FAQ
Zi Wei Dou Shu FAQ
Zi Wei Dou Shu (紫微斗数) places stars in twelve palaces based on your lunar birth date and hour. These answers cover how this site builds the chart.
Open the tool in another tab to follow along.
01
Quick answers
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| What inputs does Zi Wei need? | Birth date (converted to the lunar calendar), birth hour and gender. |
| How are leap months handled? | Schools differ. |
| What are the twelve palaces? | Life, Siblings, Spouse, Children, Wealth, Health, Travel, Friends, Career, Property, Fortune and Parents — each a life area read through the stars in it. |
| What are the fourteen major stars? | Zi Wei, Tian Ji, Tai Yang, Wu Qu, Tian Tong, Lian Zhen (the Zi Wei group) and Tian Fu, Tai Yin, Tan Lang, Ju Men, Tian Xiang, Tian Liang, Qi Sha, Po Jun (the Tian Fu group). |
| Does true solar time apply? | Many practitioners use it, since the hour defines the chart. |
| What if the life palace has no major star? | This is called an empty palace (命无正曜); it is read by borrowing the stars of the opposite palace. |
| How do the four transformations work? | Hua Lu, Quan, Ke and Ji are assigned to stars by the year stem. |
| Is Zi Wei better than BaZi? | They are different lenses. |
02
Key terms
- Four PillarsThe Four Pillars are the year, month, day and hour of birth, each written as a heavenly stem over an earthly branch.
- Hour PillarThe hour pillar covers one of twelve two-hour periods (时辰), starting with 子 at 23:00–01:00.
- True Solar TimeTrue solar time is clock time corrected for longitude (four minutes per degree from the zone meridian) and the equation of time (up to about ±16 minutes over the year).
03
Practising with Zi Wei Dou Shu
The fastest way to understand Zi Wei Dou Shu is to look at real charts rather than memorise rules. Enter a birth date, time and city in the BaZi Calculator, then locate where Zi Wei Dou Shu appears: in a visible stem, hidden inside a branch, in the current luck pillar or in this year's annual pillar. Note the position, because the year pillar is usually read as background and early life, the month pillar as environment and career setting, the day pillar as the self and close partner, and the hour pillar as later life and output.
- Compare two or three charts where Zi Wei Dou Shu is prominent and two where it is absent; write down what differs in the overall balance.
- Check the month branch first: seasonal strength changes how much any factor matters.
- Use the hidden-stems and Ten Gods tables in the calculator output instead of guessing.
- Treat single factors as clues, never as verdicts; classical texts always weigh the whole chart.
Different schools describe Zi Wei Dou Shu with slightly different emphasis. This site follows widely used conventions (solar-term months, true solar time optional, Zi hour setting configurable) and states them openly so you can compare results with a book or another calculator.
04
A suggested study path
Zi Wei Dou Shu is one piece of a larger system. If you are learning BaZi from scratch, the order below builds each idea on the previous one, and every step links to free reference pages on this site.
- Calculate a chart and confirm the four pillars are correct (checklist).
- Learn the ten heavenly stems and twelve earthly branches.
- Find your Day Master and judge its strength with the five elements.
- Read the Ten Gods in context.
- Move on to timing with luck and annual pillars.
- Use the glossary whenever a term is unfamiliar.
05
Scope
Charts on this site use the published rule set: true solar time by default, the year changes at 立春 (Start of Spring), months change at the 12 节 solar terms and the day changes at 23:00. Example charts below are computed live by the same engine.
BaZi is a traditional cultural system. This page explains how the symbols are defined and read; it does not make scientific claims or predictions about your health, money or relationships.
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