility patterns
What to look for:
- Main star here describes your partner's archetype
- Empty palace doesn't mean no marriage — it means flexibility
- Transformations flying in tell you when marriage/relationship themes activate
Common combinations:
- Tianfu or Tiantong in Spouse Palace = nurturing, supportive partner
- Pojun or Qi Sha in Spouse Palace = passionate, sometimes turbulent relationship
- Lianren in Spouse Palace = intense, complicated, deep
5. Children Palace (子女宫 / Zǐ Nǚ Gōng)
Theme: Your children (or creative projects that "birth" something), your relationship with juniors.
What it tells you:
- The character of your children (or mentees)
- Your parenting style
- Your creativity and ability to bring things into being
- Your relationship with younger people
Common patterns:
- Wenchang or Wenqu here = literary/creative children
- Wuqu here = practical, financially-literate children
- Empty palace = flexibility in your parenting role
6. Wealth Palace (财帛宫 / Cái Bó Gōng)
Theme: Your money, your financial patterns, your relationship with material resources.
What it tells you:
- How you earn money
- How you handle wealth
- Your financial temperament (spender vs. saver vs. investor)
- Major wealth events
What to look for:
- Wuqu (the General of Wealth) here = strong financial instinct
- Taiyang here = wealth through public roles
- Empty palace = financial flexibility, no fixed pattern
Common patterns:
- Transformation Quan in Wealth Palace = taking financial authority
- Transformation Lu in Wealth Palace = prosperity period
- Transformation Ji in Wealth Palace = financial lessons, need to integrate
7. Health Palace (疾厄宫 / Jí È Gōng)
Theme: Your physical health, your body, your vulnerabilities.
What it tells you:
- Constitutional strengths and weaknesses
- Areas of the body to watch
- Health patterns and tendencies
- Relationship between mind and body
What to look for:
- Stars here describe your body's natural state
- Transformations flying in indicate health periods (positive or challenging)
Common patterns:
- Tianfu in Health Palace = robust constitution
- Huagai here = artistic/psychological sensitivities
- Empty palace = general resilience
8. Travel Palace (迁移宫 / Qiān Yí Gōng)
Theme: Your life outside your home environment, your travel, your public-facing activities.
What it tells you:
- How you fare when away from home
- Your relationship with foreign/outside environments
- Your public reputation
- How others see you (versus how you see yourself)
What to look for:
- Main stars here describe how you operate outside your comfort zone
- This is also the palace of "the world meeting you"
Common patterns:
- Tianji in Travel Palace = strategic, thinking-oriented public persona
- Lianren here = intense, charismatic public presence
- Empty palace = adaptable to new environments
9. Friends Palace (交友宫 / Jiāo Yǒu Gōng)
Theme: Your friends, your social network, your relationships with non-family peers.
What it tells you:
- The character of your friendships
- Your ability to build networks
- Your social support system
- Relationships with colleagues and community members
What to look for:
- This palace is sometimes called the "Servants Palace" (奴仆宫) in older translations — the same palace covers both friends and people who serve/work with you
- Transformations here tell you about your social periods
10. Career Palace (官禄宫 / Guān Lù Gōng)
Theme: Your career, your public role, your achievements.
What it tells you:
- Your professional path
- How you operate in work environments
- Your ambitions and achievements
- Your relationship with authority
What to look for:
- This is one of the most-read palaces (along with Wealth)
- Main stars here describe your professional archetype
- Transformations flying in are critical for career timing
Common patterns:
- Wuqu in Career Palace = decisive, financially-oriented career
- Taiyang in Career Palace = public-facing, leadership career
- Tianji in Career Palace = strategic, advisory career
- Empty palace = career flexibility
11. Property Palace (田宅宫 / Tián Zhái Gōng)
Theme: Your home, your property, your material possessions, your family inheritance.
What it tells you:
- Your relationship with home and stability
- Real estate patterns
- Material wealth that stays with you (versus income that flows)
- Family property and inheritance
What to look for:
- Strong stars here suggest stability in material life
- Empty palace = flexibility in living situation
12. Parents Palace (父母宫 / Fù Mǔ Gōng)
Theme: Your parents, your relationship with authority figures, your inherited patterns.
What it tells you:
- The character of your parents
- Your relationship with parental figures
- Patterns you inherited from your family of origin
- Your relationship with authority in general
What to look for:
- This palace often carries intergenerational themes
- Stars here describe your parents' archetypes
- Transformations flying in indicate periods of family activation
Common patterns:
- Pojun in Parents Palace = disruptive, transformative parental influence
- Tianfu in Parents Palace = stable, supportive parental influence
- Empty palace = complex or flexible parental dynamic
How the Palaces Interact
The 12 palaces don't exist in isolation. They form a system of relationships:
Triangle of Self: Life Palace, Wealth Palace, Career Palace. These three tell you about your personal trajectory.
Triangle of Family: Spouse Palace, Children Palace, Parents Palace. These cover your intimate and family relationships.
Inner/Outer Pairs:
- Life Palace ↔ Travel Palace (self vs. the world)
- Wealth Palace ↔ Friends Palace (your money vs. others' money)
- Spouse Palace ↔ Siblings Palace (intimate vs. peer relationships)
When you read transformations flying across these triangles, you see the dynamic patterns in someone's life — not just the static structure.
Quick Reference Card
1. Life Palace — You
2. Body Palace — Your lived experience
3. Siblings Palace — Siblings, peers
4. Spouse Palace — Partner, marriage
5. Children Palace — Children, creativity
6. Wealth Palace — Money, finances
7. Health Palace — Body, health
8. Travel Palace — Outside world, public
9. Friends Palace — Friends, networks
10. Career Palace — Work, achievement
11. Property Palace — Home, possessions
12. Parents Palace — Parents, family of origin
What to Look For First
When you generate your chart, here's the order I'd read the palaces in:
- Life Palace — your headline personality
- Career Palace + Wealth Palace — your work and money patterns
- Spouse Palace + Parents Palace — your relationship patterns
- Current decade pillar — which palaces are activated right now
That's enough to get a working read of your chart. The other palaces add texture, but the four above are the foundation.
Try It Yourself
If you want to see all twelve palaces in your own chart, the fastest way is to generate one. PurpleStar offers a free Ziwei Doushu chart generator that shows all twelve palaces with their main stars, auxiliary stars, and current transformations.
Generate my free Ziwei Doushu chart →
Spend 15 minutes with the chart and this guide. You'll have a working read of all twelve life themes — and you'll know which palaces to dig deeper into first.
A note on sub-schools: Different Ziwei practitioners may give slightly different meanings to specific stars in specific palaces. The themes above are the common interpretation across most major sub-schools. If your practitioner's reading differs, that's a sub-school distinction, not a contradiction.
