Reference · 术语表
Zi Wei Dou Shu Glossary
Updated
Zi Wei Dou Shu terms go by several names in English — the same palace is the Spouse Palace in one book and the Marriage Palace in another. Every entry below lists the Chinese, the plain pinyin, the common English names and the name used on a Purple Tome chart, so any of them leads to the same place.
Key concepts
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Zi Wei Dou Shu 紫微斗数 · Purple Star Astrology · Zi Wei Astrology · ZWDS | A Chinese system that turns a birth date and two-hour birth period into a chart of twelve palaces holding over a hundred named stars. It is traditionally dated to the 10th century. |
| Birth chart 命盘 · Ming Pan · natal chart | The full twelve-palace chart cast from one birth moment. Same birth date, two-hour period and sex always give the same chart. |
| Palace 宫 · Gong · house (loosely) | One of the twelve sections of the chart, each covering one area of life — self, partner, money, work and so on. |
| Major star 主星 · Zhu Xing · main star | The fourteen stars that set the basic character of whichever palace they sit in. |
| Empty palace 空宫 · Kong Gong | A palace with no major star. It is read through the major stars of the palace directly opposite — a real reading, not a blank. |
| Trine and opposite 三方四正 · San Fang Si Zheng · the four related palaces | A palace plus the palace opposite it and the two palaces four steps away on either side. These four are always read together. |
| Body palace 身宫 · Shen Gong | A second marker placed on one of six palaces, read as where your energy goes later in life. It shares a palace with one of the twelve, usually not the Life Palace. |
| Four Transformations 四化 · Si Hua · Hua Lu, Hua Quan, Hua Ke, Hua Ji | Four markers — Prosperity, Power, Renown and Adversity — that attach to specific stars depending on the year, and change how those stars behave. |
| Ten-year period 大限 · Da Xian · decade cycle · major limit | Each palace in turn becomes active for ten years. The palace holding your current decade colours everything else in that stretch of life. |
| Annual chart 流年 · Liu Nian · yearly cycle · flowing year | The overlay for a single year: which palace that year falls on, and where that year's Four Transformations land. |
| Brightness 庙旺利陷 · Miao, Wang, Li, Xian · star strength | How comfortable a star is in the branch it sits in. Bright (庙/旺) stars express their strengths easily; dim (陷) stars express the same nature with more friction. |
| Element bureau 五行局 · Wu Xing Ju · Five Elements bureau | One of five numbers (Water 2, Wood 3, Metal 4, Earth 5, Fire 6) worked out from the Life Palace. It sets where Zi Wei is placed and the age the first ten-year period starts. |
| Two-hour period 时辰 · Shi Chen · Chinese hour | The day is divided into twelve two-hour periods. The chart uses the period you were born in, not the exact minute — which is why true solar time matters. |
| True solar time 真太阳时 · Zhen Tai Yang Shi · apparent solar time | Clock time corrected for daylight saving, for how far east or west you were born in your time zone, and for the equation of time. |
The twelve palaces
| Name | Also called · meaning |
|---|---|
| Ming Gong (Life Palace) | 命宫 · Ming Gong · Mìnggōng · Life Palace · Ming Palace · Self palace (Purple Tome) Who you are underneath. Every other palace is read against this one. |
| Xiong Di (Siblings Palace) | 兄弟宫 · Xiong Di · Xiōngdì · Siblings Palace · Brothers Palace · Siblings palace (Purple Tome) The people you stand beside as equals — siblings, peers, co-founders. |
| Fu Qi (Spouse Palace) | 夫妻宫 · Fu Qi · Fūqī · Spouse Palace · Marriage Palace · Relationship Palace · Partner palace (Purple Tome) What you are drawn to, what you need, and how your closest bond behaves. |
| Zi Nu (Children Palace) | 子女宫 · Zi Nu · Zǐnǚ · Children Palace · Children and Students Palace · Children palace (Purple Tome) Children, students, projects — anything you raise and then have to let go of. |
| Cai Bo (Wealth Palace) | 财帛宫 · Cai Bo · Cáibó · Wealth Palace · Money Palace · Wealth palace (Purple Tome) Money in motion: how it reaches you, and the habits that decide whether it stays. |
| Ji E (Health Palace) | 疾厄宫 · Ji E · Jí’è · Health Palace · Illness Palace · Health palace (Purple Tome) Energy, load, and recovery — how your system handles being run hard. |
| Qian Yi (Travel Palace) | 迁移宫 · Qian Yi · Qiānyí · Travel Palace · Migration Palace · Movement Palace · Travel palace (Purple Tome) Who you are away from home — and the palace your Self reads against. |
| Jiao You (Friends Palace) | 仆役宫 · Jiao You · Jiāoyǒu · Friends Palace · Servants Palace · Pu Yi · 交友宫 · Friends palace (Purple Tome) Your wider network — who shows up, and what that costs. |
| Guan Lu (Career Palace) | 官禄宫 · Guan Lu · Guānlù · Career Palace · Officials Palace · Work Palace · Career palace (Purple Tome) How you work — the shape of the work, not the job title. |
| Tian Zhai (Property Palace) | 田宅宫 · Tian Zhai · Tiánzhái · Property Palace · Home Palace · Real Estate Palace · Property palace (Purple Tome) What you keep. Home, holdings, and the base you operate from. |
| Fu De (Fortune Palace) | 福德宫 · Fu De · Fúdé · Fortune Palace · Happiness Palace · Blessings Palace · Wellbeing palace (Purple Tome) The inner weather. What you enjoy, what you worry about, what settles you. |
| Fu Mu (Parents Palace) | 父母宫 · Fu Mu · Fùmǔ · Parents Palace · Parents and Mentors Palace · Parents palace (Purple Tome) Parents, mentors, and everyone with authority over you. |
The fourteen major stars
| Name | Also called · meaning |
|---|---|
| Zi Wei (Emperor Star) | 紫微 · Zi Wei · Zǐwēi · Emperor Star · Purple Star · Purple Emperor · The Emperor (Purple Tome) The system is named after this star. It sets direction — and rarely does the work itself. |
| Tian Ji (Heavenly Secret) | 天机 · Tian Ji · Tiānjī · Heavenly Secret · Heavenly Mechanism · Wisdom Star · The Strategist (Purple Tome) Sees the angle everyone else walked past. Thinks fast, and thinks a lot. |
| Tai Yang (Sun Star) | 太阳 · Tai Yang · Tàiyáng · Sun Star · The Sun (Purple Tome) Gives first, and the room warms up. It gives light, not heat. |
| Wu Qu (Military Star) | 武曲 · Wu Qu · Wǔqǔ · Military Star · Martial Star · Wealth Star · The General (Purple Tome) Decides fast, then actually delivers. The hardest-edged of the wealth stars. |
| Tian Tong (Heavenly Unity) | 天同 · Tian Tong · Tiāntóng · Heavenly Unity · Blessing Star · The Peacemaker (Purple Tome) Things loosen when you arrive. That ease is a real skill — and it has a price. |
| Lian Zhen (Chastity Star) | 廉贞 · Lian Zhen · Liánzhēn · Chastity Star · Integrity-Chastity · Integrity Star · The Maverick (Purple Tome) Does it their own way, and it keeps working. The most complicated star in the system. |
| Tian Fu (Treasury Star) | 天府 · Tian Fu · Tiānfǔ · Treasury Star · Heavenly Treasury · Southern Treasury · The Treasurer (Purple Tome) The safe place everyone ends up leaning on. A star of reserves, not of income. |
| Tai Yin (Moon Star) | 太阴 · Tai Yin · Tàiyīn · Moon Star · The Moon (Purple Tome) Picks up what was not said, long before anyone says it. |
| Tan Lang (Greedy Wolf) | 贪狼 · Tan Lang · Tānláng · Greedy Wolf · The Wolf (Purple Tome) Wants all of it — and is charming enough to get it. The star of appetite, and of range. |
| Ju Men (Great Gate) | 巨门 · Ju Men · Jùmén · Great Gate · Giant Gate · Huge Door · The Voice (Purple Tome) Says the thing everyone in the room was thinking and nobody said. |
| Tian Xiang (Prime Minister) | 天相 · Tian Xiang · Tiānxiàng · Prime Minister · Heavenly Chancellor · Heavenly Minister · Chancellor · The Right Hand (Purple Tome) Trusted with what actually matters. The seal star — the one who holds the stamp. |
| Tian Liang (Heavenly Beam) | 天梁 · Tian Liang · Tiānliáng · Heavenly Beam · Mentor Star · Shade Star · The Guardian (Purple Tome) Looks after people whether or not they asked. The shade star — shelter after trouble starts. |
| Qi Sha (Seven Killings) | 七杀 · Qi Sha · Qīshā · Seven Killings · Seven Kills · The Warrior (Purple Tome) Would rather go alone than go slow. |
| Po Jun (Army Breaker) | 破军 · Po Jun · Pòjūn · Army Breaker · Destroyer · The Pioneer (Purple Tome) Tears it down and rebuilds it better. Demolition first, then the building. |
The Four Transformations
| Name | Also called · meaning |
|---|---|
| Hua Lu (Transformation of Wealth) | 化禄 · Hua Lu · Huà Lù · Transformation of Wealth · Prosperity (Purple Tome) Things flow here. The one transformation people are always glad to find. |
| Hua Quan (Transformation of Power) | 化权 · Hua Quan · Huà Quán · Transformation of Power · Power (Purple Tome) Where you have leverage — and where you push harder than you meant to. |
| Hua Ke (Transformation of Status) | 化科 · Hua Ke · Huà Kē · Transformation of Status · Renown (Purple Tome) Reputation, recognition, and being helped by someone who noticed you. |
| Hua Ji (Transformation of Obstacle) | 化忌 · Hua Ji · Huà Jì · Transformation of Obstacle · Adversity (Purple Tome) The knot. Where attention gets stuck — and the most useful of the four. |
Lucky and harmful stars
| Name | Also called · meaning |
|---|---|
| Wen Chang (Literary Brilliance) | 文昌 · Wen Chang · Wénchāng · Literary Brilliance · Scholar (Purple Tome) The star of getting it right on paper — and of minding, more than most, that it is right. |
| Wen Qu (Literary Arts) | 文曲 · Wen Qu · Wénqǔ · Literary Arts · Eloquence (Purple Tome) The other half of intelligence: the one that persuades rather than proves. |
| Zuo Fu (Left Assistant) | 左辅 · Zuo Fu · Zuǒfǔ · Left Assistant · Left Support (Purple Tome) The help that arrives without being asked, and stays after the interesting part is over. |
| You Bi (Right Assistant) | 右弼 · You Bi · Yòubì · Right Assistant · Right Support (Purple Tome) The warmer helper — the one who fixes the situation by fixing how people feel about it. |
| Tian Kui (Heavenly Noble) | 天魁 · Tian Kui · Tiānkuí · Heavenly Noble · Noble (Yang) (Purple Tome) The visible helping hand: the person with standing who decides you are worth backing. |
| Tian Yue (Heavenly Noble) | 天钺 · Tian Yue · Tiānyuè · Heavenly Noble · Noble (Yin) (Purple Tome) The quiet version of the same gift — help you often only recognise afterwards. |
| Lu Cun (Stored Fortune) | 禄存 · Lu Cun · Lùcún · Stored Fortune · Wealth Store (Purple Tome) Not the star of earning a lot. The star of what stays. |
| Tian Ma (Heavenly Horse) | 天马 · Tian Ma · Tiānmǎ · Heavenly Horse · Sky Horse (Purple Tome) Motion. Whether it becomes progress depends on what it is harnessed to. |
| Qing Yang (Ram Blade) | 擎羊 · Qing Yang · Qíngyáng · Ram Blade · The Blade (Purple Tome) It hands you an edge. An edge cuts both ways, and it does not ask which. |
| Tuo Luo (Spinning Top) | 陀罗 · Tuo Luo · Tuóluó · Spinning Top · The Spindle (Purple Tome) The same force as the Blade, turning in place instead of cutting. |
| Huo Xing (Fire Star) | 火星 · Huo Xing · Huǒxīng · Fire Star · Fire (Purple Tome) A sudden burst of heat. Very effective, and over quickly. |
| Ling Xing (Bell Star) | 铃星 · Ling Xing · Língxīng · Bell Star · Bell (Purple Tome) The slow burn. Nothing visible, then something that has been building for months. |
| Di Kong (Earthly Void) | 地空 · Di Kong · Dìkōng · Earthly Void · The Void (Purple Tome) The star that empties things out — including, sometimes, the things worth being emptied of. |
| Di Jie (Earthly Calamity) | 地劫 · Di Jie · Dìjié · Earthly Calamity · The Plunder (Purple Tome) The cost that arrives from outside, on someone else's schedule. |
Minor stars
| Name | Also called · meaning |
|---|---|
| Hong Luan (Red Phoenix) | 红鸾 · Hong Luan · Hóngluán · Red Phoenix · Romance (Purple Tome) The star of being drawn toward someone, and of the year that happens. |
| Tian Xi (Heavenly Joy) | 天喜 · Tian Xi · Tiānxǐ · Heavenly Joy · Joy (Purple Tome) Good news, and the kind of temperament that keeps finding some. |
| Tian Yao (Heavenly Beauty) | 天姚 · Tian Yao · Tiānyáo · Heavenly Beauty · Charm (Purple Tome) The star of being noticed — including by people you were not aiming at. |
| Xian Chi (The Bathing Pool) | 咸池 · Xian Chi · Xiánchí · The Bathing Pool · Allure (Purple Tome) Wanting, and being wanted, with the volume turned up. |
| Gu Chen (Lonely Star) | 孤辰 · Gu Chen · Gūchén · Lonely Star · Solitude (Purple Tome) A standing apart that is chosen more often than it looks. |
| Gua Su (Widowed Star) | 寡宿 · Gua Su · Guǎsù · Widowed Star · Seclusion (Purple Tome) The paired star to Solitude: quieter, and more inward. |
| Tian Xing (Heavenly Punishment) | 天刑 · Tian Xing · Tiānxíng · Heavenly Punishment · Discipline (Purple Tome) A hard edge that is not aggression — it is standards. |
| Long Chi (Dragon Pool) | 龙池 · Long Chi · Lóngchí · Dragon Pool · Dragon Pool (Purple Tome) Skill in the hands. Craft rather than theory. |
| Feng Ge (Phoenix Pavilion) | 凤阁 · Feng Ge · Fènggé · Phoenix Pavilion · Phoenix Tower (Purple Tome) Taste. The ability to tell the good version from the nearly-good one. |
| Tian Cai (Heavenly Talent) | 天才 · Tian Cai · Tiāncái · Heavenly Talent · Talent (Purple Tome) Quick uptake. The learning curve is shorter than other people's. |
| Tian Chu (Heavenly Kitchen) | 天厨 · Tian Chu · Tiānchú · Heavenly Kitchen · Provision (Purple Tome) Food, appetite, and being well fed in the broad sense. |
| San Tai (Three Terraces) | 三台 · San Tai · Sāntái · Three Terraces · Three Terraces (Purple Tome) Standing. Being taken seriously before you have proved anything. |
| Ba Zuo (Eight Seats) | 八座 · Ba Zuo · Bāzuò · Eight Seats · Eight Seats (Purple Tome) The companion to Three Terraces: position, and being straightforward about it. |
| En Guang (Light of Grace) | 恩光 · En Guang · Ēnguāng · Light of Grace · Grace (Purple Tome) Being seen. Credit arriving where credit is due. |
| Tian Gui (Heavenly Nobility) | 天贵 · Tian Gui · Tiānguì · Heavenly Nobility · Nobility (Purple Tome) A quality people describe as class, without being able to point at what it is. |
| Tian Guan (Heavenly Official) | 天官 · Tian Guan · Tiānguān · Heavenly Official · Heavenly Office (Purple Tome) Fitness for responsibility. The person things get handed to. |
| Tai Fu (Terrace Assistant) | 台辅 · Tai Fu · Táifǔ · Terrace Assistant · Terrace Aid (Purple Tome) Support that arrives as backing rather than as labour. |
| Feng Gao (Sealed Decree) | 封诰 · Feng Gao · Fēnggào · Sealed Decree · Investiture (Purple Tome) The material half of the same support: the resource, not the encouragement. |
| Tian Ku (Heavenly Weeping) | 天哭 · Tian Ku · Tiānkū · Heavenly Weeping · Lament (Purple Tome) A seriousness that has grief somewhere behind it. |
| Tian Xu (Heavenly Emptiness) | 天虚 · Tian Xu · Tiānxū · Heavenly Emptiness · Hollow (Purple Tome) The feeling that something is missing, in a life where nothing obviously is. |
| Po Sui (Broken Fragments) | 破碎 · Po Sui · Pòsuì · Broken Fragments · Fracture (Purple Tome) Many pieces. Breadth bought at the price of depth. |
| Fei Lian (The Wind Spirit) | 蜚廉 · Fei Lian · Fēilián · The Wind Spirit · Slander (Purple Tome) Talk. Being discussed when you are not in the room. |
| Hua Gai (Imperial Canopy) | 华盖 · Hua Gai · Huágài · Imperial Canopy · Canopy (Purple Tome) A canopy over the head: apart from the crowd, and interested in what is underneath things. |
| Yin Sha (Hidden Malefic) | 阴煞 · Yin Sha · Yīnshà · Hidden Malefic · Shadow (Purple Tome) The undercurrent. Things felt rather than seen. |
| Da Hao (Great Waste) | 大耗 · Da Hao · Dàhào · Great Waste · Great Drain (Purple Tome) Steady outflow. Not one disaster — a leak. |
| Jie Shen (The Unbinding Spirit) | 解神 · Jie Shen · Jiěshén · The Unbinding Spirit · Resolver (Purple Tome) The knot comes undone. Usually later than you wanted, and it does come undone. |
| Tian De (Heavenly Virtue) | 天德 · Tian De · Tiāndé · Heavenly Virtue · Virtue (Purple Tome) Protection that comes from having behaved well. |
| Yue De (Monthly Virtue) | 月德 · Yue De · Yuèdé · Monthly Virtue · Moon Virtue (Purple Tome) The gentler protection: help through people rather than through luck. |
| Tian Fu (Heavenly Blessing) | 天福 · Tian Fu · Tiānfú · Heavenly Blessing · Blessing (Purple Tome) Ease. Things costing less effort than they cost other people. |
| Nian Jie (The Year's Untying) | 年解 · Nian Jie · Niánjiě · The Year's Untying · Yearly Relief (Purple Tome) The reprieve that arrives on the calendar rather than on request. |
| Tian Shou (Heavenly Longevity) | 天寿 · Tian Shou · Tiānshòu · Heavenly Longevity · Longevity (Purple Tome) Staying power. The long game, biologically and otherwise. |
| Tian Shang (Heavenly Wound) | 天伤 · Tian Shang · Tiānshāng · Heavenly Wound · Wound (Purple Tome) The place that got hurt and healed unevenly. |
| Tian Shi (Heavenly Envoy) | 天使 · Tian Shi · Tiānshǐ · Heavenly Envoy · Envoy (Purple Tome) The messenger. News that changes what happens next. |
| Tian Yue (Heavenly Moon) | 天月 · Tian Yue · Tiānyuè · Heavenly Moon · Ailment (Purple Tome) The chronic thing rather than the dramatic one. |
| Tian Wu (Heavenly Shaman) | 天巫 · Tian Wu · Tiānwū · Heavenly Shaman · Intercession (Purple Tome) Intuition, and a pull toward what cannot be proved. |
| Tian Kong (Heavenly Void) | 天空 · Tian Kong · Tiānkōng · Heavenly Void · Sky Void (Purple Tome) Imagination unattached to what exists. |
| Xun Kong (Cyclic Emptiness) | 旬空 · Xun Kong · Xúnkōng · Cyclic Emptiness · Cyclic Void (Purple Tome) A gap in the cycle. This one does not fully count. |
| Jie Lu (Severed Road) | 截路 · Jie Lu · Jiélù · Severed Road · Blockage (Purple Tome) The road is cut. Not forever, and not today. |
| Kong Wang (Emptiness) | 空亡 · Kong Wang · Kōngwáng · Emptiness · Void (Purple Tome) The broadest of the void stars: what is here counts for less. |
The twelve two-hour periods (时辰)
Times are true solar time at the birthplace, not clock time.
| Rat hour (Zǐ) | 23:00–01:00 |
| Ox hour (Chǒu) | 01:00–03:00 |
| Tiger hour (Yín) | 03:00–05:00 |
| Rabbit hour (Mǎo) | 05:00–07:00 |
| Dragon hour (Chén) | 07:00–09:00 |
| Snake hour (Sì) | 09:00–11:00 |
| Horse hour (Wǔ) | 11:00–13:00 |
| Goat hour (Wèi) | 13:00–15:00 |
| Monkey hour (Shēn) | 15:00–17:00 |
| Rooster hour (Yǒu) | 17:00–19:00 |
| Dog hour (Xū) | 19:00–21:00 |
| Pig hour (Hài) | 21:00–23:00 |
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